What Is Cloud 9?
Cloud 9 is a cloud-based practice management system designed exclusively for orthodontic and pediatric dental practices. Unlike general dental PMS products that bolt on ortho features as an afterthought, Cloud 9 was built from the ground up for ortho-specific workflows: treatment planning with phase management, contract and payment plan tracking, new patient lead management, ortho-specific charting, and the unique scheduling patterns that orthodontic practices require.
Planet DDS acquired Cloud 9 in 2023 to add orthodontic capability to its dental software ecosystem. The integration with Denticon (Planet DDS's general PMS) means multi-specialty groups can run general dentistry on Denticon and orthodontics on Cloud 9 from one platform umbrella. Integration with Apteryx (imaging) creates a unified patient image database across general and ortho locations. Cloud 9 Pay (launched January 2024) added embedded payment processing.
Cloud 9 serves more than 2,300 practice locations, and Planet DDS's 2026 Dental Industry Outlook found that the average orthodontic case acceptance rate among Cloud 9 practices reached 68.3% in 2025 — a useful benchmark for ortho groups evaluating their own performance.
Key Features
Ortho-Specific Scheduling
Designed for the unique scheduling patterns of orthodontic practices — recurring adjustment appointments, treatment phase tracking, and high-volume patient flow. Not a general scheduler with ortho bolted on.
Treatment Planning & Charting
Ortho-specific treatment planning with phase management, appliance tracking, and orthodontic charting. Supports multi-phase treatment plans with associated financial contracts.
Patient & Lead Management
New patient tracking and task automation for converting inquiries into starts. Pipeline visibility for managing the ortho new-patient funnel.
Financial Management
Ortho-specific contract management, payment plan tracking, and insurance billing designed for orthodontic benefit structures (which differ significantly from general dental insurance).
Cloud 9 Pay
Embedded payment processing launched January 2024. Text-to-pay, automated payment reminders, and direct integration into Cloud 9's contract management — patients pay against their treatment contract rather than per-visit.
Multi-Location Management
Centralized reporting across multiple locations. SSO access. Consolidated views for DSOs and ortho groups managing distributed practices.
Planet DDS Ecosystem Integration
- Denticon integration: Eliminates double data entry for multi-specialty groups
- Apteryx integration: Unified imaging database across general and ortho locations
- MyTooth: Patient engagement layer (newer, still developing)
What Users Actually Say
What people love
- Ortho-specific design is the differentiator. Users consistently praise that Cloud 9 understands orthodontic patient flow in ways that general PMS products don't. Treatment phase management, contract tracking, and scheduling are built for how ortho practices actually work.
- Cloud convenience. True cloud-native means no servers to maintain, access from any location, and automatic updates. Multi-location practices can manage everything centrally.
- One-stop integration. Having imaging, email, text messaging, and document storage in one system eliminates the need for multiple software subscriptions.
- Intuitive navigation. Users find the interface relatively easy to learn and navigate, especially for ortho-specific tasks.
What people note
- Post-acquisition support has declined. This is the most consistent complaint in recent reviews. Since Planet DDS acquired Cloud 9, users report difficulty reaching human support, especially for billing issues. Multiple reviews mention frustration with automated systems and long resolution times.
- Add-on pricing creep. Features that were previously included have become paid add-ons after the acquisition. Users feel nickel-and-dimed for functionality they used to get as part of their base subscription.
- Sales vs. reality gap. Some users report that what was promised during the sales process didn't match the actual product experience, particularly around support quality and feature availability.
- Limited to ortho/peds. This is by design, but it means Cloud 9 won't work for a general dental practice. Multi-specialty groups need Cloud 9 plus Denticon (or another general PMS).
Who Is Cloud 9 Best For?
Great fit:
- Orthodontic practices that want a purpose-built cloud PMS (not a general dental system with ortho features grafted on)
- Multi-location ortho groups needing centralized management
- Planet DDS customers using Denticon who want to add ortho locations to the same ecosystem
- Practices that value true cloud-native architecture with zero server maintenance
May want to compare alternatives:
- Ortho practices that prioritize responsive customer support (evaluate carefully given post-acquisition complaints)
- Budget-conscious solo ortho practices that want predictable, transparent pricing
- Practices that want advanced AI-driven treatment planning (consider Orthia AI or Dolphin)
- Groups that are wary of enterprise platform lock-in