Alternative · Dolphin Imaging
Keep Dolphin for planning. Use CBCTHub for delivery.
Dolphin is a deep Windows suite for orthodontics and oral surgery. CBCTHub does one thing: it puts the scan in front of the referring dentist and the patient, in any browser, from any scanner brand, under your practice's name.
What is Dolphin Imaging?
Dolphin Imaging & Management Solutions is a Patterson product for orthodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons and pediatric practices. It combines 2D and 3D imaging, cephalometric tracing, treatment simulation, airway analysis and practice management. It runs as a Windows desktop application against a Windows Server with Microsoft SQL Server, and its modules — Dolphin 3D, 3D Surgery, Management, Aquarium and others — are licensed separately.
What Dolphin does well
- ✓Cephalometric tracing and superimposition, with a long track record in orthodontic training programs
- ✓Volumetric airway analysis with automatic volume reporting
- ✓Dual-volume superimposition to measure bone and airway change between timepoints
- ✓Orthognathic surgery planning in the Dolphin 3D Surgery module
- ✓One vendor for imaging, 3D, practice management and patient education
Things to weigh before picking Dolphin
- •Windows only. Patterson's own system requirements state that a Mac needs Boot Camp, Parallels or VMware Fusion, and that "Macs with Apple M series chips have not been validated for use with our software"
- •The on-premise install needs Windows Server plus Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft Client Access Licenses for every station reaching the server
- •Modules are licensed separately, and Dolphin does not publish pricing — it is quoted case by case
- •DICOM export is conditional: Patterson documents it for customers with the DICOM add-on or Dolphin 3D
- •AnywhereDolphin, the browser sharing option, requires Dolphin Imaging Premium 10.5 or later and an active Dolphin Service Club subscription, with 500 MB of storage by default
- •Capterra rates Dolphin Imaging Plus 3.5 out of 5 across 15 reviews — a small sample, with cost and support the recurring themes
Where CBCTHub fits
- →Runs in the browser on Mac, Windows, iPad or Android — no virtualization, no Apple Silicon caveat
- →Nothing to install and no server, no SQL licence and no Microsoft CALs
- →Equipment-neutral: reads standard DICOM from any CBCT brand
- →The referring dentist opens a link — no account, no viewer to install, no expiring quota
- →White-label: the patient and the dentist see your practice, not ours
- →Published flat pricing from a free plan; Pro from $39/mo
CBCTHub vs Dolphin Imaging at a glance
| Feature | CBCTHub | Dolphin Imaging |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Any modern browser | Windows desktop + Windows Server |
| Native on Mac | Yes | No — Boot Camp, Parallels or VMware; M series not validated |
| Server and database | None | Windows Server + Microsoft SQL Server + CALs |
| Referring dentist access | Link, no account, no install | AnywhereDolphin (needs Service Club) or free read-only viewer |
| DICOM export | Standard, included | With the DICOM add-on or Dolphin 3D |
| Cephalometric tracing and ortho planning | Not a Dolphin replacement | Extensive |
| Published pricing | Yes — free plan, Pro $39/mo | Quoted, not published |
You do not have to choose
Most practices that use both keep Dolphin for what it is genuinely good at — tracing, simulation, surgical planning — and use CBCTHub for the part Dolphin was never designed around: getting the scan to a referring general dentist who has no imaging software and is not going to install any. Export the DICOM from Dolphin, upload it, and send a link.
FAQ
Does CBCTHub replace Dolphin Imaging?
No, and it would be dishonest to say it does. Dolphin does cephalometric tracing, treatment simulation and orthognathic planning that CBCTHub does not. CBCTHub is the viewer and the delivery layer: any scanner, any browser, your branding.
Can I open a Dolphin case in CBCTHub?
You can open the DICOM. Export the study from Dolphin — Patterson documents DICOM export for customers with the DICOM add-on or Dolphin 3D — and upload it. Dolphin project files and tracings are proprietary and stay in Dolphin.
Does CBCTHub work on a Mac with an M-series chip?
Yes. It runs in the browser, so there is nothing to virtualize and no chip to validate.
What does the referring dentist need?
A browser. No account, no install, no subscription on their side.
See CBCTHub in action
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