Utilizing procedure buttons in Dentrix will streamline the process of charting and treatment planning. With the quick click of a button you can enter all the information you need into a patients chart. Dentrix comes with 24 preset procedure buttons. There’s no limit to the number of procedure buttons you can have and you can fully customize these buttons to make them work for you.
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Creating Procedure Buttons in Dentrix
To Create a Procedure Button:
Go to the patient chart and on the top toolbar click setup and then procedure button setup. This will open the procedure button setup box.
To create your new button, click new. This will open the new procedure button box.
From here, you want to select the procedure code you want to use from the drop down menu. You can choose single procedure codes, multi-codes or conditions. (If you aren’t familiar with Dentrix Multi Codes yet, click here to learn how they can save you tons of time!)
Then, you will need to select an image to use to represent this procedure. (You can also choose the option to use code text).
Click on the drop down and select either choose image or new image. (If you want to edit an existing image you need to choose it first then re-click the drop down to select edit image).
There are about 80 images Dentrix comes with by default to use for procedure buttons. You can use these as they are, edit them or create your own. We will go through each option.
If you see an image that you like, simply click it and then click okay. Your procedure button is now made.
If you don’t see an image that works, you can create your own. To do this, choose new image. This will open the image editor where you can draw your own picture or write what you want.
If you’re not feeling very artistic or just want something already ready to go, you can download images I have made and find very useful. This is also a full list of procedure buttons I have setup in my operatory and find these to be the most used procedure codes for charting and treatment planning.
Don't Create Multiple Dentrix Procedure Buttons for Similar Procedures
Dentrix uses something they call “smart code.” What this means for procedure codes is that you can create one button for similar procedure codes. A perfect example of when this would apply is for composite restorations. There is a different procedure code for fillings that are 1 surface, 2 surface, 3 surface, etc. However, you can create one button (with any one of these codes) and Dentrix will recognize the appropriate code based on the number of surfaces you select and update it as needed. This saves you from having hundreds of procedure buttons. The whole point of procedure buttons is to make the process of charting and treatment planning quick, so you don’t want to spend extra time scrolling through too many procedure buttons.
Saving Procedure Buttons in Dentrix
Next, after you have created an entire set of procedure buttons, you will want to save it. With Dentrix, procedure buttons are computer specific, meaning you can have different sets of procedure buttons in different operatories. Personally, I am a fan of keeping all operatories in the office the same. I think this streamlines the process and you can function the same, no matter which room you’re in. However, if in your dental practice you have operatories designated for certain procedures, you may want to alter these for those rooms.
To save your button set, click save button set. This will open a box where you can name your procedure button set. Enter a name and click OK.
Transfer Your Procedure Buttons on Every Computer in the Office
Lastly, now that you have created and saved your procedure button set, you can now put this same set on every computer in the office. To do so, go to the computer you want it on and open the patient chart. On the top toolbar click setup, then procedure button setup. From the top drop down menu, find and select the name of the procedure button set you want to use. Once selected, it will update to the procedure button set you created, you can now close the window.
Put Your Procedure Buttons to Work
Now that you have your new procedure buttons all setup in Dentrix, they are ready to use. These buttons are intended to save you time and streamline the process of charting and treatment planning. Create as many or as few procedure buttons as you need to make them work for you. For my full list of procedure buttons I use in practice (along with images), click here.
