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How should dentists talk to IT?

Speak like a referral: findings, onset, what you already tried, what the patient cannot wait on.

Journal · Chairside Manners · D·08 | Last reviewed: October 1, 2026 | 3 min read | By CyberDental Group LLC, Hialeah, Florida

Short answer: Talk to IT the way you write a referral: state the findings, the onset, what you have already tried and what cannot wait. Translate the clinical urgency into time: 'patient in the chair now' versus 'before Monday's schedule.' Ask for a plan, a time and a person, and expect plain language back.

At a glance
Model Referral letter: findings, onset, tried, urgency
Say Room, product, patients affected, deadline
Ask for A plan, a time estimate, a named owner
Expect Plain language and a written summary
Avoid 'It's broken' with no context

Why does the way you describe a problem matter?

Because IT engineers solve problems by narrowing: what, where, since when, what changed. A dentist who describes a problem the way they would refer a patient, with findings, onset, history and urgency, gives the engineer the shortest path to the answer. Every missing detail costs a round of questions, and a round of questions costs minutes in a day measured in appointments.

What is the referral format?

  1. Findings (what you see). "The sensor in operatory 2 isn't being detected." Not "the computer is dead."
  2. Onset (when it began and what changed). "It worked this morning. Windows restarted overnight."
  3. History (what you tried). "We reseated the cable. We have not restarted."
  4. Impact (who and what is affected). "Operatory 2 only. One patient is seated."
  5. Urgency (what can't wait). "I need a radiograph within ten minutes, or I need to move the patient to operatory 4."

How do you convey urgency?

In time and clinical terms, not in tone. "This is urgent" tells an engineer nothing. "Patient in the chair now" or "full schedule at 8 a.m. tomorrow" tells them how to prioritize, and gives them a deadline to work back from. See What a 15-minute P1 SLA actually means.

What should you ask your IT provider for?

  • A plan: what are you going to do first?
  • A time estimate: when will I hear from you, and when should it be fixed?
  • A named owner: who is working this?
  • A workaround: can we keep seeing patients while you fix it?
  • A written summary afterward: what was wrong, what you did and how to prevent it.

What should you expect in return?

Plain language, not jargon, and honesty about uncertainty ("I think it's the driver; I'll confirm in ten minutes"). If you need to approve downtime, spend or a risk trade-off, the provider should present the options in terms of patient impact and cost, not just technical detail. The cost of an hour of downtime offers a framework.

What is the dentist's real job in IT?

Not fixing the problem. Making decisions about risk and priorities, and making sure the practice has a designated person who reports problems consistently. See What does the front desk own, and what does IT own? and How should a dental practice report an outage?.

What about the doctors who do their own IT?

It is understandable and very common, especially in a first practice. The question is whether the time is well spent and whether the risk is covered. See The nephew-does-the-IT myth.

Frequently asked questions

How should I describe a computer problem to IT?

Use a referral format: what you see, when it started and what changed, what you have tried, who is affected and how urgent it is in clinical terms.

How do I tell IT that something is urgent?

State the clinical or schedule impact: for example, a patient is seated now or the schedule opens in an hour. Time and impact guide prioritization better than the word urgent.

What should I expect after IT fixes a problem?

A plain-language explanation of what happened, what was done and what will prevent it from recurring.

Sources and further reading

Related in the Journal

About CyberDental

CyberDental Group LLC is a dental-exclusive managed IT and cybersecurity provider headquartered in Hialeah, Florida. Founded in 2016 by Mr. Dimitri Lopez, it supports 1,000+ licensed dental practices, has completed 250+ dental office IT build-outs, and operates a dental-only HelpDesk. Plans are priced per location: Remote $350/month, Priority $650/month, Ultimate $1,200/month; Concierge is quoted for multi-location groups and DSOs. CyberDental signs a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with every practice it serves.

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