Configuring dentists & sync targets
A sync target is one provider — a dentist, hygienist, therapist — paired with one Google Calendar. This page walks through adding a target, choosing the right calendar, setting a title format and a time window, and the five-target licence cap.
On this page
What a sync target is
A sync target is the pairing of one OpenDental provider with one Google Calendar. iDentiCal Sync reads appointments out of OpenDental, filters them down to the appointments belonging to that provider, and writes them into the calendar you chose. Each target runs independently — pausing one doesn't pause the others, and an authentication problem on one doesn't stop the others from syncing.
Most practices set up one target per clinician: Dr Patel → Dr Patel's Google calendar, Sarah (hygienist) → Sarah's Google calendar, and so on. You don't have to follow that pattern though. Two valid alternatives:
- Shared "front desk" calendar: point several providers at the same Google Calendar so reception sees every appointment in one view.
- Provider + a back-office mirror: point one provider at two different Google Calendars (their own, plus a shared "all-clinicians" overview). This counts as two targets against your cap.
Adding a target
Open the iDentiCal tray icon and choose Settings → Sync targets → Add target. The wizard runs in three short stages:
- Pick the OpenDental provider. The dropdown is populated from
provider.ProvNum, showing the provider's abbreviation, full name, and hidden/inactive status. Hidden providers are listed but shown in grey — selecting one is allowed (locums often need this) but iDentiCal will warn you. - Authorise with Google. Click Sign in with Google. A browser window opens, you sign in as the account that owns the destination calendar, and approve iDentiCal's scope request. The window closes itself; the wizard advances.
- Pick the calendar and confirm. The wizard fetches the list of calendars on that Google account and shows them in a single dropdown — see the next section for guidance on which one to pick.
assets/docs/sync-targets-wizard-step1.png
Each target inherits sensible defaults from your global settings: anonymous title format, a time window of today through 90 days ahead, and the standard procedure-code exclusion list. You can override any of these per target after creation.
Choosing the Google Calendar
The dropdown lists every calendar the signed-in Google account can see, with the role next to each one. iDentiCal can only write to calendars where you have Make changes to events permission or higher — read-only calendars are shown in grey and the wizard won't let you pick them.
| Calendar type | Recommended use |
|---|---|
| Provider's primary calendar | Best for solo clinicians who want appointments alongside their other commitments. Simple, single source of truth. |
| Dedicated "Clinic" calendar (created in Google Calendar before adding the target) | Best when the provider prefers to keep work appointments out of their personal calendar but still in the same Google account. Easiest to share with reception. |
| Shared Workspace calendar owned by the practice's Google Workspace | Best for multi-clinician practices that want reception or a practice manager to administer the calendar permissions centrally. |
Per-target title format
Each target carries its own event title format. The default is anonymous — every event shows as the literal word "Anonymous" with no patient identifier. This is the right default for shared calendars and is what we recommend for any target visible to anyone other than the provider.
Full details are on the event title formats page. In brief, your options per target are:
- Anonymous — fixed string, no patient data.
- Initials — e.g. J.D.
- First name only — e.g. Jane
- Full name — only available with an explicit confirmation that the destination calendar is private to the provider.
- Custom template — a fields-and-text format using a small set of placeholders.
Time window and lookahead
By default iDentiCal syncs appointments from today through 90 days into the future. Anything older than today is not written; anything beyond the lookahead is held back until it falls inside the window. You can change this per target if a particular clinician books out further than that — orthodontists, for example, often work on a 12-month horizon.
Default time window
Lower bound: today (00:00 local time)
Upper bound: today + 90 days
Maximum supported lookahead: 365 days
Minimum supported lookahead: 7 daysThe lower bound is intentional. iDentiCal does not write past appointments into Google Calendar — they're already on the practice's record in OpenDental, and back-filling them creates a much larger event payload to Google for no clinical benefit. If you specifically need historical appointments mirrored (audit, accreditation), email support@identicalsync.com and we'll talk through the right way to do it.
The five-target cap
A single iDentiCal Sync licence covers up to five sync targets per practice location. That's enough for the overwhelming majority of UK general-dental practices we've spoken to. If you have a sixth provider to add, you'll see a clear message when you try, and the wizard won't proceed.
If you need more than five at a single location, email sales@identicalsync.com — we have a per-location uplift for larger practices and a separate arrangement for groups with three or more locations. See multi-clinic deployments for the per-location model.
Editing & removing targets
To change a target's calendar, title format, or time window, open Settings → Sync targets, click the target, and edit the field. Changes take effect on the next sync cycle (within five minutes). Re-authorising a target — for example because the practice changed the email address of the Google account — runs the same OAuth flow as adding a new target but keeps the existing target ID, so previously synced events are still owned by the same target and aren't duplicated.
Removing a target gives you two choices: stop syncing and leave existing events in place, or delete all events iDentiCal created for this target. The deletion path is scoped to events tagged with iDentiCal's private property, so other events on the calendar are never touched. See removing iDentiCal Sync for the full data-deletion story.
Common questions
Why is the OpenDental provider list empty?
iDentiCal could not connect to your OpenDental MySQL database. Check logs & troubleshooting — almost always a MySQL grants problem on a freshly reinstalled server.
Why are some calendars greyed out?
You have read-only access to them. Either pick a calendar you can write to, or ask the owner in Google Calendar to grant you Make changes to events.
Can two practices share one licence by adding both?
No. A licence is tied to one practice Location under the terms — see section 3 of the Terms of Service. Each location needs its own licence; volume discounts apply from three locations.