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How Long Does IT Setup Take for a New Dental Practice
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Ezra Angelo
- • May 27, 2026
The single most common IT mistake new dental practices make is starting too late. The practices that have smooth openings start six months out. The difference is not preparation style. It is construction timelines.
Here is exactly how long each phase of dental office IT setup takes and when you need to start each one.
Cabling is the most time-sensitive IT decision in a dental office buildout. Once drywall goes up, running network drops to operatories, imaging rooms, and the front desk requires opening walls.
The cost of retrofitting cabling after construction is three to five times higher than installing it during the build phase. Your IT provider needs to be involved before walls close, not after.
The IT Setup Timeline for a New Dental Practice
Enter your target opening date to see when each phase needs to start and whether you are on track.
Your IT provider should be engaged now. Construction documents are being finalized. IT needs to review the floor plan and specify where network drops, server room infrastructure, and imaging hardware connections go before those locations are locked in.
- Select your practice management software so the IT environment is built around it
- Select your imaging system so hardware placement can be planned in the floor plan
- Engage your IT provider to review construction documents and specify cabling locations
- Confirm internet service provider options at the location and schedule installation
Physical infrastructure is installed. Cabling runs happen during framing and before drywall. Network equipment is ordered and staged. Server hardware is procured if the practice is running an on-premise platform.
- Low-voltage cabling installed before drywall closes
- Network closet built out with patch panels, switches, and UPS power backup
- Server procured and staged if running Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or on-premise Open Dental
- Workstations ordered with sufficient lead time for delivery and setup
Physical infrastructure is in place. Software installation and configuration begins. This phase is where most hands-on IT work happens and where compressed timelines cause the most problems.
- Practice management software installed, configured, and tested on the server or cloud environment with all workstations connected and verified
- Imaging software installed on the imaging workstation with hardware bridges configured and tested with the actual sensors and cameras
- HIPAA compliance setup including BAAs signed, Security Risk Assessment completed, and backup configuration verified with a test restore
A full system test simulating a real patient day should happen at least one week before opening. Every workstation should be able to access the practice management software, capture and display images, process a simulated patient record from check-in to checkout, and print or send documents.
- Problems discovered during this test have a week to be resolved
- Problems discovered on opening day do not
One or more phases are already past their start deadline.
Starting IT after the planning window closes means cabling will be retrofitted at 3-5x the cost, timelines will compress, and testing will be skipped. The most common consequence is an imaging system that does not work on day one.
You are approaching a critical deadline window.
One or more phases are within 2 weeks of their start deadline. Engage your IT provider now to confirm the cabling and infrastructure timeline can still be met before construction locks in the cable routes.
You have enough runway for a smooth IT buildout.
Engage your IT provider now to begin the planning phase while construction documents are still being finalized. The longer you wait within this window, the less flexibility you have for changes.
What Happens When Practices Start Too Late
A practice that engages an IT provider six weeks before opening skips the planning and infrastructure phases entirely. Cabling gets retrofitted at significant cost or is placed incorrectly. Software configuration is rushed. Testing is skipped. Opening day becomes a troubleshooting session.
3-5x the cost of pre-construction installation. Drops placed wherever the contractor can reach, not where imaging hardware and operatory workstations need them.
Practice management and imaging software installed under time pressure. Settings not fully tested. Integrations between software and hardware not verified.
No time for a full patient-day simulation. Problems discovered on opening day with a waiting room full of patients instead of a week before with time to fix them.
The most common consequence. An imaging system that cannot capture X-rays means no diagnostics, which effectively means no clinical care for those patients.
Has your IT provider already reviewed your construction documents and specified the cabling locations for every operatory, imaging room, and front desk workstation?
Your cabling plan is in place.
Your IT provider has reviewed the floor plan before walls closed. The most important step in avoiding costly retrofits. Confirm the cabling schedule is coordinated with your general contractor and that network drops are installed before drywall goes up.
This needs to happen before walls close.
If construction is underway and your IT provider has not yet reviewed the floor plan, the window for pre-construction cabling is closing or may already be closed. Contact your IT provider today to confirm whether the cabling phase can still be done correctly or whether you are looking at a retrofit.
Talk to Ekim about your buildout timelineFrequently Asked Questions
Ekim IT Solutions works exclusively with dental practices. We serve New England and New York with on-site support and startup practices nationwide with remote support. We get involved early in the construction timeline so your cabling, networking, workstations, and software are all ready before your first patient is ever scheduled.
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- • May 27, 2026
