Smarter conversations: How AI is transforming the dental front office

Rising patient expectations, personnel shortages, and competitive pressures are causing dental practices to contemplate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) not only to strengthen clinical workflows, but also to enhance patient experience. There is a lot of media attention on the use of AI in clinical treatments, but it is also changing how practices interact with, schedule, and retain patients, especially over the phone.

Why phone calls are still important

Even though online booking and chatbots are becoming more popular, phone calls are still the most important part of running a dental business. Despite the rise of online portals and apps, phone calls remain the dominant channel for scheduling care. Furthermore, many providers call patients to confirm upcoming appointments, as text messaging is typically seen as less secure or reliable for sensitive conversations. This means that missed calls can cost practices thousands of dollars each year. Every call that goes unanswered or is serviced poorly is not only lost revenue, but also a missed opportunity to create trust and build a client relationship.

The growth of conversational analytics

Enter conversational analytics—AI tools that analyze phone calls in real-time to extract insights, detect sentiment, and coach staff. These systems can identify whether a caller is a new patient interested in whitening services or expressing frustration about on-hold wait times. They can even provide live coaching to front desk staff, discreetly guiding them to upsell treatments, resolve concerns, or convert inquiries into appointments.

This isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about protecting the reputation of the practice. A single negative interaction can surface in online reviews and impact patient retention. AI-powered sentiment analysis helps dental practices intervene before the negative reports appear in public.

Augment your staff, don’t replace them

Staffing challenges continue to affect dental offices nationwide. To counter this, some practices are exploring autonomous AI agents, virtual assistants that answer phones or respond via chat. While promising, these systems are still relatively immature. Gartner predicts that 40% of agentic AI implementations will fail by 2027 due to unrealistic expectations and lack of ROI.¹

Projects that aim to replace humans are often unsuccessful. Those that augment human performance by coaching staff, automating routine tasks, or surfacing actionable insights are far more likely to succeed.

Avoiding AI hallucinations and liability

One of the biggest risks in deploying AI is hallucination, when the system generates incorrect or misleading information. In health care, this isn’t just inconvenient, it can be dangerous. Practices must choose AI solutions that minimize hallucinations and prioritize accuracy.

That’s where curated language models come in. Unlike general-purpose models trained on everything from Shakespeare to cat memes, curated models are trained specifically on dental conversations. They understand the nuances of scheduling, insurance inquiries, and treatment discussions. This dramatically reduces errors and improves relevance.

Think of it this way: general AI might know the capital of Mongolia, but it won’t know how to deal with a patient asking about their next cleaning. Curated models do.

Privacy, cost, and control

Dental practices work with sensitive patient data, making privacy nonnegotiable. AI providers that process data in-house, rather than outsourcing to third-party cloud services, offer better control, lower long-term costs, and stronger compliance with HIPAA and PCI standards.

While some vendors offer AI features as loss leaders today, outsourced processing costs are expected to rise. Practices should consider the sustainability of their AI investments and ask whether the provider owns and operates its own infrastructure.

Integration and flexibility

AI should integrate seamlessly with commonly used practice management systems like Dentrix, Open Dental, or Eaglesoft. Practices should be able to change how calls are routed and how workflows are constructed without having to change their entire phone system.

While all-in-one solutions can seem like the best choice, practices should check to see whether the platform is future-proof and can change as needs change and new technologies come out.

Important questions for your AI provider

Before you start to use AI in your front office, ask:

• Is the AI built on curated language models specific to dental practices?
• Does it rely on the sustainability of any one particular AI model?
• Does the supplier handle data internally or depend on external, third-party services?
• How does the system protect patient privacy and ensure compliance?
• Will the AI work with the practice management software I already have?
• Is the platform flexible enough to let you change workflows and as you grow and scale over time?
• What kind of measurable return on investment can I expect?
• Does the AI augment staff performance or attempt to replace it?

When it comes to AI in the dental front office, it’s not about following the latest trends. It's about making better choices, preserving your brand, and giving patients a better experience. With the right approach, practices can embrace innovation without compromising trust.

Editor's note: This article appeared in the January 2026 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.

Reference

1. Keen E. Gartner predicts over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by end of 2027. Gartner. June 25, 2025. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-06-25-gartner-predicts-over-40-percent-of-agentic-ai-projects-will-be-canceled-by-end-of-2027