Why treatment planning matters (for the whole team)

Dentrix treatment plans aren’t just for the doctor. Hygienists, assistants, and the front desk all rely on them to:

• Track what was diagnosed and when

• Present treatment clearly and confidently

• Schedule care in the right order

• Avoid confusion (like trying to schedule a crown before a root canal)

• Document referrals and patient decisions

When your treatment plans are clean and organized, your whole workflow is smoother.

Step 1: Get set up in the Patient Chart (TX + Auto State)

Start in the Patient Chart.

At the top you’ll see key charting icons:

• EO (Existing Other) = work done outside your office

• EX (Existing) = work done in your office (Dentrix usually updates this automatically when procedures are posted)

• TX (Treatment Plan) = what we’re focused on in this tutorial

• Completed = also usually updated automatically when you post from the Appointment Book

Turn on Auto State (big time saver)

Auto State is the little “light switch” icon. When it’s on, anything you chart will automatically go into the selected category.

So for treatment planning:

1. Turn on Auto State

2. Click TX so Dentrix knows you’re treatment planning

This cuts out a ton of repetitive clicks and makes charting much faster.

Step 2: Two ways to enter treatment plans in Dentrix

You can treatment plan in Dentrix in two main ways:

Option A: Procedure Buttons (recommended)

I’m a huge fan of procedure buttons because they’re faster and require fewer clicks. If your office hasn’t set these up yet, it’s worth doing.

Option B: Procedure Codes

You can also use the procedure code list:

• Expand categories

• Search by code

• Or search by keyword (example: type “crown”)

It works, but it usually takes more clicks compared to procedure buttons.

Step 3: How to enter procedures into the treatment plan (examples)

Here’s the basic workflow:

1. Select the tooth (or teeth)

2. Click the procedure button (or procedure code)

3. Enter surfaces if prompted (for fillings, etc.)

Example: Crown + build-up

• Select tooth #14

• Add the crown

• Add a core build-up

Dentrix may prompt you for a tooth number if you click the procedure first—either way works, but selecting the tooth first saves a step.

Example: Composite fillings (with surfaces)

• Select tooth #20

• Choose composite

• Dentrix prompts for surfaces (ex: DO)

Batch tip: chart multiple teeth at once

If multiple teeth need the same treatment:

1. Select all applicable teeth (ex: #18 and #19)

2. Choose the procedure

3. Choose surfaces

4. Click Use for All

This is a small thing that saves a surprising amount of time.

Step 4: Open the Treatment Planner Panel (to organize everything)

Once the treatment is in the chart, the next goal is keeping it organized.

In your chart, switch to a layout that shows the Treatment Planner Panel (View → Treatment Planner layout). This side panel is where Dentrix becomes actually usable for treatment organization.

You’ll see the treatment plan as a “case” (folder). Open it to view the procedures inside.

Step 5: Organize treatment by visits (my #1 habit)

The first thing I do every time: group procedures into visits.

Example:

• Visit 1: Crown + build-up on #14

• Visit 2: Fillings

How:

1. Right-click a procedure

2. Choose Move to Visit 1 / Visit 2

3. You can also highlight multiple procedures and move them all at once

Why this matters: it makes the plan clear for whoever presents it and for whoever schedules it.

Step 6: Create separate cases (future work, referrals, options)

In the Treatment Planner panel, click New Case (the file icon with a star).

You can use separate cases for:

• Future treatment

• Optional treatment

• Referred-out treatment

• Alternate options (very common)

Step 7: Give patients two options (and link them correctly)

This is one of the most useful Dentrix features: Link Alternate Cases.

Example scenario: patient has chipping on #8 and #9 and you want to present:

• Option 1: Porcelain veneers

• Option 2: Composite bonding

Workflow

1. Create two cases

2. Rename them (ex: “Option 1 – Veneers” and “Option 2 – Bonding”)

3. Make the correct case the default before you start charting (Dentrix puts new procedures into the bold/default case)

4. Enter procedures into each case

5. Organize each by visits if needed

6. Click Link Alternate Cases and select both cases

Now Dentrix clearly shows:

• These are mutually exclusive options

• You can set the recommended case (adds the star)

This avoids confusion and helps your team present options cleanly.

Step 8: How to refer out treatment in Dentrix

I’m a big believer in treatment planning referrals even when your office isn’t doing the work—because it documents what was diagnosed and prevents scheduling mistakes.

Refer out an entire case

1. Click the case (folder)

2. Choose Update Case Status

3. Select Referred

4. Choose the referral provider

5. Add a note if needed

Dentrix will:

• Mark the case as referred

• Add “R” indicators to procedures

• Set fees to $0 (because your fees won’t match the specialist)

Refer out only ONE procedure (inside a larger plan)

Example: Crown + build-up is in your office, but root canal is referred out first.

1. Open the case

2. Double click the specific procedure (ex: endo)

3. In the referral section, choose the specialist

This is huge because it prevents the front desk from accidentally scheduling the crown before the endo.

Step 9: Case cleanup—delete vs reject (don’t lose documentation)

Deleting cases

Dentrix gives different delete options depending on whether it’s the default case or not. Most of the time, you don’t want to delete procedures unless it was truly entered by mistake.

Mark a case as rejected (better than deleting)

If a patient declines treatment:

1. Select the case

2. Update Case Status → Rejected

3. Add a note (ex: “Declined due to cost”)

Dentrix removes it from the visible chart but keeps the record of what was recommended.

You can also choose whether to show/hide rejected cases in the panel.

Step 10: Use severity flags to quickly communicate urgency

Dentrix lets you label case severity:

• Immediate need

• Future/eventual

• Optional

This creates a quick “at a glance” system for the team.

Step 11: Print the treatment plan (what patients see)

From the Treatment Planner panel, use the Print icon.

You can customize what prints, but generally your printed plan may show:

• Procedures

• Office fees

• Insurance estimate (if applicable)

• Patient portion

(Insurance columns won’t show if the patient has no insurance.)

My best treatment planning tip: take intraoral photos every time

Every time I treatment plan, I take an intraoral photo—because it changes everything.

When patients can actually see what you’re talking about, they understand it faster, trust it more, and accept treatment more often.

It also helps with documentation and, in some cases, insurance support.

Sponsor reminder: MouthWatch Intraoral Cameras

If you’re not using intraoral photos yet, I highly recommend getting a camera in your workflow. I use MouthWatch because it’s affordable, easy to use, and high quality.

Use code JAIMETECH when you order to get free shipping.

Final thoughts

Treatment planning in Dentrix has a learning curve—but once you get the core habits down (Auto State + procedure buttons + visits + linked cases), you’ll be faster, more consistent, and your team will be way less confused.

If you want more Dentrix tutorials, I post new dental tech tips regularly—subscribe on YouTube so you don’t miss the next one.