Curve Dental is a cloud-based dental practice management software that serves over 80,000+ dentists across the US and Canada. As one of the most widely adopted solutions in the industry, Curve promises to streamline workflows and modernize dental practices through its robust platform.
If you’re currently using Curve Dental or considering it for your practice, this review focuses on what matters most: the integrated payment processing options and how they impact your bottom line.
The reality is that most dental practices using integrated payment solutions like Curve’s are overpaying for credit card processing. We’ll break down exactly what you need to know to avoid getting ripped off.
Curve Dental Overview
Curve Dental positions itself as an all-in-one dental practice management platform. Unlike older legacy systems that require on-premise servers and constant IT maintenance, Curve was built from the ground up as a web-based solution.
This makes it much easier for dental teams to access the software from anywhere. Updates happen automatically, and practices can avoid costly infrastructure overhead.
The software is widely used across North America and has gained traction with small-to-midsized practices looking for modern functionality and mobility.
Pros
- 100% cloud-based (no servers or local backups required).
- Clean, modern interface that staff can learn quickly.
- Regular updates and new features pushed automatically.
- Multiple integrated payment processing options to choose from.
- Comprehensive suite of features and capabilities.
- Supports dental startups, single-location, and multi-location practices.
Cons
- Customer support experiences can be hit-or-miss depending on the issue.
- Steeper monthly costs compared to older software (but lower IT overhead offsets this).
- Payment processing costs can be higher than expected (though this isn’t Curve’s fault).
- Curve doesn’t publicly publish pricing, and this lack of transparency means you’ll need to contact them for a custom quote.
Curve Dental Key Features
Here’s a closer look at what you can do with Curve dental:
- Practice Management — As an all-in-one solution, Curve supports everything from scheduling to patient records, treatment planning, patient billing, and automated reminders.
- Clinical Tools — You can use Curve for digital charting, treatment planning, perio charting, and clinical notes.
- Imaging Integration — Curve’s cloud-based imaging capabilities allow practitioners to access patient records and manipulate images from anywhere.
- Patient Engagement — The platform also offers patient-specific features for things like 24/7 self-scheduling, digital forms, and two-way communication.
- Payment Processing — Practices can accept payments directly within Curve using an embedded or integrated processor.
- Insurance Billing — Dentists can verify insurance automatically and manage billing directly through the platform, speeding up claims processing.
- Business Intelligence — Curve’s customizable dashboards and detailed reports offer insights to support data-driven insights for your practice.
- Integration Capabilities — The software integrates with various third-party applications and services, like accounting software and marketing tools.
Overall, it’s safe to say that Curve is pretty feature-packed compared to other dental practice management systems on the market.
Curve Dental Payment Processing Options
If you’re using Curve Dental and want to accept payments through the same platform, you have three main options to choose from—CurvePay, Bluefin, or Global Payments.
The end result is the same for each in the sense that you’ll be able to accept credit cards, debit cards, ACH payments, and mobile wallets, and your customers won’t know the difference. But each of these solutions is very different in terms of how things work on the backend. The setup and route you chose will directly impact your costs as well.
Let’s take a closer look at each one below so you understand the key differences.
CurvePay
CurvePay is Curve’s branded in-house embedded payments solution, powered by Stripe on the backend. This is their newest payment option and represents Curve’s move toward controlling more of the payment processing experience directly.
With CurvePay, Curve operates as the payment facilitator (PayFac), which means they handle the merchant account setup through Stripe. From your perspective, everything appears to be processed by Curve directly, but Stripe is actually handling the transactions behind the scenes.
This setup is typically faster and easier since you don’t need to apply for a separate merchant account. Everything integrates seamlessly within your existing Curve workflow, and you get a single point of contact for your software and payment processing issues.
However, PayFac models like this almost always result in higher processing rates because there are more hands in the pot. Curve takes its cut, Stripe takes a cut, and you’re left paying a premium for convenience.
While the integration is smooth, you’ll likely pay more than you would compared to a direct processor relationship.
Check out our Stripe review to learn more.
Bluefin
Bluefin is an ISO (independent sales organization) that’s powered by Elavon on the backend. They’ve historically been promoted on Curve Dental’s site for integrated payment processing from when that capability first launched back in 2013.
Bluefin has since been removed from Curve’s main marketing materials in favor of pushing CurvePay. But the integration is still supported.
We still see Curve Dental clients processing with Bluefin, so the option remains available if you know to ask for it.
Bluefin is known for its strong security and encryption technology. They’re a solid processor that integrates with a range of tools, so the API connection via Curve is well within their wheelhouse.
The downside is that Bluefin isn’t cheap. Integrated processing typically demands premium rate, and we tend to see clients paying 0.80% + $0.15 over interchange. For comparison purposes, closer to 50 basis points is considered a better rate for integrated processing, so Bluefin is about 60% more expensive.
Our Bluefin review has a more in-depth breakdown of this processor.
Global Payments
Global Payments also integrates with Curve Dental, similar to Bluefin. The main difference here is that Global is a direct processor and doesn’t rely on another acquirer to support them on the backend (like Bluefin needs Elavon).
In theory, this should result in better rates since there are fewer parties involved. Global has the infrastructure to handle high-volume practices and offers plenty of robust payment features.
That said, Global is probably the worst of these three options from a cost perspective. They’re notorious for high costs, deceptive practices, frequent rate increases, and bogus fees that can easily add hundreds or thousands of dollars to your monthly processing costs.
We consistently find egregious fees on Global Payments statements that provide no real value other than a revenue stream for Global So if you’re currently processing with Global through Curve, I can almost guarantee there’s plenty of room to reduce your costs (without switching).
Read our Global Payments review for more insights.
Curve Dental vs. SoftDent
If you’re comparing Curve Dental to other practice management solutions, SoftDent is likely on your radar. Both platforms serve the dental industry exclusively, but they take very different approaches to practice management and payment processing.
SoftDent is a more traditional, server-based dental software that’s been around since the 1980s. Established practices have been using it for years, but the software requires on-premise servers, regular backups, and ongoing IT maintenance.
Recently, SoftDent did launch a hosted cloud solution. And its parent company has also been pushing clients to upgrade to Sensei Cloud (another product in the same family).
I’d personally favor Curve Dental over SoftDent. While SoftDent has been around forever, it’s definitely behind tech-wise compared to fully cloud-based systems like Curve Dental. I think Curve’s feature list is more impressive, too.
In terms of payment processing, SoftDent doesn’t have as many options to choose from compared to Curve. You’ll be stuck with Global, which is never great as your only choice.
Check our SoftDent review for more.
How to Lower Your Payment Processing Rates With Curve Dental
I can say with confidence that basically every practice using Curve Dental is overpaying for payment processing. That’s just the reality of this industry, and it doesn’t matter which processor you’re using.
The good news is that you can get better rates without having to change processors, and you can continue using Curve exactly as you are today.
Here’s what you need to do:
- First, identify your processor (Stripe via CurvePay, Bluefin/Elavon, or Global Payments).
- Do some quick research on the processor to learn about their tricks and bogus fees they’re known for charging (our reviews cover all of this).
- Then audit your statements to see if you can spot overages (trust me, they’re on there).
- From there, reach out directly to your processor to demand better terms.
- Your processor doesn’t want to lose your business, so you can leverage that in the negotiation.
For example, let’s say you’re using Bluefin and discover that you’re paying a 1% discount rate over interchange. That’s far too high, and you can ask them for a rate closer to 0.50%.
Or if you’re using Global Payments, you might find one of their well-known bogus fees on your statement—like a Settlement Funding Fee or Risk Assessment Fee. Both of these are junk fees that don’t really mean anything and should be removed.
Working with our team here at MCC is a fast track to savings. We have extensive knowledge in the payments space, and tons of experience working with dental practices on an integrated processing setup.
We’ve worked directly with Stripe, Bluefin, Elavon, and Global to negotiate better terms for clients. And we’re confident that we can find savings on your account.
Final Thoughts
Curve Dental is a solid practice management solution that’s a great option for dentists of all sizes. I love that the software is cloud-based, and it’s nice that they have multiple options for payment processing.
The platform’s strength is definitely its all-in-one approach and the convenience of not having to manage your own servers or complex IT infrastructure.
You just need to be aware that some of the payment processing aspects of Curve Dental are out of their hands. The backend processor sets the rates (not Curve).
So if you’re currently using Curve Dental’s payment processing and haven’t had your rates reviewed in the past year, you’re likely overpaying. Even small reductions in your effective rate can translate to tens of thousands in annual savings.
Don’t let integrated processors take advantage of your software choice. With the right approach, we can help you save money and get you a fair rate without changing anything.