Connecting OpenDental to Salva

What do you need before you start?

Two values, both from your OpenDental cloud setup:

Server URL — typically https://api.opendental.com for cloud, or a custom URL if you self-host
Customer API key — generated in your OpenDental account (your developer key is built into Salva)

Pull them up in another tab before you start, then go to Settings → Integrations.

Connecting OpenDental — step by step

Open Settings → Integrations
Found in your Salva dashboard sidebar under the Settings menu.
Paste your Server URL
Typically https://api.opendental.com for cloud. Use a custom URL if you self-host.
Paste your Customer API key
Generated in your OpenDental account. The developer key is built into Salva — you only need your customer key.
Click Test connection
Usually resolves in under 2 seconds. Green check = connected. Red error = re-check both values.
Save
Booking goes live on the next inbound call or chat. No restart required.

What changes once OpenDental is connected?

Booking-related questions get a callback collection ("Can I have someone from the team get back to you?"). No appointments are actually created.

How do you connect it, step by step?

Open Settings → Integrations in your Salva dashboard.
Paste your OpenDental Server URL into the URL field.
Paste your API key into the API key field.
Click Test connection.
Wait for the response (usually under 2 seconds). Green check = good. Red error = re-check the values.
Click Save.

That's it. Booking is now live on the next call.

What do the common test errors mean?

Error	What it usually means
401 Unauthorized	API key is wrong or revoked. Regenerate in OpenDental.
404 Not Found	Server URL is wrong. Check for typos and trailing slashes.
Connection refused	Wrong host, or firewall blocking the request. Check with your IT contact.
Empty providers list	The connection works but no providers have schedules. See OpenDental provider schedule setup.

What happens after you're connected?

By default, bookings created by Salva show up immediately in your OpenDental schedule. You can change this behavior in Instant booking vs. pending review — for practices that want to approve each Salva-created appointment before it's confirmed.

Published May 4, 2026

Connecting OpenDental to Salva