Blog
Guides, tips and updates for UK dental practices from the DentiPoint blog — practice management, NHS and compliance, patient care and marketing.
What Is a DSO? Dental Service Organizations Explained
What a DSO (dental service organization) is, what a DSO dentist does, the main models, how common DSOs are in the US and what software a multi-practice group needs.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Types of Dental X-Rays: Bitewing, Periapical, OPG and More
Bitewing, periapical, occlusal, OPG, ceph and CBCT: what each dental X-ray shows, when it is used, how often to repeat it and how a practice should store the images.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Periodontal Charting: A Practical Guide to the Perio Chart
Periodontal charting records six probing depths per tooth plus recession, bleeding and furcation. What the numbers mean, when a full chart is needed and what to check in software.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 7 min read
Setting Up a Dental Practice in the UK: A Step-by-Step Guide
Setting up a dental practice in England, step by step: squat or buy, business structure, CQC registration, GDC and indemnity, NHS contracts, premises and X-ray, data protection, costs, and a checklist for opening day.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 12 min read
Dental Charting: A UK Guide to Symbols, Surfaces and Templates
How dental charting works in UK practice: Palmer and FDI notation, naming the five surfaces, why charting symbols and colours are not standardised, a step-by-step charting order, what a charting template should contain, and how to correct a chart.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 13 min read
BPE Scores Explained: Codes 0 to 4, Furcation and What to Record
BPE scores run from 0 to 4 in each of six sextants, with * for furcation. What each code means under the BSP 2019 guidance, how to record the BPE, the simplified BPE for under-18s, and how the highest score reaches the FP17.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 10 min read
Choosing Dental Software for a Small or Squat Practice (UK)
Choosing dental software for a one to three surgery or squat practice: the six essentials, what to skip at first, the pricing traps, the questions to ask on a demo, and a 30-day setup plan.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 7 min read
Cloud vs Server Dental Software: Which Is Right for Your UK Practice?
Choosing between cloud and server-based dental software? A plain-English comparison of cost, security, backups and remote access for UK practices.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 4 min read
Dentally Alternatives for UK Practices: How to Compare Cloud Dental Software
If you are weighing a Dentally alternative, here is how to compare UK cloud dental software fairly — the criteria that matter and where DentiPoint fits.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 4 min read
NHS Dental Contract Changes 2026: What They Mean for Your Practice
The NHS dental contract changes in England from 1 April 2026 (unscheduled care paid at £75 per course, the 8.2% requirement, fissure sealants moved to Band 2, nurse-led fluoride varnish), the care pathways from 23 June 2026, and the questions to ask about your software.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 7 min read
NHS Dental Bands, UDAs and Charges 2026: A Practice Manager's Guide
NHS dental bands and UDAs for 2026: the new patient charges, how many UDAs each band and sub-band earns, what changed in the April 2026 contract, the minimum UDA value, and what the FP17 must now carry.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Oct 2026 · 11 min read
The FP17 Clinical Data Set: Highest BPE, Untreated Decayed Teeth and Recall
Since 1 October 2022, adult Band 1, 2 and 3 FP17 claims in England must carry three clinical items: the highest BPE sextant score, the number of untreated decayed teeth and the NICE recall interval. What each field means, who it applies to and how to get it right from the chart.
The DentiPoint Team · 29 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
How Much Does Dental Practice Management Software Cost in the UK?
How much dental practice management software costs in the UK: published prices versus quote-only vendors, the four pricing models, what is included, the one-off costs, and a worksheet for your true yearly cost.
The DentiPoint Team · 29 Oct 2026 · 7 min read
Palmer vs FDI Notation: Which Should Your Dental Practice Use?
Palmer and FDI are the two tooth numbering systems UK dental teams meet every day. How each one works for permanent and deciduous teeth, a quick conversion list, where each is used, and how to stop the two causing mistakes in your records and software.
The DentiPoint Team · 28 Oct 2026 · 9 min read
GDPR & Patient Data Protection for UK Dental Practices
A plain-English guide to GDPR for UK dental practices: how long to keep patient records, the data processing agreements you need, privacy notices, whether you need a DPO, and how secure software carries most of the compliance load.
The DentiPoint Team · 28 Oct 2026 · 9 min read
Dental Treatment Plan Template: What a UK Plan Must Include
A practical dental treatment plan template for UK practices. What the GDC says every plan must contain, how to lay out phases and options, how to show NHS and private items, when an FP17DC is needed, and how to keep the plan up to date once treatment starts.
The DentiPoint Team · 27 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
How to Reduce DNAs and No-Shows in Your Dental Practice: A UK Playbook
How UK dental practices reduce DNAs and no-shows: why NHS practices cannot charge for missed appointments, what the evidence says about who misses them, and a seven-step playbook of reminders, rebooking, short-notice lists and measurement.
The DentiPoint Team · 27 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Dental Record Keeping Guidelines: A UK Practice Guide
Dental record keeping guidelines in the UK come from the GDC, NHS England's consensus standards and the College of General Dentistry. What a dental record must contain, how to correct it without breaking trust, how long to keep it, and what to look for in electronic records.
The DentiPoint Team · 26 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
CQC Compliance Checklist for Dental Practices
Registering with CQC is only the start. This practical checklist turns CQC’s five key questions and single assessment framework into a plain, actionable list for dental practice owners and managers — so you can close gaps before an inspector finds them.
The DentiPoint Team · 26 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Dental Appointment Deposits and Online Payments: What UK Practices Can Charge in 2026
Can a dentist charge a deposit? Yes for private care, with fair terms shown up front. For NHS care, not before an assessment and never as a missed-appointment fee. The rules, how to set a fair amount, and how to take payment online.
The DentiPoint Team · 25 Oct 2026 · 10 min read
Switching Dental Practice Management Software: The Step-by-Step Migration Guide
Already on a dental PMS and ready to change? This step-by-step migration guide covers the data-export checklist, downtime and go-live risk, NHS-year timing and team retraining, so switching dental practice management software stays a low-risk project.
The DentiPoint Team · 24 Oct 2026 · 10 min read
Going Paperless: Digital Patient Forms and Medical Histories for Dental Practices
A practical guide to going paperless in a UK dental practice: what to digitise, how online medical-history and consent intake works, whether digital signatures are valid, and how it saves reception time.
The DentiPoint Team · 23 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Mixing NHS and Private Dental Treatment: The Rules and a One-Diary Workflow
Can you mix NHS and private dental treatment? The rules on the same tooth, top-ups, orthodontics and the FP17DC, six situations reception meets every week, and a one-diary workflow for NHS, private and plan patients.
The DentiPoint Team · 22 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
How to Reactivate Lapsed Dental Patients (Without Annoying Everyone Else)
A practical UK playbook to reactivate lapsed dental patients: segment your overdue list, pick the channel, use a warm three-message sequence, cap contact, and stay on the right side of PECR marketing rules.
The DentiPoint Team · 21 Oct 2026 · 9 min read
Dental Practice KPIs & Metrics Every Practice Manager Should Track
The 10 dental practice KPIs that actually change decisions, from UDA delivery and DNA rate to case acceptance, patient retention and collections, plus how often to review them and why one system beats a spreadsheet.
The DentiPoint Team · 20 Oct 2026 · 9 min read
Diary Utilisation and Chair Time: Benchmarks and Formulas for UK Dental Practices
Diary utilisation vs room utilisation, the formulas, what a sensible benchmark looks like for a UK dental practice, how to put a value on an hour of chair time, and how to lift utilisation without adding opening hours.
The DentiPoint Team · 19 Oct 2026 · 10 min read
NICE Dental Recall Intervals: 3 to 24 Months Explained for UK Practices
NICE dental recall intervals run from 3 to 24 months for adults and 3 to 12 months for under-18s. What CG19 says, the NICE steps, what the FP17 must record, and how to run risk-based recalls at scale.
The DentiPoint Team · 18 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
NHS Dental Clawback: The 96% Rule and How to Track UDA Delivery
NHS dental clawback explained for practice owners in England: the 96% threshold, carry-forward and over-delivery limits, contract rebasing, the 2026 unscheduled care requirement, late FP17s and a monthly pace check.
The DentiPoint Team · 17 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
WhatsApp Appointment Reminders for Dental Practices: Rules, Costs and Setup
How to send dental appointment reminders on WhatsApp in the UK: the service-versus-marketing rule, the Business app versus the Business Platform, what Meta charges, and a step-by-step setup.
The DentiPoint Team · 16 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Local SEO for Dental Practices: Beyond Your Google Business Profile
The umbrella guide to local SEO for dentists: how Google Business Profile, consistent NAP, service and location pages, reviews, local links and AI search work together to win nearby patients.
The DentiPoint Team · 15 Oct 2026 · 10 min read
Google Business Profile Optimisation for Dental Practices
Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a local patient sees. This step-by-step checklist covers categories, NAP consistency, reviews, photos and posts so your dental practice ranks in the local 3-pack and turns searches into booked appointments.
The DentiPoint Team · 14 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Cloud Backup and Data Security for Dental Practices: What CQC and GDPR Actually Require
A plain-English guide to dental practice data security and backup: encryption, individual logins, off-site backups, disaster recovery, and what CQC inspectors and GDPR actually expect.
The DentiPoint Team · 13 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
How to Get More Dental Patient Reviews: A 5-Star Guide for UK Practices
A practical, UK-first system for earning more five-star dental reviews: get the timing right, make the ask part of every checkout, use proven request scripts, and respond to every review the compliant way.
The DentiPoint Team · 12 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Automating the Front Desk: How AI and Automation Are Changing Dental Practice Admin
A clear-eyed guide to dental practice automation for UK owners: what automation and AI actually do at the front desk (reminders, recalls, booking, payments, reporting), what they cannot do, and where a person still has to make the call.
The DentiPoint Team · 11 Oct 2026 · 7 min read
Treatment Plan Acceptance: How to Get More Patients to Say Yes
Treatment plan acceptance rarely improves with a harder sell. Learn seven practical, ethical ways to help more dental patients say yes, from visual education and phased payments to same-visit booking and tracking case acceptance as a KPI.
The DentiPoint Team · 10 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Dental Patient Portal: Benefits of Online Self-Service for Patients
A dental patient portal lets patients request and manage appointments online. See the real benefits: fewer front-desk calls, cleaner records, and less admin for your UK practice.
The DentiPoint Team · 8 Oct 2026 · 7 min read
How to Increase Online Booking Conversions on a Dental Website
A practical CRO checklist for UK dental practices: cut booking form fields, add GDC and CQC trust signals above the fold, design a mobile sticky CTA and offer real 24/7 online booking to turn more website visitors into confirmed appointments.
The DentiPoint Team · 6 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Dental Membership Plans Explained: NHS, Private & In-House Plans
Dental membership plans let patients pay a monthly fee for routine care. Here is how in-house and provider plans work alongside NHS and private dentistry, and what your practice needs to run one.
The DentiPoint Team · 4 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Handling Emergency and Out of Hours Dental Enquiries Online
Stop losing after-hours emergencies to a silent answerphone. A practical guide to capturing and triaging out of hours dental enquiries online, keeping patients safe and your diary full.
The DentiPoint Team · 2 Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Hiring a Dental Associate: Contract & Onboarding Guide (UK)
A practical UK guide to hiring a dental associate: self-employed status, pay splits, UDA targets, lab fees, restrictive covenants, and how to onboard a new associate into your practice and its systems.
The DentiPoint Team · 30 Sept 2026 · 9 min read
Scaling a Dental Group: From One Practice to Multi-Branch
The infrastructure a UK practice owner needs before opening branch two: centralised scheduling, standardised protocols, consolidated reporting, and the compliance changes that come with a second location.
The DentiPoint Team · 28 Sept 2026 · 9 min read
Buying a Dental Practice in the UK: A Checklist for Buyers (and Sellers)
A UK checklist for buying a dental practice, with a list for sellers: the steps in order, due diligence, valuation, how the NHS contract continues, CQC registration, patient records and what happens to the software.
The DentiPoint Team · 26 Sept 2026 · 9 min read
New Dental Practice Software Checklist: Setting Up Systems Before You Open
Opening a dental practice from scratch? This checklist covers the booking, records, payments and website systems a new UK practice needs live before opening day, plus a realistic setup timeline for a squat practice.
The DentiPoint Team · 24 Sept 2026 · 7 min read