OrthoTrac: One Heck of a Trac Record by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Orthotown Magazine


by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Orthotown Magazine

This year Carestream Dental’s OrthoTrac celebrates its 30-year anniversary as one of the senior and leading practice management systems in the orthodontic profession. Orthotown Magazine takes a quick look back at the impact OrthoTrac has had on the orthodontic profession, its evolution and where it’s going in the future. We sat down with Carestream Dental Senior Product Manager Susan Whitt to learn more.

Susan, before we get started can you tell us about your role within Carestream Dental? How long have you been with the company, and where were you before you started at Carestream Dental?
Whitt: I manage Carestream Dental’s products for orthodontics, which include OrthoTrac and our orthodontic imaging software. I have been with the company for more than 19 years, and I worked in an orthodontic office prior to that.

Thirty years is quite a feat, especially for practice management software. How do you explain OrthoTrac’s longevity?
Whitt: We were the first orthodontic practice management software to market, and we have always listened to the needs of orthodontists and their teams. We have helped practices become more efficient and productive. OrthoTrac has automated tasks, assisted with internal and external communications, helped practices transition to paperless and allowed practices to access information remotely. Our tradition of innovation has continued through the years. From treatment card and patient flow to the PEARL (mobile access) and Smart Call modules, we continue to develop the features that benefit orthodontists.

How many users of OrthoTrac have been with you since the beginning, and how have they helped you develop each new iteration?
Whitt: Of the first 150 users of OrthoTrac, 90 percent still use our software today. We have valued the input of our offices since the beginning. Just last year, we added the Idea Exchange to our customer portal to allow users to make suggestions on our products and vote on the suggestions that would benefit their practices. Our beta offices also provide us with wonderful feedback that helps us deliver software that meets their needs.

And speaking of new iterations, you’re not just celebrating 30 years, but you just previewed OrthoTrac’s new cloud solution at the AAO in Hawaii. Tell me more about this new version. How does it differ from your most recent version?
Whitt: OrthoTrac’s cloud solution will provide the same features practices have relied on for years – the only difference is whether they’re hosted locally in a practice or with our cloud solution. Practices will not lose any functionality or reporting capabilities. OrthoTrac in the cloud will be accessed via a Web browser. A small browser plug-in enables the workstation to connect to one of Carestream Dental’s world-class data centers from anywhere – the office, home, a referring doctor’s office – any place with Internet connectivity.

How does this version compare to your competitors’ software?
Whitt: Some of our competitors’ solutions do not have all the features and reports needed to run an orthodontic practice and track where a patient is in treatment. Practices have come to depend on these tools in OrthoTrac to help them analyze the health of their practice and ensure their data is securely stored. The quality of photos and radiographic images are the same whether practices host them locally or we store them in the cloud. All tools, filters and options are available. Also, Carestream Dental has nearly 2,000 customers using a cloud solution globally, so we have tremendous experience in hosting reliable HIPAA-compliant solutions for our customers.

Will practices still need a server for OrthoTrac’s cloud solution?
Whitt: Practices will no longer need a server for practice management or imaging. That is one of the advantages of a cloud solution. Their data is stored in the cloud, and we manage their backups and install the latest updates for them.

How else is Carestream Dental commemorating 30 years of OrthoTrac this year?
Whitt: We hosted a reception, complete with 30th anniversary visors, in our booth at AAO in Hawaii to allow our practices to celebrate with us. In addition to special offers at the AAO we are offering a 30th anniversary special – 30 percent off eForms – from July 1 to December 31, 2012.

If a practice wants to upgrade its current OrthoTrac software or if it wants to switch to OrthoTrac, where should it go?
Whitt: The practices should visit www.carestreamdental.com/orthotraccloud.
Sponsors
Townie® Poll
When did you last increase your fees?
  
Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
©2025 Orthotown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450