Henry Schein One reported a year-over-year doubling of monthly installations for Dentrix Ascend, its cloud-based practice management platform. The company said more than 48,000 dental service organizations (DSOs), group, and private practices in the United States now use its solutions.
According to the company, Ascend is designed to simplify operations, support multi-location growth, and integrate patient experiences. Recent adopters include Great Lakes Dental Partners, Fountain Square Dental Care, and Ethos Dental Group.
“Ascend is now the clear market leader—delivering exactly what customers need,” said Brian Weatherly, CEO of Henry Schein One. “Customers see how far we’ve come and how fast we’re building, which is why installations have doubled in the past year. Practices understand that Ascend is the only true one platform: scalable, secure, and flexible.”
According to the company, dental teams are choosing the platform to reduce IT complexity, accelerate onboarding, and improve workflows through artificial intelligence tools and third-party integrations.
“We’re proud to partner with practices like Great Lakes Dental Partners, Fountain Square Dental Care, and Ethos who are all recent conversions using Ascend, not just to run their businesses, but to grow, modernize, and elevate care,” said Ali Hyatt, chief customer and growth officer at Henry Schein One.
Great Lakes Dental Partners (GLDP), which supports 27 practices in Illinois and Indiana, transitioned from Dentrix Enterprise to Ascend over a three-month period.
“We’d been using Dentrix Enterprise for eight years, but as our business evolved, it became clear that Ascend was the future,” said Khuzaan Screwvalla, vice president of technology at GLDP. “The move was an undertaking, with a fast-paced timeline. From inception to implementation in three months – it couldn't be done – we thought to ourselves. We faced challenges early on that required us to pause, recalibrate, and adjust our approach — but through persistence, collaboration, and a willingness to adapt, we were able to reach the finish line.”
The group migrated in four phases, with final sites going live over a weekend.
“By the last wave, the process was completely smooth,” said Screwvalla.
According to the company, GLDP is now using AI tools including DetectAI and Voice AI, integrated within Ascend, to support diagnostics and streamline clinical processes.
Fountain Square Dental Care in Cincinnati, Ohio, transitioned to Ascend in July after decades of using Dentrix.
“I love my job and take pride in keeping the practice running smoothly. When we turned on Ascend, I felt confident knowing everything at our practice is safe, secure, and ready for the next day,” said Teresa Binkley, office manager, Fountain Square Dental Care. “Our practice is very change-oriented because we believe it’s the only way to grow. Diving in and embracing change with Ascend was the right move for us. It helps my team save about two hours every day, helping us all be more proactive, which is invaluable in a busy practice like ours.”
Ethos Dental Group in Munster, Indiana, has implemented Ascend along with Eligibility Pro to update its insurance verification process.
Office manager Debra Bafia said the automation has significantly reduced the time spent on verification tasks.
“Why wouldn’t you use what makes your job easier? With Ascend and Eligibility Pro, our insurance coordinator is a good four or five days ahead now. It’s no longer different companies’ faxes that they’re trying to decipher. It’s all the same, and that’s been an enormous benefit across the board,” Bafia said.
According to the company, Ascend supports digital forms, centralized scheduling, and automation tools designed to reduce manual tasks and create consistency across locations.
A new feature called Forms allows dental practices to customize patient intake digitally, with options for scanned ID autofill, multilingual support, and direct chart integration.
The company said it continues to invest in expanding Ascend’s artificial intelligence features, growing its API ecosystem—which now includes more than 700 endpoints—and enhancing onboarding tools for faster implementation.
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