Starting a Periodontal Practice: The Technology Plan for Surgery, CBCT, Implant Planning and Referrals

The lease is signed and three people want something from you this week. The CBCT dealer has sent a site-prep form. The contractor wants the low-voltage drawings. And you have already booked a lunch-and-learn with the general dentists who will send you patients, for a date when your office has no phone number yet.

This page covers only what a periodontal office adds. The full sequence for any new office is in our dental startup technology guide. For how we look after periodontists' offices once they are open, see our dental IT support page, and for the systems an established perio office runs, read the periodontal practice technology guide.

Each section below ends in something you can hand to someone: a room table for the architect, a lead-time table for the weekly site meeting, a referral-line checklist for the office manager, and questions for the dealer, contractor and software vendors.

What changes when the startup is a periodontal office?

A periodontal startup adds surgical rooms, a CBCT unit on site, more software to install and connect, and a referral line that must work before opening. The closet, cabling standard and Wi-Fi follow the same plan as any new dental office. The table lists only the rows that change the build, so you can see where the extra planning goes.

The rows are general planning knowledge, not a measurement of any one practice. Use them to check that your drawings and vendor list cover each difference.

The full comparison of what a periodontal office runs compared with a general office, including backup and security, sits in the periodontal practice technology guide. Everything else, including the closet, the cabling standard and Wi-Fi coverage, is the same as any startup: our technology plan for every room of a new dental office covers it.

Which rooms need technology decided before the drawings are final?

Five areas of a periodontal office need their technology decided while the drawings can still change: the surgical operatories, the perio maintenance rooms, the place where implant planning happens, the consult room and the referral desk. Each one sets where data drops, power and screens go. Give the table below to your architect before the drawings are final.

Fill in the last column with a name for each row. If no one owns a row, it is the row most likely to be missed. For ongoing support once you open, see our periodontal office IT support page.

Surgical operatories

Tell IT everything that will plug in at the chair: the computer, the monitor arm, any camera, and any device on the delivery system that needs power or data. Each one needs a drop or an outlet in the right place before drywall. If you offer IV sedation, decide whether sedation records will stay on paper or go electronic before the cabling is drawn, because an electronic record needs a computer and a port where the record is kept. This page gives no clinical or monitor guidance; the network side of a surgical suite is covered in our guide to the oral surgery office network for sedation monitors.

Perio maintenance rooms

The charting method decides the hardware. An electronic probe with a footswitch connects to the chairside computer, so the computer needs free USB ports in reach. Voice charting needs a headset and a room quiet enough to be understood. Choose one before ordering computers; our guide to set up voice and electronic perio charting covers the hardware and testing.

The planning workstation's home

Implant planning usually runs on one computer with a dedicated graphics card, in the doctor's office or the consult room. Give it a wired drop and room for a large monitor. The computer spec is covered in our guide to implant planning software computer requirements; the licence decision, which can change what you buy for the network, is the section after the CBCT room.

Consult room

If you show patients CBCT volumes or implant plans on a large screen, wire the consult room. Carestream's CS Imaging 8 requirements ask for gigabit networking "if 3D volumes are present" where the image database is on another computer, and 100 Mb/s for a 2D-only office. A wired drop avoids depending on Wi-Fi for large files.

Front desk and the referral coordinator

A perio office depends on referrals, so the person who answers referring offices needs a workstation, a phone line in the queue and a fax path from the first day. The referral-line checklist below sets the order. For the closet, rack power and Wi-Fi, use the design plan for every room.

What does the CBCT room need from IT before the install date?

A CBCT install needs IT ready before the unit arrives. One manufacturer's pre-install checklist asks for a dedicated 220 V circuit, separate 110 V power for the computer and monitor, a live gigabit Ethernet drop at the acquisition computer, a gigabit switch, the form returned two weeks ahead and an IT consultant on site during the two-day install.

That example is the Air Techniques ProVecta 3D Prime pre-install check list (P/N A7711 Rev B, October 2024). We use it to show what to expect from a CBCT dealer, not to recommend a unit. Your dealer's sheet will differ in detail, so ask for it at the drawings stage. The ProVecta sheet asks for:

• • Electrical: a dedicated 220 V AC (200–240 VAC) circuit with at least a 16-amp breaker, and 110 V for the acquisition and reconstruction computer and its monitor.
• • People: "IT consultant is required to be onsite during installation."
• • Network: a live 1 Gbit Ethernet connection at the acquisition computer's location, and a gigabit Ethernet switch on the office network.
• • IT questions on the form: whether the acquisition computer joins a domain network, whether the IT consultant can pre-install the imaging software, whether IT will install third-party security software, how many workstations the office has and which Windows version they run.
• • Computer: a recommended Dell Precision 3660 reconstruction computer (Intel Core i7-13700, 2 × 8 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, NVIDIA A2000 6 GB, Windows 11 Pro), with the note that the hardware specification "is subject to change".
• • Cable path: the reconstruction computer within the fibre-optic cable length, 30 ft as standard (15 ft and 60 ft optional), and whether that cable runs through the wall.
• • Timing: installation and training take 2 days, and the form must be sent "a minimum of 2 weeks prior to installation date".

What the imaging software asks for

If your CBCT feeds Carestream imaging, the network rule is written down. Carestream's CS Imaging 8 installation prerequisites say "If 3D volumes are present, then use 1000 BaseT network bandwidth (1Gb/s)" when the image database is on another computer, and that "CS Imaging is not supported under any Home version of Windows". The server requirements list 20 GB of free disk "image repository not included", so the space for scans is a separate number you have to plan. Legend supports the Carestream imaging environment (PCs, server, network, backup); our Carestream imaging IT support page describes that work, and our page on practice management and imaging software support covers the bridge between imaging and the chart.

Size the image repository and its backup separately

CBCT studies are large, and they land on the acquisition computer or a server, depending on how the dealer sets the save path. Decide where scans are saved before install day, then size that storage and its backup as their own line, not as part of the general server. Where scans are saved and how they are backed up is covered in our guide to CBCT and operatory imaging setup; the dental backup and disaster recovery checklist covers the rest.

If a server is in the plan, do not buy one on Windows Server 2016. Microsoft's lifecycle page shows its extended support ending January 12, 2027, so a server bought on that version now would leave support soon after you open. The same planning applies to workstations: see Windows 10 end of life for dental practices.

What the IT plan does not decide

Shielding and unit placement are decided by your architect, dealer and your state's radiation program, not by the IT plan. Ask the dealer who files the state paperwork and when. This page covers only the power, network and computer side of the room.

Which implant-planning decision changes what you buy for the network?

The licence model, more than the computer spec, decides whether a new periodontal office needs an extra licence computer or a dependable internet link. A network licence can need a separate Windows computer holding the USB key, a subscription can need a stable internet connection, and a shared planning database can need Microsoft SQL Server. Settle the licence before the closet is specified.

coDiagnostiX shows all three options on one requirements page:

• • Subscription (Straumann AXS): coDiagnostiX lists a "Stable internet connection when using the dongle-free Straumann® AXS license". Its buy page says the dongle-free subscription plans are "Available in selected countries only", so confirm with your representative which licence you can actually buy.
• • Network licence: an "Additional computer with a free USB slot running Microsoft® Windows® which acts as a dongle server (a server running 24/7 is recommended, but not necessary)", plus a "Permanent (W)LAN connection to the dongle server" while the software runs on each client.
• • Shared database: "Microsoft® SQL Server® required to use the Network Database SQL module", with an optional shared network drive for the database.

What that means for the build:

Blue Sky Plan, another planner your practice may run, is Windows only: its download page says it "is no longer available for Mac". If a doctor plans on a Mac, decide early whether a Windows workstation is needed; our guide to implant planning software computer requirements covers which planners run on a Mac and the computer specs. coDiagnostiX and Blue Sky Plan are systems your practice may run; we keep the computers, network, server, backups and accounts around them working, and the vendor supports the application.

Do you print surgical guides in-house? What the printer corner needs

If you plan to print surgical guides in the office, the printer corner needs power, a network connection on the same subnet as the computer that sends the print jobs, and bench space for cleaning and curing. If guides come from a lab, skip this section and plan for file sending instead.

One printer's published figures show what to ask for. Formlabs lists the Form 4B at 100–240 VAC and 480 W, with Wi-Fi and 1000 Mbit Ethernet, an operating range of 18–28 °C, and notes that its materials "do not contain volatile solvents so special ventilation is not required". Other printers differ, so ask your vendor for its sheet. Practical steps:

• • Put the printer on a wired drop if you can, on the same network segment as the planning or design computer.
• • Give the wash and cure units their own outlets near the printer.
• • Decide where print files and finished guide files are saved, and add that folder to the backup.
• • Ask the printer vendor for its room temperature range and check it against where the corner sits.

For choosing a printer, read our guide to 3D dental printers.

How do you get the referral line working before you open?

A periodontal office's first patients usually come from referring dentists, so the referral line is a pre-opening project. Referring offices need a phone number, a fax path, a referral form and a way to send images before your first outreach. Plan it at the permit stage, and test it with a friendly general dentist before the first lunch-and-learn.

Work through these steps in order. Each one has an owner, and the office manager usually runs the list.

Each step has its own guide. For the fax line and number, read when the copper phone and fax lines go away. For the web form and email, see email security for dental offices. For the image channel, read about sending CBCT scans and X-rays between referring dentists and periodontists. For the phone queue, see our VoIP services for dental offices, and for linking calls to the chart, the dental phone system integration guide.

Timing: aim to finish the list by the Certificate of Occupancy milestone in the startup guide, or earlier if your first referral letter or lunch-and-learn comes first. The FCC page also says the old company cannot refuse to port a number once you request service from a new company, but a port still takes time, so start it at the permit-wait stage.

When does each periodontal item need to be decided or ordered?

Plan perio-specific technology by construction milestone, not by calendar week. The licence model and second-site plan are decided at the lease, the room spec and CBCT model at the drawings, the referral number during the permit wait, and the CBCT install happens at the install milestone with IT on site. Only vendor-published lead times are given below.

The milestones are the eleven in our dental startup technology guide, used by name; that guide explains each one. Fill in the "Your date" column at the next site meeting. Where the table says "ask", the vendor or carrier sets the lead time, and you write it in.

For context only: one consultant's estimate for a general dental build puts site preparation and permitting at 2–3 months, construction at 6–9 months and interior finishes at 2–3 months (Shinoda Dental, May 2025). Your building, city and contractor set the real dates.

Which practice software decisions come first?

Choose the practice management system at the drawings stage, because it decides whether you need a server, how imaging connects and which charting hardware works. Some periodontists run a perio-specific system; others run a general system with perio charting. Either way, answer four IT questions before signing, and leave the feature comparison to a separate review.

Perio-specific systems such as DSN Perio, PerioVision or CareStack are systems your practice may run; the vendor supports the application and we look after the computers and network around it. Legend supports the IT environment for Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental and Archy, which some periodontists run with their perio charting features.

The four IT questions, whichever system you choose:

1. 1. Server or cloud? A server-based system needs a closet built for it, a server operating system with years of support left and a backup plan. A cloud system moves the weight onto the internet connection and its backup path.
2. 1. Does imaging connect? Ask which 2D and 3D imaging software it bridges to, and whether the bridge needs the image database on a server.
3. 1. Does your charting hardware work with this edition? Name the probe, footswitch or headset and ask for the supported list in writing.
4. 1. What medical cross-coding does it need? If you plan to bill medical insurance for some procedures, ask what the system needs from the computers and printers to do it.

For choosing the system itself, read our review of top-rated practice management software. This page does not compare systems.

Planning a second site from day one?

If you plan a second site, decide now whether the practice software and imaging will be cloud, server with a VPN, or remote desktop, because that changes the first office's closet and internet order. A server in the first office that a second office must reach needs more upload speed and a firewall built for it.

Write the answer down even if it is "not for now". Questions to settle at the lease milestone:

• • Will the second office share one database with the first, or have its own?
• • Will each office have its own CBCT and image storage, or will scans be read across sites?
• • Who will reach the server from outside the office, and how?
• • What upload speed does the first office need for that, and can the building's carrier provide it?

For groups with more than one office, see our page on IT for multi-location dental groups.

Buying an existing periodontal practice instead?

Buying an existing perio office is a different job. You inherit computers, a server, imaging, licences and accounts, and some may be near end of support or in the seller's name. Before closing, list what transfers, who owns each account and what must be replaced. Our guide to IT due diligence when buying a dental practice walks through it.

What does a periodontal startup add to the technology budget?

A periodontal startup adds a few budget lines that a general dental office does not have: the CBCT computer, the planning workstation, a possible licence computer, an optional guide printer, charting hardware, extra image storage and backup, and a second-site link if you plan one. Each line has a different party who quotes it, so ask each of them early.

At Legend, startups are custom quoted. Hardware procurement, major cabling projects and software licensing are quoted separately. For the general categories every new office budgets, read our guide to what a dental startup technology budget covers.

Which periodontal openings has Legend worked on?

Legend has worked on the technology for new periodontal practices in Missouri, Maryland and Texas. Each card says only what that practice's project page says. The project pages describe the build at the time of each post; they do not list which CBCT, planning software or practice software each office runs.

Our project pages also include Gum Specialty Center in Allen, Texas, a planned periodontal and cosmetic dentistry practice.

The facts below are Legend Networking's own:

• • Practices: Served over 3,500 practices since 2004
• • Experience: 22+ years in dental IT (since 2004)
• • Engineering team: In-house engineers; no outsourced first-level triage
• • Onsite: Onsite dispatch by appointment across served dental markets; remote-first nationwide

Opening a periodontal practice? See our dental IT support page, and for new offices in general, our dental startup IT page. Opening in North Texas? See dental startup IT services in Dallas and our specialty practice IT guide for Dallas.

What should you ask your CBCT dealer, contractor and software vendors?

Send written questions to each party before the drawings are final, and ask for written answers. The questions below are grouped by who answers them, with what a good answer sounds like. A party that cannot answer is telling you the item has no owner yet, which is the gap to close first.

To the CBCT dealer

• • When will you send the pre-install sheet, and does it list the data drop and the computer's power? A good answer gives a date and a document number.
• • Does your install need our IT partner on site? A good answer is a clear yes or no; the ProVecta sheet says yes.
• • Will the acquisition computer join our domain, and who installs the imaging software on it? A good answer names a person.
• • Where will reconstructed scans be saved, and who sets that path? A good answer names a folder or server, not "on the computer".
• • How long is the cable from the unit to the computer, and does it run through the wall? A good answer gives a length and a route.
• • Who files the state radiation paperwork, and when? A good answer gives a name and a milestone.

To the general contractor and low-voltage contractor

• • Will you use our room table as the drop schedule? A good answer is yes, with every drop numbered.
• • Will you label and test every run and give us the results? A good answer says when and in what format.
• • Is there a drag line for the CBCT cable path? A good answer says it is on the drawing.

To the planning and practice software vendors

• • Which licence type are we buying, and does it need internet or a dongle server? A good answer names the licence and the hardware it needs.
• • Does the planning software run on the computers we plan to buy, including any Mac? A good answer points to a dated requirements page.
• • Where does the image repository live, and how big will it be in year one? A good answer gives a size estimate and a backup plan.
• • Which imaging and charting hardware does this edition support? A good answer is a written list.

To the carrier or phone provider

• • Who owns the fax number and the porting paperwork? A good answer names the account holder: the practice.
• • When will the main number be live for testing? A good answer gives a date before your first outreach.

To your IT provider

• • Have you worked on periodontal openings? A good answer links to project pages you can check.
• • Who coordinates the CBCT dealer, the software vendors and the carrier on install day? A good answer names a person and a date for each.
• • Which accounts will be in the practice's name, and who holds the passwords at handover? A good answer is all of them, with a written list.

For the general questions every practice should ask an IT company, see our 20 questions to ask before signing with a dental IT company.

Next step: paste each group into its own email, one per party, and set a reply date before your next drawing review. Our IT support for perio practices page covers how we look after the office after opening.

Periodontal startup technology checklist

Copy this checklist into your project file and tick it off by phase. Items that every new dental office needs, such as the closet, cabling and Wi-Fi, are left to the checklist in the main startup guide and are not repeated here.