Here are my top five tips for efficient treatment planning in Dentrix.

1. Use Procedure Buttons

Procedure buttons are one of the biggest time-saving tools in Dentrix. Instead of searching for procedure codes every time you create a treatment plan, you can customize buttons for the procedures your office uses most often.

I recommend creating buttons for every procedure your office performs regularly. This allows you to add treatment with a single click and keeps your workflow consistent.

If you haven’t customized your procedure buttons yet, I have a separate video that walks through the entire setup process.

2. Take Advantage of Multi Codes

Multi Codes (sometimes called “explosion codes”) allow you to group multiple procedures together into one code.

For example, you can create:

• Crown and buildup combinations
• Implant, abutment, and crown combinations
• Bridge procedures including pontics and abutments

Instead of entering several procedures individually, one click adds the entire treatment sequence.

Bonus Tip

You can make procedure buttons for your Multi Codes as well. Combining procedure buttons with Multi Codes creates one of the fastest treatment planning workflows available in Dentrix.

Watch a full video on setting up Multi-Codes

3. Turn On Auto-State

Auto-State is one of those small features that makes a big difference.

When Auto-State is turned on, you only need to click a procedure once to add it to the treatment plan. Without it, you have to select the procedure and then manually choose the state.

Saving one click may not seem like much, but those clicks add up throughout the day.

Just remember to make sure Auto-State is set to Treatment Planned before you begin. Otherwise, you could accidentally chart procedures as existing or completed.

4. Create Separate Treatment Plan Cases

Keeping treatment plans organized makes them easier to present and schedule.

Instead of putting everything into one large case, consider separating treatment into multiple cases.

For example:

Necessary Treatment

• Crowns
• Fillings
• Treatment that needs immediate attention

Future Treatment

• Veneers
• Cosmetic procedures
• Long-term goals

Separate cases help both the dental team and the patient clearly understand priorities while keeping the treatment planner neat and easy to navigate.

5. Set Visits Within the Treatment Plan

Another simple but powerful tip is assigning procedures to visits.

For example:

• Visit 1: Crowns on teeth #15 and #16
• Visit 2: Crown on tooth #30

By organizing procedures into visits, scheduling becomes much easier. Everyone can quickly see what treatment belongs together and what should be completed first.

Good organization leads to greater efficiency, and setting visits helps eliminate confusion when it’s time to schedule treatment.

Final Thoughts

Efficient treatment planning isn’t about working harder—it’s about taking advantage of the tools Dentrix already provides.

My top five time-saving tips are:

1. Use Procedure Buttons.
2. Set up Multi Codes.
3. Turn on Auto-State.
4. Create Separate Cases.
5. Assign Procedures to Visits.

These small changes can save a tremendous amount of time and help keep treatment plans organized and easy to manage.

And if you want to dive deeper, I also have separate tutorials covering procedure buttons, Multi Codes, and complete treatment planning workflows right here on Dental Tech with Jaime website or on YouTube.