Curve Dental (Curve Hero) vs Dentrix

PickMyPMS Editorial · Last reviewed Oct 8, 2026

Quick verdict

Curve Dental fits a practice that wants to stop owning a server. It runs in a browser, includes texting and online scheduling in the subscription, and lets the practice download its own data at any time. Dentrix fits a practice that already runs it, or that wants perio charting and multi-location reporting on software it installs itself and is content with Windows everywhere.

Neither company publishes a price, so the figures below come from third-party sites and are estimates. Compare written quotes.

Cloud against server

Curve Dental is browser-based software from Curve Dental, headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia. The profile lists web as its only platform and lists startup, solo, small group, multi-location and DSO practices as its sizes. Specialty is general practice.

Dentrix is Windows software from Henry Schein One, installed on an office server. Its profile lists Windows as the only platform and solo, small group and multi-location practices as its sizes. Specialty is also general practice.

The practical difference is who carries the hardware. With Dentrix the practice owns the server and the Windows licenses that go with it. Henry Schein One lists Windows 10 or 11 for workstations and Windows Server 2016 to 2025 for servers, and says it stopped supporting new installs on Windows 10 after June 30, 2026. With Curve the practice needs a browser and an internet connection.

Curve’s own install base claim is 100,000+ active users and 6,000+ practice locations in the US and Canada. Dentrix claims 35,000+ practices. Both are vendor claims that count different things.

If you are a Mac office, Dentrix is out, because no macOS support is listed. Curve is browser-based, though Curve’s profile does not list macOS by name, so ask for a demo on your own hardware.

What each costs

Every price below is a third-party estimate. Neither vendor publishes a price list.

Curve Dental: SelectHub lists $99 a month per user. SelectHub gives no source or method for it, and the profile notes that other aggregators show conflicting figures. Use it only as a starting point for a quote request.

Dentrix has more estimates and they come in two shapes:

• Wired for the Future estimates a one-time software license of $5,000 to $10,000 and a support plan of $100 to $300 a month. The article cites no source for either range.
• SelectHub lists a starting price of $500 a month and notes support without a service plan at $179.95 per incident. No source is cited there either.

Those two Dentrix figures describe different pricing models and should not be added together. One is a license plus support, the other a monthly starting price.

One Dentrix figure is confirmed. Henry Schein One’s e-Commerce Services Terms set a $15 minimum monthly billing for eClaims, starting in the first full month after 60 days from signing. The per-claim rate is on the order form. That is an add-on charge, and Dentrix’s profile marks claims as an add-on.

For a five-year view, put any quote you get into the cost calculator. Do not use the estimates above as inputs.

Contracts and cancelling

Curve’s term is 12 months from the date Curve receives the first subscription payment. Cancelling before the end of a term means paying the remaining balance of that term. Written notice is due 90 days before the term ends. Curve’s terms were updated June 1, 2026.

Dentrix has two layers. Connected Care Essentials, which brings support, updates, Dentrix Imaging and in-product chat, is an annual plan billed monthly. The eServices subscriptions (eClaims, eligibility, online booking and others) start with a 12-month term and renew for 12-month terms at the then-current fees, which Henry Schein One can change on notice. Written notice of non-renewal is due at least 60 days before the term ends. Leaving early can mean paying the rest of the term, and fees are non-refundable.

Curve’s 90 days is the longer window. A practice that signs both on the same day should put the Curve date on the calendar first. Missing either one commits the practice to another year.

Dentrix has one more constraint that Curve does not. A license cannot be sold on its own. Transferring it needs a full practice sale, a transfer fee and written permission from Henry Schein One. A practice planning to sell should ask what that process costs before buying.

Getting your data out

Curve says the practice can download its data at any time from inside the application, in a format compatible with Microsoft Excel. The data policy page does not say whether that covers images or documents, or what access looks like after cancellation. We could not confirm either point.

Dentrix has no data export terms in its profile, so export is unclear. We also hold no published terms on conversion or export help when leaving. Ask Henry Schein One for the process and the price in writing.

Imaging

Curve includes native imaging and lists integrations with Dexis, Schick, Carestream, Planmeca, Vatech, Apteryx, Sidexis, Romexis and DTX Studio.

Dentrix Imaging handles 2D, 3D CAD/CAM and 3D CBCT in one application, works with 150+ devices and has no extra fees, per Dentrix’s imaging page. Support, updates and Dentrix Imaging come through the Connected Care Essentials plan.

Both cover the common cases. If your sensor or panoramic unit is unusual, ask each vendor to name the model rather than the brand.

Features that are published

The two profiles record different features. “Unclear” below means the vendor’s page did not settle it.

• Texting: included at Curve, per Curve’s patient engagement page. Unclear at Dentrix.
• Online scheduling: included at Curve, per the same page. Unclear at Dentrix, although the eServices terms name online booking as a subscription.
• Claims: unclear at Curve. An add-on at Dentrix, through eClaims.
• Eligibility checks: unclear at both. The Dentrix terms name eligibility as an eServices subscription.
• Perio charting, reporting and multi-location reporting: included at Dentrix. Not recorded for Curve.
• E-prescribing and online forms: unclear at Curve. Online forms are also unclear at Dentrix.

The pattern is that Curve states its patient-facing features as part of the subscription, while Dentrix sells many of the same functions as separate eServices subscriptions, each on its own 12-month term. A Dentrix practice can therefore have several renewal dates, each with its own 60-day notice window.

Integrations

NexHealth lists both Curve Dental and Dentrix by Henry Schein among the systems it supports, under its “Is my system supported?” checker. The claim comes from NexHealth. Our records hold no matching statement from Curve or Henry Schein One, and NexHealth does not publish the connection method per system. If patient messaging through NexHealth matters, ask each dental vendor to confirm the connection.

What reviewers say

Curve Dental holds 4.4 out of 5 from 285 Capterra reviews. Reviewers say new staff learn it quickly and that support responds fast. They complain about confusing billing and adjustment workflows, weak X-ray viewing, occasional crashes and slow loading, and mobile features that need a separate GRO subscription.

Dentrix holds 4.3 from 378 Capterra reviews. Reviewers cite easy navigation and broad office management tools. They also cite slow, inconsistent support, frequent bugs and updates that introduce new glitches.

Capterra’s sub-scores point the same way. Curve is rated 4.5 for customer service and Dentrix 4.1. On ease of use it is 4.3 for Curve and 4.2 for Dentrix. On features it is 4.1 for Curve and 4.2 for Dentrix. All of these are third-party review scores, and the review counts differ.

Who should pick which

Pick Curve Dental if you:

• Want no office server and a browser-based system.
• Want texting and online scheduling stated as included in the subscription.
• Want to pull your own data at any time, not only when you leave.

Pick Dentrix if you:

• Already run Dentrix and your staff know it.
• Run Windows everywhere and want the database on your own server.
• Want perio charting and multi-location reporting recorded as included, and are comfortable buying claims and other eServices separately.

A practice choosing from scratch with no Windows server gets the simpler start from Curve on the data we have. A practice already on Dentrix should list the renewal date of each eServices subscription. The Find my PMS quiz scores both against your specialty, size and budget.