How to chart in ChairSide

First — what is "charting"?

Charting just means writing down what's going on in a patient's mouth and what was done about it — in the patient's official record. As a dental assistant you'll record things like which tooth was worked on, what procedure was done, and the dentist's notes. ChairSide is our practice software where you learn to do this safely, with fake patients, before you ever touch a real chart.

The 7 tabs across the top

Everything in ChairSide lives under one of these tabs. Here's what each one is for:

• 👤 Patient  Their name, contact info, and insurance.
• 📅 OnSchedule  Today's appointments.
• 🦷 Clinical  The chart — what's been done, gum health, notes, and medical alerts.
• 📝 SmartDoc  Where you write a clinical note (this is the main charting step).
• 📷 Imaging  X-rays and photos on file.
• 💵 Ledger  Charges, payments, and balance.
• 🚪 Walkout  The end-of-visit receipt you hand the patient.

1. 1. Open the ChairSide trainer.
2. 2. Look at the list of patients on the left side. (On a phone, tap the ☰ button first to show it.)
3. 3. Start typing a name in the search box to find someone fast.
4. 4. Click a patient's name. Their chart opens. You'll start on the 👤 Patient tab.

✅ You did it when: you see the patient's name at the top and the tabs across the top become clickable.

1. 1. Click the 🦷 Clinical tab at the top.
2. 2. You'll see four little sub-tabs. Here's what each shows:
   • Restorative — every procedure already done, listed by tooth and surface.
   • Perio — a summary of the gum (periodontal) exam.
   • Notes — the written clinical notes (the ones you'll create in Step 3).
   • Medical — allergies, medications, and health alerts.
3. 3. 👉 Always click "Medical" first on a new patient. If someone is allergic to a medication or needs to pre-medicate, you must know before treatment. This is the #1 safety habit.

⚠️ Why it matters: missing an allergy or a heart condition is one of the most dangerous mistakes in a dental office. Checking Medical first becomes second nature.

1. 1. Click the 📝 SmartDoc tab.
2. 2. On the left you'll see a list of note templates (Prophy Adult, Restorative, Crown Seat, RCT, SRP, and more). Click the one that matches today's visit — for a routine cleaning, pick "Prophy Adult."
3. 3. The note body fills in automatically using the SOAP layout (explained below). You don't start from a blank page!
4. 4. Click into the note and edit it — add the details for this patient (which teeth, what you saw, what the dentist did).
5. 5. Click 💾 Save note. That's it — you've charted the visit.
6. 6. Want to start over? Click ⟲ Reset to reload the blank template.

✅ You did it when: you switch to 🦷 Clinical → Notes and your saved note is there. (Saved notes lock so they can't be secretly changed — that's the law. Corrections are added as separate "amendments.")

Quick reference: teeth & surfaces

Charting uses tooth numbers and surfaces. Here are the basics:

So "MO on #14" means a filling on the mesial + occlusal surfaces of tooth 14. Want to drill this? Practice with flashcards →

1. 1. Click 💵 Ledger to see today's charges, payments, and the running balance.
2. 2. Click 🚪 Walkout to create the end-of-visit receipt.
3. 3. Use ⎙ Print or ⬇ PDF receipt to hand (or email) it to the patient on their way out.