What Is DS Core? Dentsply Sirona's Cloud Platform Explained

DS Core is Dentsply Sirona's cloud platform for managing scans, imaging, and lab collaboration. It connects practices, labs, and specialists in one browser-based account. This replaces scattered file transfers and the retired Connect Case Center. This guide covers what DS Core is, what it costs, and which scanners integrate with it.

TL;DR

• DS Core centralizes scans, imaging, and lab collaboration in one cloud account, replacing the retired Connect Case Center

• A free tier covers basic ordering, and paid tiers add storage, cloud design, and cross-scanner workflows

• Dentsply Sirona scanners and 3Shape TRIOS connect natively, while other scanners upload through standard file formats

• The platform runs on Google Cloud and meets HIPAA and GDPR requirements, with no local software install needed

What Is DS Core, Exactly?

DS Core is a cloud platform built by Dentsply Sirona. It launched in 2022 on Google Cloud infrastructure. The platform centralizes intraoral scans, imaging, case data, and equipment in one browser-based account.

DS Core is not simply an app tied to one scanner. It works as the connective layer across a practice's digital workflow. A scan and a lab order can both live in the same account. Data updates automatically as new scans and images arrive, with no manual upload step.

Signing in follows a standard browser-based process. Dental Reviewed's DS Core login guide covers that process step by step, plus common access errors. This article focuses on what the platform includes, what it costs, and which equipment connects.

Who Uses DS Core?

DS Core serves several distinct groups. The platform looks a little different depending on which one a person represents.

General dentists use DS Core to store patient scans, review imaging, and track case history. Sharing files with labs and specialists happens in the same account. A single login shows everything tied to that account, regardless of which device captured the data.

Dental laboratories use DS Core to receive digital orders and view incoming scans. Managing dentist relationships happens through the same platform. A lab's setup looks different from a practice's. It centers on receiving and processing cases rather than capturing them. Dental Reviewed's lab connection guide covers that setup in detail.

Multi-location practices and dental service organizations use DS Core to centralize equipment across sites. A DSO administrator can review activity across offices from one dashboard, not several separate ones.

Specialists who receive referred cases also use DS Core as a shared workspace. A referring dentist can send a scan directly through the platform. The specialist reviews the same data with no separate file transfer.

What Does DS Core Cost?

DS Core runs on a subscription model, with a free tier and paid tiers above it. Pricing and tier names shift by region and current promotions. The figures below are a general guide, not a quote.

The free tier, often called Access, covers basic ordering between a practice and a lab. This tier suits practices that mainly need collaboration features without heavy storage or design tools.

DS Core Light sits above the free tier. Third-party pricing reports put this tier around $20 to $30 a month, depending on region. It adds cloud storage and file digitization for dentists not yet on the platform. Labs rely on this feature heavily.

An Advanced or Complete tier sits at the top of the lineup. Conference coverage from late 2025 cited pricing around $230 a month for this tier. It unlocks cross-scanner CEREC design workflows and the fullest feature set DS Core offers.

The gap between tiers usually comes down to storage volume and whether cloud-based design is included. A practice on the free or Light tier can store and share scans without issue. Designing a restoration directly in the browser generally needs an Advanced-level subscription. This is worth clarifying upfront. A practice comparing DS Core to its workflow may assume storage and design come bundled together. In most cases, they do not.

New equipment purchases often include a DS Core subscription period. A practice buying a Primescan 2 usually gets a bundled subscription window first.

Total cost of ownership matters more than the sticker price for larger practices. One published cost breakdown cited $2,800 a year per provider for a premium tier. Three providers on that tier pushed the annual cost past $8,000. That same breakdown noted additional costs tied to scanner licensing and staff training time. These expenses rarely appear on a per-month price list, but they still affect the real budget. Confirming current pricing with Dentsply Sirona or a dealer like Patterson Dental is worth doing first. Asking specifically how a quoted price scales per provider avoids a budget surprise later.

DS Core Integration: Which Scanners Are Supported?

DS Core's scanner compatibility splits into two real categories. Native integrations work automatically, while other scanners connect through standard file formats.

Dentsply Sirona's own scanners integrate natively. This includes Primescan, Primescan 2, and Omnicam. Primescan 2 can scan directly into the cloud. Scans from any of these devices upload to DS Core without a manual export step.

3Shape TRIOS has a genuinely native integration as well, not just file compatibility. Scans send directly to DS Core through 3Shape Unite. Cases can flow back into 3Shape Dental System, or open directly in CEREC for same-day design. Dentsply Sirona and 3Shape call this "TRIOS meets Prime." The 3Shape TRIOS review has more detail.

Other scanners connect through universal file support instead. DS Core accepts STL, PLY, and OBJ files. This covers most other intraoral scanners generically, including iTero and Medit devices. This file-level compatibility works, but it is not the same as a deep native integration.

That distinction matters in practice. Native integrations, Dentsply Sirona scanners and 3Shape TRIOS, run with less friction than file uploads. One digital dentistry consultant tracking these workflows found native integrations produced fewer data errors at scale. This does not rule out using a Medit or iTero scanner with DS Core. It does mean budgeting for occasional manual cleanup on non-native workflows. For a closer look at how these scanners compare directly, Dental Reviewed's iTero vs. Primescan comparison and Medit i700 review both cover scanner-specific performance.

DS Core also displays third-party X-ray and imaging data, including from Planmeca, Morita, and Carestream devices. This broadens what "supported" means beyond scanners alone, since imaging compatibility follows a similar native-versus-universal split. A practice running Dentsply Sirona's own X-ray systems gets automatic upload into the same account. X-rays from other brands typically need an export and import step, similar to non-native scanners.

This matters most for practices with a mixed equipment fleet. That is common after a merger, an acquisition, or years of separate purchasing decisions. Rather than replacing hardware for compatibility, most practices treat DS Core as a shared storage layer. Some devices simply feed in more smoothly than others. That gap is worth factoring into any equipment purchase decision going forward.

How To Use DS Core

Using DS Core follows a consistent workflow arc, regardless of the device or account type. The steps below describe that arc at a conceptual level, not a click-by-click walkthrough.

1. Capture a scan or image through a connected Dentsply Sirona scanner, a 3Shape TRIOS scanner, or an uploaded file from a compatible third-party device

2. Data uploads automatically to the practice's DS Core account for connected devices, with no manual transfer step

3. Review and organize patient cases from the browser-based dashboard, available on desktop, tablet, or phone

4. Share a case with a lab or specialist, or design it directly through CEREC on DS Core for practices on a qualifying tier

5. Track order and case status through to completion inside the same dashboard

6. Manage connected equipment, team member roles, and account settings from one central location

Practices can connect a scan to a documented dental treatment plan for broader case planning. This keeps the clinical picture and the proposed treatment in one place.

Creating an account and signing in for the first time follows its own process. Dental Reviewed's DS Core login guide walks through account activation and first login in full.

DS Core Vs. Connect Case Center

Dentsply Sirona's earlier scan-transfer platform, Connect Case Center, is now fully retired. Dentist access ended in November 2025. Lab access ended in May 2026.

DS Core is the direct successor. It handles every workflow Connect Case Center used to cover, from scan sharing to lab orders. Anyone still working from an old CCC bookmark should expect that link to stop working. The correct next step is signing in through DS Core, since case history generally carried over.

DS Core Vs. SureSmile

SureSmile is Dentsply Sirona's clear aligner platform, a related but separate product from DS Core. The two systems share a parent company, but they serve different clinical purposes.

DS Core and SureSmile accounts can be linked. Scans captured through DS Core then feed into SureSmile's treatment simulator. Even so, the two remain distinct products with separate logins. A dentist who only needs scan storage and lab collaboration does not need a SureSmile account.

Key Features Of DS Core

A quick summary helps anyone comparing DS Core against other practice technology decide if it fits.

• Cloud-based storage for scans and imaging, accessible from any browser on desktop, tablet, or phone, with no local server needed

• A 3D web viewer for scans and X-rays that opens directly in the browser, without installing separate viewing software on each workstation

• Collaboration tools for sharing cases with labs and specialists, including built-in messaging so case notes stay attached to the file rather than scattered across email

• An equipment management dashboard that shows connected devices, their status, and technical details a service technician can use for remote troubleshooting

• Cloud-based CEREC design on qualifying subscription tiers, letting a practice design a restoration on any browser rather than a dedicated scanner cart

• Security built around HIPAA and GDPR requirements, hosted on Google Cloud infrastructure rather than a practice's own local server

• File compatibility across multiple scanner brands, beyond Dentsply Sirona's own equipment, through standard STL, PLY, and OBJ support

Together, these features position DS Core less as a single tool. It works as the shared record of a practice, and its partners draw from throughout a case. A practice weighing whether to adopt the platform typically compares these features against its current setup.

The practice management software guide on Dental Reviewed covers how these systems fit together. The two systems usually need to work alongside each other, not replace one another.

Bottom Line

DS Core is Dentsply Sirona's cloud platform for scans, imaging, and collaboration among practices and labs. It replaces fragmented file transfers and the retired Connect Case Center with one browser-based system.

The free tier covers genuine collaboration needs for a practice or lab just getting started. Full functionality, cloud design, and cross-scanner workflows come at a real cost that grows with providers. Scanner compatibility follows a similar pattern. Dentsply Sirona's own devices and 3Shape TRIOS integrate natively. Other scanners connect through standard file formats that ask for more manual attention.

Anyone ready to sign in can follow the DS Core login guide for the full process. Labs should start with the guide to adding a dentist on DS Core as a lab.