For years, “connected dentistry” has been more of a vision than a reality—a buzzword that promised integrated systems, easier data sharing, and smarter workflows, but too often delivered a patchwork of incompatible tools. Dentists invested in advanced scanners, sensors, and software, only to find themselves juggling multiple logins, inconsistent data, and frustrated staff.
Now, Henry Schein and Henry Schein One believe they are closing that gap. Its new LinkIt initiative aims to unify practice management, imaging, digital workflow, and even artificial intelligence (AI)-powered case management into one seamless and secure ecosystem. It’s an ambitious step that may redefine how dental teams interact with technology.
From imaging to intelligence
According to Ryan Hungate, DDS, MS, Chief Clinical & Strategy Officer for Henry Schein One, imaging is the natural foundation for integration.
“Everything in a practice starts with imaging,” Dr. Hungate explains. “You bring a patient back, take your bitewings or a full-mouth series, and that’s the beginning of every workflow.”
Henry Schein One has spent the past decade building what Dr. Hungate calls “the crown jewel” of practice management software with a brand-agnostic imaging module that connects with more than 120 different devices, from sensors and phosphor plate scanners to CBCT systems and intraoral cameras.
That connectivity laid the groundwork for LinkIt, which adds a new layer with the integration of digital impression scanners and other digital dentistry tools. Instead of manually exporting, naming, and uploading files, practices can now launch a scan directly from the patient’s chart, automatically reimporting the scan into the management software when complete.
The result? An estimated 8 minutes saved per scan, fewer data-entry errors, and a far smoother start to the digital workflow.
Simplifying the digital workflow
The first clinical application of the LinkIt system is a night guard ordering workflow, developed in collaboration with Nightguard.com. After scanning a patient, the clinician can send the file directly to the site and receive a finished appliance back in a matter of days without manual file handling, lab calls, or tracking spreadsheets required.
“We heard our customers loud and clear,” says Mackenzie Richter, Vice President, Global Commercial Digital Workflow Solutions at Henry Schein, Inc. “They said, ‘We know we need to go digital, but it has to be easier than it is today.’ LinkIt is our answer to that.”
By consolidating images, scans, and cases in one platform, the companies aim to eliminate one of dentistry’s biggest digital pain points: disjointed systems. Many practices currently run separate software for sensors, CBCT, scanners, and mills—often from different manufacturers—leading to a chaotic mix of incompatible file formats and scattered patient data.
With LinkIt, Richter said, all images and scans live in one place, making it easier for teams to communicate with patients, improve treatment acceptance, and keep workflows running smoothly.
A secure, open ecosystem
While some companies are building connected dental platforms around exclusive equipment ecosystems, Henry Schein is betting on openness.
“We don't care what you use, we just want to make it easy for you to be effective and efficient,” Richter says. “We are securely linking all scanners, printers, mills, and everything through LinkIt, and in between we'll have AI design.”
The company is leveraging its broad network—including relationships with more than 6,000 dental labs through its long-established Digital Dental Exchange (DDX) platform—to make interoperability a core feature rather than an afterthought. From orthodontics to implants to restorative workflows, the goal is a digital highway that any device or system can travel.
Connecting AI and revenue cycle management
Integration isn’t just about devices; it’s also about data. Dr. Hungate sees a near future where AI helps manage not only clinical diagnostics but also the business side of care.
“AI isn’t coming. It’s here,” he says. “As it learns your day-to-day workflow, it can start to do things for you.”
In a fully connected environment, an intraoral scan could automatically trigger eligibility checks, generate claims and narratives, and reconcile payments when funds are received. By using aggregated data from millions of previous cases, the system could even predict payment outcomes or flag likely denials before submission.
“It’s not just about getting the night guard made,” Dr. Hungate says. “It’s about getting paid for the night guard, automatically and cleanly.”
The hybrid future of in-office production
As AI-driven design tools and next-generation 3D printers continue to evolve, Henry Schein envisions a flexible future where clinicians can choose between outsourcing or in-office fabrication, or a blend of both.
“You might scan a case, have an AI proposal created automatically, and decide whether to send it to your lab or print it yourself,” Richter explains. “We don’t have a preference. We just want to make both options simple.”
That simplicity extends to usability. Dr. Hungate jokes that his benchmark for workflow design is that it should be so intuitive he could, “hire someone who is not familiar with dental workflows and have them up and running a day later.”
Cloud-based, secure, and scalable
With so much data moving between devices, security is paramount. Henry Schein One currently manages over 1.5 billion patient records and adds another half-billion every two months.
To protect that data, all integrations go through what Dr. Hungate described as a “rigorous vetting process,” and every partner must meet the company’s high security standards and compliance frameworks. The system supports both cloud-based and on-premise deployments, allowing practices to grow at their own pace through Henry Schein One’s Universal Data Platform (UDP) which offers a single integration point for Dentrix and Dentrix Ascend.
The promise of connected dentistry, delivered
Digital dentistry has been “the next big thing” for decades, but what’s emerging now may finally deliver on that promise. As workflows become more automated, AI becomes more capable, and interoperability becomes the norm rather than the exception, the connected practice is no longer a futuristic goal — it’s quickly becoming the standard.
“The promise of connected dentistry has been around for a long time,” Dr. Hungate says. “Now, the ecosystem is finally here. If you’ve got Dentrix in your practice, you’re ready to go.”
