Deleted a Patient File or X-Ray? What to Try Before Calling IT (2026)
A scanned insurance card, a signed consent, yesterday's bitewings. Someone at the front desk pressed Delete, or dragged the wrong folder, or clicked the trash icon inside the imaging program, and now the file is gone while the patient is still in the chair. The first question is always the same: "Can we get that back?" The honest answer is that it depends on where the file lived, and the next five minutes decide a lot.
This guide is written for the person at the desk, not the server room. It walks through what you can try yourself without an administrator password, what is and is not recoverable in Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental and common imaging programs, when to stop and call dental IT, and what they will need from you. The last sections cover what your IT provider should already have in place so a deleted file is a ten-minute restore rather than a lost record.
In this guide
- What should you do in the first five minutes after deleting a file?
- Where did the file go? A decision table by where it lived
- Can you get a deleted X-ray back?
- What happens when something is deleted inside Dentrix, Eaglesoft or Open Dental?
- How do the Recycle Bin, Previous Versions and OneDrive restores differ?
- When does IT have to restore from a backup, and what does it cost you?
- What should you not do after deleting a file?
- What should you tell IT when you call?
- The IT side: how a practice makes deletions recoverable
- What to ask your IT provider about deleted files
- How Legend Networking can help
- Frequently asked questions
- The bottom line
What should you do in the first five minutes after deleting a file?
Stop, note the facts, and check the easy places before anyone re-scans, re-takes or re-types anything. Most deleted front-desk files come back from the Recycle Bin, from a Previous Versions copy on the server, or from the OneDrive recycle bin. The ones that do not come back are usually the ones somebody tried to fix in a hurry.
Eight steps before you call (about five minutes)
- 1Stop and write it downWhich computer, which program or folder, what the file was (patient, date, type), roughly when it was deleted, and who was signed in. Every later step needs these five facts.
- 2Keep working on a different computerSpace freed by a deletion can be reused by the next thing saved on that machine. Finish checking in the patient from another workstation if you can.
- 3Do not re-scan or re-take yetA re-taken X-ray exposes the patient again and a re-scanned document loses its original date stamp. Wait until the restore attempts below have been tried.
- 4Check whether it is deleted or misfiledSearch the patient's chart and the neighbouring charts. An X-ray saved under the wrong patient, or a scan saved to the wrong folder, is not deleted and is moved rather than restored.
- 5Open the Recycle Bin on that computerIf the file was on the computer's own drive or desktop, it is probably here. Right-click it and choose Restore; it goes back to where it came from.
- 6Check the OneDrive or SharePoint recycle binIf the folder syncs with Microsoft 365, sign in to OneDrive or SharePoint on the web and open its Recycle bin. Work accounts keep deleted items for 93 days unless the administrator changed the setting.
- 7Try Previous Versions on the server folderOn a shared drive, right-click the folder that held the file, choose Properties, then the Previous Versions tab. If your IT provider has enabled shadow copies, earlier snapshots of the folder appear here and you can open one and copy the file out.
- 8Call dental IT with your notesIf none of the above shows the file, or it was deleted inside Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental or an imaging program, stop and call. Do not install recovery software from a search result.
The steps are in the order of least risk. Nothing in the first seven changes the live database or the imaging folders; the point is to find the file where Windows or Microsoft 365 already keeps a copy. If the file was on the computer's own drive, Microsoft's OneDrive help describes the same Windows Recycle Bin steps: open the Recycle Bin, select the file, right-click and choose Restore, and "The file or folder is restored to its original folder" (Microsoft Support, restore files deleted from your OneDrive). Why a restart is sometimes part of IT's next step, and why it should be Restart rather than Shut down, is in our guide to restart vs power-cycle.
Where did the file go? A decision table by where it lived
Where the file lived decides whether the front desk can bring it back or only IT can. A file on the computer's own drive goes to the Recycle Bin. A file on the shared drive, in an imaging program or inside the practice software usually does not; it comes back from a snapshot, a backup or the program's own records.
| What was deleted | Where it lived | In the Recycle Bin? | What the front desk can try | Who restores it otherwise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A scan or document on the desktop or in Documents | This computer's drive | Usually yes | Recycle Bin, right-click, Restore | IT, from the workstation backup if there is one |
| A scan, EOB or consent on the shared drive (S:, Z:, \\SERVER) | The server or storage box | Usually no; network deletions skip the local bin | Previous Versions on the folder, if enabled | IT, from the server's shadow copies or the backup |
| A file in a folder that syncs with Microsoft 365 | OneDrive or SharePoint | Sometimes, plus the web recycle bin | OneDrive or SharePoint web recycle bin; version history for an overwritten file | IT or the Microsoft 365 administrator, within the retention window |
| An X-ray or photo deleted inside the imaging program | The imaging database or image folder | Depends on the program; some send files to the Recycle Bin on the capture computer, some make deletion permanent | Check the Recycle Bin on the computer that took the image; check the other patients seen that day | IT, from the image-folder backup; the imaging vendor for its own recovery options |
| An image or document in Open Dental's Imaging module | The A to Z folder on the server | No; Open Dental deletes the file from the folder | Check the chart it may have been filed under | IT, from the A to Z folder backup |
| A patient, appointment, payment or claim inside Dentrix, Eaglesoft or Open Dental | The practice database | No | Check the audit trail with your office manager; recreate simple items if the vendor's guidance says so | IT and the software vendor; a database restore is a last resort |
| A file saved over with the wrong content | Wherever it lived | No; it was not deleted | Previous Versions on the folder; version history in OneDrive | IT, from a snapshot or backup taken before the overwrite |
| A file or folder that is missing but nobody deleted it | Usually the shared drive | Not applicable | Check whether the drive letter itself is gone | IT; see the missing-drive guide below |
If the whole drive letter or X-ray folder has vanished rather than one file, that is a connection problem, not a deletion; our guide to what to do when the shared drive or X-ray folder is missing covers it. If images will not open inside the imaging program while the folder is present, the bridge between programs is the likelier fault, which the dental imaging integration troubleshooting guide covers.
Can you get a deleted X-ray back?
Sometimes, and it depends on the program more than on luck. Some imaging programs move a deleted image to the Windows Recycle Bin on the computer that captured it; others delete the file outright and the vendor says so. Before anything else, confirm the image is deleted and not saved under the wrong patient, which is far more common.
An X-ray in the wrong chart is not deleted
The most frequent "lost X-ray" is a set of bitewings captured while the wrong patient was open. Carestream's SoftDent help describes the fix for its CS Imaging software: export the images from the wrong patient's history to the desktop, open the correct patient and import them, and only then remove the copies from the wrong chart. Its warning is the sentence every front desk should read first: "DO NOT delete the x-rays until you are certain they are in the correct patient record. Deleted x-rays are not retrievable." (Carestream Dental, SoftDent help, read 6 November 2026). Other imaging programs have a similar move or re-assign function; ask your IT provider to show you where it is before you need it.
Programs that delete the file outright
Carestream is explicit that deleted x-rays are not retrievable from inside CS Imaging. Open Dental's Imaging module is equally plain: Delete will "Remove the selected file from Open Dental and delete it from the A to Z Folder (OpenDentImages)" (Open Dental manual, Imaging Module). In both cases the recovery path is the backup of the image folder, which only your IT provider can restore, and it works only if the image folder was in the backup's scope and the backup ran after the image was taken.
Programs that use the Windows Recycle Bin
Some imaging programs behave like ordinary Windows software. Dentally's EXAMINE Pro documentation, for example, says "Once images are either assigned or deleted, they are typically moved to the Recycle Bin on the local machine," and tells the user to sort the Recycle Bin by date deleted and restore the matching set of files (Dentally help, EXAMINE Pro). The practical lesson applies to any program: check the Recycle Bin on the computer that took the X-ray, which is usually the operatory computer, not the front desk.
DEXIS, Vatech, Planmeca Romexis, Dolphin and the rest
For DEXIS, Vatech, Planmeca Romexis, Dolphin Imaging and other suites, do not rely on a general rule. Each stores images in its own database or folder structure and each has its own answer on whether a deletion can be reversed and by whom. The questions to put to the vendor's support line, with your IT provider on the call, are: does a deleted image go anywhere recoverable, is there an administrator function to restore it, and which folder on the server holds the images so IT can check that the backup covers it. If the sensor itself stopped working rather than the image disappearing, the sensor stopped after a Windows update guide is the right one.
What happens when something is deleted inside Dentrix, Eaglesoft or Open Dental?
Practice software rarely lets a user destroy a patient record outright; it hides, archives or logs instead. An appointment, payment or claim that someone deleted is usually gone from the screen but recorded in an audit trail, and the usual remedy is to recreate it from that record rather than restore the whole database.
Open Dental
Open Dental keeps a hidden patient status for exactly this case. Its manual lists Deleted as "A hidden status that the users do not see. The patient is no longer shown anywhere in the program and the integrity of the database is maintained" (Open Dental manual, Edit Patient Information). The Audit Trail (Tools, Audit Trail) "is a log of actions taken by users," filterable by date, permission, user and patient, and the manual notes that "For the Audit Trail to contain complete information, Users must be set up and security Permissions assigned to User Groups" (Open Dental manual, Audit Trail).
There is no undo button for a deleted appointment, claim or payment. A dental billing company's Open Dental tip answers the question staff actually ask ("Is there an undo button?") with "There is no option to undo, but not to worry! You can easily recreate whatever you deleted," and adds that "Administrative users can check the audit trail to details on what was deleted, when, and by what user" (eAssist Dental Billing software tip). Recreating a payment or claim from the audit trail takes minutes; restoring the database to get it back would undo everything else entered since.
Dentrix
In Dentrix, a patient you "cannot find" has often been archived or inactivated rather than deleted. Henry Schein One's Dentrix Enterprise blog explains the statuses: Inactive patients "are removed from continuing care lists and can be filtered out of reports," while for Archived patients "all future appointments for the patient in the Appointment Book are deleted, and all insurance information in the Family File is deleted" (Dentrix Enterprise blog, Patient Status Options). Those two sentences explain a frequent front-desk mystery: the patient reappears when the status is changed back, but the appointments and insurance do not, and have to be re-entered. The blog is written for Dentrix Enterprise; for Dentrix G7 and other editions, ask Dentrix support how the status change behaves in your version before you change it back, and have the insurance card and appointment notes ready. Our Dentrix IT support page covers the server and workstation side.
Eaglesoft
Patterson's Eaglesoft documentation could not be read for this guide, so no behaviour is quoted. The same approach applies: a missing patient is more likely inactive than deleted, deleted ledger items are a question for Patterson support, and images and documents live in folders separate from the database, which is why both must be in the backup. Note the exact window and the time, then call Patterson and your IT provider together. The Eaglesoft IT support page explains how the computers around it are looked after, and our guide on who to call for dental software versus IT problems settles the "vendor or IT?" question.
Cloud practice software
Dentrix Ascend, Open Dental Cloud, Curve, Denticon and the other hosted systems handle deletions on the vendor's side. The front desk cannot reach a server folder or a Previous Versions tab, so the call goes to the vendor's support line first, with the five facts from step one. Ask whether the record is recoverable and over what period, and tell your IT provider so the ticket is logged.
How do the Recycle Bin, Previous Versions and OneDrive restores differ?
Three built-in restores sit between the front desk and a call to IT, each covering a different place. The Recycle Bin covers the computer's own drives. Previous Versions covers shared folders on a Windows server that has shadow copies turned on. The OneDrive and SharePoint recycle bins cover files that sync with Microsoft 365. None of them is a backup.
| Restore | Where it works | How far back | Who can run it | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Recycle Bin | Files deleted from this computer's own drives | Until the bin is emptied or runs out of room | Anyone signed in to that computer | Files deleted from a network share, and files Microsoft marks as online-only, are not sent to it |
| Previous Versions (Shadow Copies of Shared Folders) | Shared folders on a Windows file server where IT has enabled shadow copies | As many snapshots as the server keeps; Microsoft's default schedule takes one at seven in the morning and one at noon, Monday to Friday, with a limit of 64 copies per volume before the oldest is removed | Anyone with access to the folder, from File Explorer | Only exists if IT turned it on and left room for it; it is a snapshot on the same server, so a server failure takes it too |
| OneDrive and SharePoint recycle bin | Folders that sync with Microsoft 365 | Work or school accounts: 93 days "unless your administrator changed the retention setting"; personal accounts: 30 days | The person who owns the OneDrive, or a SharePoint site owner | "You can't restore files or folders after they've been permanently deleted from the OneDrive recycle bin" |
| OneDrive version history | A file that was saved over, not deleted | Microsoft states that "File version history is retained for 30 days" | The file's owner, one file at a time | Does not help with a deletion; use the recycle bin for that |
| Backup restore | Everything the backup covers: the practice database, the image folders, documents | As far back as the retention your IT provider set | IT only | Only what was in scope and only to the last point the backup ran |
Two sentences from Microsoft's documentation explain why the second row matters so much in a dental office. Shadow Copies of Shared Folders exist so that "users can quickly recover deleted or changed files that are stored on the network," and they can do so "without administrator assistance" (Microsoft Learn, Volume Shadow Copy Service). The schedule and the 64-copy limit come from Microsoft's settings page for the feature (Microsoft Learn, Shadow Copies of Shared Folders settings)). Many dental file servers have never had it switched on, which is a question for the section on your IT provider below.
The OneDrive rows come from Microsoft's own restore pages: deleted items can be restored from the web recycle bin for 93 days on work accounts unless the administrator changed it, "Files deleted from the cloud, including files marked as online-only" do not appear in the computer's Recycle Bin, and version history is used for a file that was overwritten (Microsoft Support, OneDrive restore; OneDrive version history).
When does IT have to restore from a backup, and what does it cost you?
IT restores from backup when the file was deleted from a place with no snapshot or recycle bin, when the Previous Versions copies do not go back far enough, or when something was deleted inside the imaging folders or the practice database. A single-file restore costs little. A database restore costs every entry made since the backup ran.
The two kinds of restore are very different for the office:
- A file-level restore. IT opens the backup, finds the folder as it was at a chosen point, and copies the scan, document or image study to a side folder for you to check and re-file. The live database is untouched. This is the normal outcome for a deleted scan or X-ray, and it is why the image folder must be in the backup.
- A database restore. The whole practice database is rolled back to the backup point. Open Dental's manual states the trade-off directly: "At minimum, backups should be made daily. If you at least have good daily backups, then the worst-case scenario is having to re-enter one day of data" (Open Dental manual, Backups). That re-entry is every appointment, payment, note and claim since the backup, which is why a deleted payment is recreated from the audit trail rather than restored.
The same manual lists what has to be in scope for either restore to be possible: the database folder and the A to Z folder, "The A to Z Folders that store files you scan or import," plus "Other office documents unrelated to Open Dental." The equivalent for Dentrix and Eaglesoft is the database plus the document and image folders your vendor names. How often the backup runs, where the copies live and how restore tests are proven is the subject of our guide to dental data backup; the step-by-step restore test, which should include an image study, is in the dental backup and disaster recovery checklist.
Before you call, know your backup point. If the file was created at 10:40 and the last backup ran at 02:00, no restore can bring it back, and the honest answer is to re-scan or re-take with the dentist's agreement. The purpose of the first eight steps is to find that out quickly.
What should you not do after deleting a file?
Do not save new files on that computer, run recovery software, empty the Recycle Bin, re-take the X-ray or restore a backup yourself. Most unrecoverable deletions were recoverable for a few minutes, and each of these actions closes that window, destroys evidence IT needs, or adds a second problem.
Eight things not to do
- Do not keep saving scans or images on that computer or into that folder until IT has looked; new files can reuse the space the deleted one occupied
- Do not download or run file-recovery software from a search result; it can overwrite the very blocks you want back and can carry unwanted software
- Do not empty the Recycle Bin, run a disk clean-up or restart the computer "to be safe" before checking the bin
- Do not re-take an X-ray until the restore attempts have failed and the dentist has agreed to the retake
- Do not delete the duplicate in the wrong chart until the images are confirmed in the correct chart; the vendor's own help says deleted x-rays are not retrievable
- Do not restore an old backup over the live database yourself or ask a colleague to; a database restore undoes everyone's work since the backup point
- Do not sign in with someone else's account to try an administrator function; the audit trail then names the wrong person
- Do not quietly recreate the record and say nothing; tell the office manager so the audit trail, the restore and the retake decision are recorded
What should you tell IT when you call?
Give IT the five facts from step one, what you already tried, and what has happened on that computer since. A good ticket lets the engineer go straight to the right snapshot or backup point instead of spending the first twenty minutes asking questions while the patient waits.
A short script that covers it:
- Which computer (the name on the sticker or the sign-in screen) and who was signed in.
- Which program or folder the file was in: the shared drive path, the Open Dental Imaging module, DEXIS, the Dentrix Document Center, and so on.
- What the file was: patient (give the name by phone, not in an email subject line), date, type (bitewings, insurance card, consent, EOB).
- When it was deleted, as closely as you can, and how: Delete key, right-click, the trash icon inside a program, a drag to the wrong place.
- What you tried: Recycle Bin on that computer, Previous Versions, OneDrive recycle bin, the other patients seen that day.
- What has happened since: has anyone saved scans or images on that computer or into that folder after the deletion.
- How urgent: is the patient in the chair now, or is this for tomorrow's hygiene check.
Our dental IT support ticket checklist has a one-page template that covers the same facts for any front-desk problem. If the engineer connects remotely to look, stay at the computer and watch; the restore should go to a side folder first so you can confirm it is the right file before it is re-filed.
The IT side: how a practice makes deletions recoverable
A deletion is a ten-minute fix in a practice where the file server keeps shadow copies, the backup covers the image folders and the database, Microsoft 365 retention is set deliberately, and permissions limit who can delete what. Where none of those exist it is a lost record, and setting them up is mostly your IT provider's job.
Shadow copies on the file server. Microsoft's Shadow Copies of Shared Folders is built into Windows Server and is what gives the front desk a Previous Versions tab. It has to be enabled per volume, given storage (Microsoft's default is 10 percent of the source volume) and scheduled; the default two snapshots a day can be made more frequent for a busy scanning folder. It lives on the same server, so it complements the backup and never replaces it. Which server operating system you are on matters too: our guide to Windows Server 2016 end of support for dental offices covers the servers that should be replaced before anything new is configured on them.
Backup scope that includes images. Open Dental names the two locations in its own manual (the database folder and the A to Z folder); Dentrix and Eaglesoft offices have an equivalent pair, and imaging suites such as DEXIS, Vatech, Planmeca Romexis and Dolphin keep their own folders. A backup that covers only the database restores the ledger and leaves the X-rays gone. The Security Rule's contingency plan standard describes the goal in its own words: a data backup plan to "create and maintain retrievable exact copies of electronic protected health information" and a disaster recovery plan to "restore any loss of data" (45 CFR 164.308(a)(7)). What that means for your practice's policies is a question for your compliance advisor; what it means for IT is that every image folder is in scope and restores are tested.
Microsoft 365 retention. If the office saves to OneDrive or SharePoint, the 93-day recycle bin and the version history are Microsoft defaults an administrator can change. Your IT provider should know what yours are set to and whether a separate Microsoft 365 backup exists for anything older.
Permissions and audit trails. Open Dental's permission list controls who can add, edit and export images and who can delete appointments, completed procedures and other records, and it logs many of those actions to the Audit Trail only when users and user groups are set up (Open Dental manual, Permissions). A practice where everyone signs in as the same user has no audit trail worth the name, which is one more reason to end shared logins; our guide to password management in dental offices covers how. On the file server, write and delete rights on the scanning and image folders should match roles, so a front-desk account cannot delete the imaging root.
Monitoring and restore tests. A backup job that fails silently is the pattern behind most "we had a backup" stories. The owner who wrote on a dentists' forum that "our cloud backup (our only backup) hadn't been updating for a few weeks" (r/Dentistry, January 2025) found out at the worst moment. A monthly restore of one file and one image study, with the date written down, is the proof. Servers that are shut down the wrong way lose snapshots and corrupt databases too; the server shutdown mistakes to avoid guide covers that, and the server down guide covers the day it does not come back.
If you would rather all of this were someone else's standing responsibility, that is what managed IT services for dental practices are for: the shadow-copy schedule, the backup scope, the Microsoft 365 settings and the restore tests, maintained and reported rather than set once and forgotten.
What to ask your IT provider about deleted files
Recovering a file today
- If the front desk deletes a scan from the shared drive right now, can they get it back themselves, and how far back does Previous Versions go on that folder?
- Which computer should staff check the Recycle Bin on for a deleted X-ray in our imaging program, and does that program make deletions permanent?
Scope and timing
- Is every image folder (the A to Z folder, the DEXIS or Romexis data folder, the Dentrix document and image folders) in the backup, and when did each last run successfully?
- If a file is created at 10:40 and deleted at 11:00, which copy would you restore it from?
Microsoft 365
- What are our OneDrive and SharePoint recycle-bin and version-history retention settings, and is there a separate Microsoft 365 backup?
Permissions and evidence
- Does every person have their own login in the practice software and Windows, so the audit trail names the right user?
- Can a front-desk account delete the imaging folder on the server, and should it be able to?
Proof
- When did you last restore a single file and a single image study as a test, and what did you write down?
How Legend Networking can help
Legend Networking is a Dallas-based dental IT company that has served over 3,500 practices since 2004. Legend provides 24/7 monitoring and a helpdesk staffed 24/7 at 1-800-794-1588, with in-house engineers and no outsourced first-level triage. Legend supports the IT environment for the practice software Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental and Archy, and for the imaging systems DEXIS, Vatech, Carestream, Planmeca/Romexis and Dolphin Imaging, which is where deleted-file calls land. Onsite dispatch is by appointment across served dental markets, and support is remote-first nationwide, including dental IT in Dallas.
The author, Ian Lynch, has 22 years in dental IT and oversees the NOC, onsite dispatch and client technology roadmaps. Legend holds a 4.8 rating from 173 Google reviews. For what the groundwork looks like before day one, see a startup build-out whose published scope lists workstations, server rack, imaging systems, backups and practice software.
Frequently asked questions
Can a deleted X-ray be recovered?
It depends on the imaging program. Some move a deleted image to the Windows Recycle Bin on the computer that captured it, so check that computer first. Others, including Carestream's CS Imaging and Open Dental's Imaging module, delete the file outright, and their documentation says so. Then only a backup of the image folder can bring it back.
Where do files deleted from a shared drive go?
Usually nowhere you can see. Windows sends files deleted from the computer's own drives to the Recycle Bin, but a file deleted from a network share is removed without passing through it. The practical route is Previous Versions: right-click the folder on the shared drive, open Properties, then the Previous Versions tab. If IT enabled shadow copies on the server, earlier snapshots of the folder appear there.
How do I restore a previous version of a file on the server?
In File Explorer, right-click the folder that held the file, choose Properties and open the Previous Versions tab. Pick a snapshot from before the deletion, click Open, copy the file out to a side folder and check it before re-filing. Microsoft documents this feature as a way for users to recover deleted or changed network files without administrator assistance, but it only exists if IT turned shadow copies on.
How long does OneDrive keep deleted files?
Microsoft's support page states that work or school accounts can restore items deleted within the last 93 days unless the administrator changed the retention setting, and personal accounts within the last 30 days. Open OneDrive or SharePoint on the web, select Recycle bin, tick the file and choose Restore. Files permanently deleted from the OneDrive recycle bin cannot be restored from there.
Is there an undo for a deleted appointment or payment in Open Dental?
No. Open Dental has no undo for a deleted appointment, claim, payment or procedure, so the record is recreated instead. Administrative users can open Tools, Audit Trail, filter by patient, date or user, and see what was deleted, when and by whom, then re-enter it. Restoring the whole database to get one item back would undo everything entered since the backup.
What does archiving a patient in Dentrix do?
According to Henry Schein One's Dentrix Enterprise blog, an archived patient is removed from search results and continuing care lists, all future appointments for the patient are deleted, and all insurance information in the Family File is deleted. Inactive patients are only removed from continuing care lists and filtered from reports. A patient nobody can find has often been archived, not deleted.
Should I retake the X-ray if it was deleted?
Not yet. A retake exposes the patient again, so it is the last resort, not the first. First confirm the image was deleted and not saved under another patient, check the Recycle Bin on the capture computer, and ask IT whether the image folder backup ran after the image was taken. If none of those recover it, the dentist decides on the retake.
Can IT see who deleted the file?
Often, yes, if the practice uses individual logins. Open Dental's Audit Trail records actions by user and patient when users and permissions are set up, and a Windows server can log deletions on shared folders. Where everyone signs in as the same account, the trail names that shared account and nobody. The point is to find the file and fix the gap, not to assign blame.
What if the file was saved over instead of deleted?
Treat it like a deletion of the old version. On a shared drive, use Previous Versions on the folder to open a snapshot from before the save and copy the earlier file out. In OneDrive or SharePoint, right-click the file and choose Version history, then restore the earlier version. If neither exists, IT restores the earlier copy from backup to a side folder.
Does restoring from backup lose today's work?
A file-level restore does not; IT copies the one file or image study out of the backup and the live database is untouched. A database restore does: the whole database returns to the backup point, and Open Dental's manual describes the worst case with good daily backups as re-entering one day of data. That is why single deleted records are recreated rather than restored.
The bottom line
If you cannot say today whether Previous Versions works on your shared drive, whether the image folders are in the backup, or when a single X-ray was last restored as a test, ask for a review of your backup and recovery services for dental practices and bring the questions above. Our guide to dental data backup explains what the written answers should look like.