Should a dental practice use an AI receptionist?
The phones are busiest at 8am, at lunch and when the front desk is checking patients in, which is when calls go unanswered. Most of those calls are one of a handful of types, and most can be handled without a person, as long as pain and anything clinical reaches one fast.
| The call | Voicemail | Answering service | Dental AI product | Custom build |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "I'm in pain" | Waits for a call back | Takes a message | Routes by its triage rules | Routes by your triage rules, into your emergency slots |
| "Are you taking NHS patients?" | No answer | Reads your script | Answers and adds to a waitlist | Answers and adds to your waitlist |
| "Can I move my check-up?" | Call back later | Takes a message | Moves it if it supports your PMS | Moves it if your PMS has an API |
| "How much is Invisalign?" | No answer | Reads your price list | Answers and books a consultation | Answers, books and starts treatment follow-up |
| Out of hours | Yes | Depends on the plan | Yes; NHS urgent care to 111 | Yes; NHS urgent care to 111 |
| Setup | None | Quick | Quick if your PMS is supported | Longer; built to your practice |
An AI receptionist should never give clinical advice. Out of hours, NHS patients needing urgent care are directed to NHS 111.
Which AI receptionists are built for dentists?
Products aimed at UK dental practices include Linda AI, ViveoAI, Boxly, Hi Human, DentaAI and Intavia. We haven't tested them against each other and don't take a cut from any of them. Before you sign with one, check these:
- Which PMS it books into directly: Dentally is widely supported; EXACT and R4 need a partner integration, so ask for proof.
- How it handles pain calls, and whether you can set the triage questions and emergency slots.
- Whether it treats NHS and private patients differently, including NHS waiting lists.
- A data processing agreement that covers health data, which is special category data under UK GDPR.
- Where call recordings and transcripts are stored, and for how long.
- What happens when a caller asks for a person.
When is a custom build better than a dental AI product?
Your setup isn't supported
A PMS the product doesn't book into, or rules it can't express: clinician-specific slots, hygienist direct access, plan patients versus pay-as-you-go.
You want one system, not four
Calls, WhatsApp, website enquiries and treatment follow-up handled by one assistant that knows the whole history.
A group of practices
Different opening hours, NHS contracts and price lists per site, with reporting across all of them.
You want to own it
Scripts, data and reporting under your control rather than a per-practice subscription.
The honest limit: on EXACT or R4, which don't publish open APIs, a custom build can't book directly into the diary. There we'd either recommend a product with a partner integration or build around the edges, such as enquiries, WhatsApp and follow-up, and hand bookings to reception.
How do we cut FTAs and fill cancelled slots?
Your PMS already sends reminders. What it usually doesn't do is get a reply, fill the gap when someone cancels, or rebook the patient who didn't turn up.
- Two-way confirmation by WhatsApp or text: reply to confirm, or pick another time.
- A cancellation list: when a slot frees up, patients who wanted an earlier appointment are offered it, first reply wins.
- An FTA follow-up the same day with a rebooking link, and your FTA policy in plain words for private patients.
More on this on our reminders and no-shows page.
How do we follow up patients who want to think about their treatment plan?
A private consultation for implants, aligners or veneers often ends with "I'll think about it", and then nothing until the next check-up. Recalls don't cover it, because the patient isn't due anything. A treatment coordinator can chase, if the practice has one and they have time.
We build the follow-up from the consultation appointments in your PMS: a message in the clinician's name, a second prompt to the treatment coordinator rather than the patient, and an end to the sequence when treatment is booked. On Dentally, that's set out on our Dentally page. If you want a full dental lead CRM instead, DenGro is built for exactly this and integrates with EXACT, Dentally and Aerona.