How Medical Billing Dental Software Can Help You Capture More Revenue

Medical billing dental software has become a critical tool for practices looking to grow revenue without increasing patient volume. If you’re treating sleep apnea, TMJ disorders, bone grafting, or other procedures with medical necessity, you’re likely leaving money on the table by not billing medical insurance.

But the process is complex—and it’s one most dental teams aren’t trained for. That’s where software purpose-built for medical billing in dental settings comes in.

This guide breaks down how medical billing dental software works, what it can help you bill for, and why it’s worth considering if your practice is offering procedures that cross into medical territory.

What is medical billing dental software?

Medical billing dental software helps dental practices bill procedures to medical insurance, rather than just dental payers. It’s designed to handle the unique documentation, coding, and preauthorization workflows required to submit claims to medical insurers.

Unlike standard dental billing tools, which focus on CDT codes and dental benefits, medical billing dental software includes:

• ICD-10 diagnosis codes

• CPT procedure codes

• Medical necessity documentation prompts

• SOAP note templates tailored for medical claims

• Tools for verifying medical benefits

• Built-in workflows for preauthorization and appeals

By integrating these components, the software guides dental teams through what’s typically a confusing and frustrating process—making it much more manageable and consistent.

Why bill medical insurance in a dental setting?

Many procedures performed in dental offices qualify as medically necessary and can be billed to medical insurance with the right documentation. Examples include:

• Surgical extractions involving impacted teeth

• Biopsies and pathology review

• Oral appliances for sleep apnea

• TMJ treatments

• Bone grafting and ridge preservation

• Cone Beam CT scans

• Frenectomies or other soft tissue surgeries

Billing these procedures to medical insurance can:

• Increase patient acceptance by reducing out-of-pocket costs

• Capture more revenue per procedure

• Expand access to care for patients with limited dental benefits

• Strengthen your practice’s financial stability

Medical billing doesn’t replace dental billing—it complements it. But getting it right takes time, training, and the right tools.

The hidden complexity of medical billing—and how software helps

Medical billing isn’t just about using different codes. It requires a different way of thinking.

You need to prove medical necessity, link symptoms to diagnoses, use specific CPT and ICD-10 codes, and submit documentation that aligns with payer rules. If something is off, the claim will be denied or delayed—costing time, money, and patient satisfaction.

Here’s where medical billing dental software makes a real difference:

1. Guides your team through the documentation process

The software prompts you to collect the right information, at the right time, and in the right format. It ensures your SOAP notes and treatment plans include what insurers need to see in order to approve the claim.

2. Auto-suggests the correct codes

Modern systems help map dental procedures to appropriate CPT and ICD-10 codes based on diagnosis and treatment. This reduces coding errors and increases first-pass acceptance.

3. Handles preauthorization workflows

For many procedures, payers require pre-approval. Medical billing dental software often includes built-in tools to submit preauthorizations, track responses, and link them to the eventual claim submission.

4. Flags missing information

Claims often get rejected because of missing details—patient history, imaging, referral notes, or time-stamped clinical observations. Smart billing software helps flag these gaps before submission, saving you weeks of back-and-forth.

5. Makes medical billing scalable

Training your front office team to become medical billing experts isn’t realistic. Software can help bridge that gap, especially for teams without a dedicated biller. It also enables billers to work more efficiently by automating repetitive tasks and standardizing claim documentation.

Features to look for in medical billing dental software

Not all platforms are created equal. When choosing a solution for your practice, keep an eye out for these must-have features:

Built-in CPT and ICD-10 coding

Your system should make it easy to find and apply the right codes for your procedures, based on diagnosis and documentation.

SOAP note and narrative templates

These templates guide your clinical team in writing documentation that aligns with payer expectations. The more structured and complete your notes, the stronger your claim.

Preauthorization tracking

Look for a platform that can handle preauthorization submissions and show the status of pending approvals in one place.

Real-time benefit verification

Some tools connect to clearinghouses or payer portals to verify patient eligibility and medical coverage before starting treatment.

Medical-dental cross-coding support

This is especially important when a procedure has both dental and medical components. The right software helps you build a clean claim that covers both aspects—or split the claim when needed.

Reporting and analytics

You’ll want to see how many medical claims you’re submitting, what your acceptance rate is, and where revenue is being generated. This helps you justify the investment and adjust workflows over time.

What does medical billing look like in real-world dental practices?

Let’s say your oral surgery practice frequently performs bone grafting procedures after extractions. Normally, you bill this to dental insurance—or patients pay out of pocket.

But with the right software and documentation, many of these grafts can be billed to medical insurance instead, especially when they’re medically necessary to preserve bone structure for future restorations.

Here’s what the workflow looks like with medical billing dental software in place:

1. Patient comes in with a non-restorable molar and a recommendation for grafting.

2. Your clinical team documents symptoms, medical necessity, and the treatment plan in a structured SOAP note.

3. The software helps map the extraction and grafting procedures to ICD-10 and CPT codes.

4. You submit a preauthorization through the software and receive approval.

5. After the procedure, the final claim is submitted with attached documentation.

6. The payer processes the claim and pays out at the contracted medical rate.

This workflow turns what was previously written off—or absorbed by the patient—into reimbursed revenue.

Common mistakes practices make (and how software helps avoid them)

Here are some pitfalls practices fall into when trying to bill medical without the right tools:

Using dental codes instead of medical ones

Many teams default to CDT codes even when CPT codes are required. Software prevents this by showing the correct medical coding options and linking them to procedure templates.

Missing documentation

Most medical denials stem from insufficient notes. Software that prompts your team to include symptoms, medical history, and justification ensures you have what you need from the start.

Inconsistent workflows

Without structure, different providers document procedures differently, making it harder for the billing team to submit claims. Medical billing dental software standardizes documentation across your team.

No tracking or follow-up

Once a preauthorization or claim is submitted, someone needs to monitor it. Many platforms include tracking dashboards so you don’t lose visibility.

How to get started with medical billing in your practice

Adding medical billing isn’t something you flip on overnight. But with a clear plan and the right tools, it becomes manageable—and profitable.

Here are a few steps to start:

1. Identify the procedures you’re already doing that may qualify (e.g., sleep apnea, TMJ, CBCT, grafting, biopsies).

2. Audit your current documentation to see if it meets the standards for medical necessity.

3. Choose software that supports medical billing and integrates with your clinical charting system.

4. Train your team on how to collect the right data and follow the new workflow.

5. Start small, focusing on one or two procedures to learn the process and refine your systems.

Over time, your team becomes more comfortable, your acceptance rates go up, and your billing potential expands.

Final thoughts

Medical billing dental software offers a powerful way for dental practices—especially oral surgeons and specialists—to capture revenue from procedures that are often underbilled or entirely missed.

By guiding your team through complex documentation, coding, and submission workflows, this software reduces errors, speeds up reimbursements, and makes medical billing more accessible even for small teams.

The key is to treat it as an investment in long-term financial growth, not just an operational upgrade.

DSN offers medical billing capabilities integrated into its specialty dental software, designed to help oral surgery and specialty teams navigate this process with less friction. Built on AWS infrastructure, DSN ensures secure handling of sensitive billing data, with U.S.-based support to help your team stay compliant and productive.

Book a demo today to learn more.