Dentrix Clarity for 2026: How Dental Practices Stay Focused and Aligned

Claire Dickinson, Operations & Professional Relationships Director

Claire has over 22 years of experience in dentistry and a bachelor's degree in Business Management and a master's in Organizational Management and Leadership

As we kicked off 2026, one word kept coming up for me over and over again: clarity.

Over the last few years, dental teams have been pulled in a hundred different directions. Staffing shortages. Technology overload. New software. AI tools popping up weekly. Everyone promising a shortcut, a hack, or the next big thing. And while some of those tools are valuable, what I’m seeing in practices across the country is overwhelm, distraction, and a lack of focus.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: 

Listen on Soundcloud: 

Clarity is the antidote.

When I sat down with my good friend and colleague Claire Dickinson to kick off the year, we both agreed that many practices aren’t struggling because they lack ambition. They’re struggling because they’re trying to do too much at once without a clear outcome in mind.

Clarity starts with a simple question: What are you actually trying to accomplish this year?

Not what the industry says you should do. Not what a consultant, vendor, or podcast told you to chase. What you want your practice, your role, and your life to look like.

Once you define that outcome, Dentrix becomes one of your most powerful tools to support it, but only if you know where to look and what to track.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is teams implementing systems without measuring whether they’re working. You cannot manage what you don’t measure. That’s why understanding your data inside Dentrix is non-negotiable if clarity is your goal.

If you’re not already reviewing your KPIs regularly, this is the place to start:
Understanding Your Dentrix KPI’s

Your KPIs tell the story of your practice. They show you whether your systems are aligned with your goals or quietly working against them. Production, collections, hygiene performance, scheduling efficiency, these numbers don’t judge you, but they do tell the truth.

Clarity also requires revisiting your annual plan, not just once a year, but consistently. Many practices do a great annual planning session in July or August and then never look at it again until the following year. By January, they’ve forgotten what they committed to, and by March they’re chasing something new.

Instead, I recommend a “check-in” mindset. Ask yourself quarterly and sometimes monthly, are we still on track? Do we need to pivot? Or do we need to stay the course and stop getting distracted?

A perfect example is patient retention. I work with practices that say they want growth, but when we dig into Dentrix, we find patients slipping through the cracks. If retention isn’t being tracked, followed up on, and discussed regularly, growth becomes expensive and exhausting.

If you’re not sure where to find this number, this article will walk you through it step by step:
Where Can You Find Your Patient Retention in Dentrix?

Retention is one of the clearest indicators of whether your systems are working. When retention is strong, everything else becomes easier, scheduling, hygiene production, case acceptance, and team morale.

The final piece of clarity for 2026 is this: not every shiny object deserves your attention.

Before implementing a new technology, hiring an associate, or adopting AI, ask one question: Does this directly support the outcome we are committed to this year? If the answer is no, table it. It will still be there later and likely better when you’re ready.

Clarity doesn’t mean rigidity. It means intentional decision-making.

When your goals are clear, your Dentrix data supports them, and your team understands the “why,” everything feels lighter. Focus returns. Confidence increases. And instead of reacting to chaos, you start leading with purpose.

That’s how we make 2026 a year of progress, not just activity.

If you’re ready to bring clarity to your systems, your numbers, and your team, this is the year to do it.