AI is transforming the dental profession
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Artificial Intelligence is transforming the world of dentistry, from diagnosing problems in their early stages, to making treatment planning and administrative tasks less tedious. The result is considerable savings in time for dentists, more streamlined practice processes, and improved outcomes for patients.
Compared to other areas of medicine dentistry has been relatively slow to fully adopt AI, due largely to legitimate constraints, including costs, regulatory hurdles, and integration issues. And in spite of the rapid growth of Dental Service Organizations (DSOs) in the U.S. – DSOs own more than 8,000 dental clinics, accounting for 7% of all dental practices – smaller independent practices still make up the majority, which has also impacted AI adoption.
ChatGPT for dentists
However, a significant milestone was the recent announcement that Trust AI, dubbed the ‘ChatGPT’ for dentists, had raised $6 million, the largest seed round ever for a dental technology startup, and one that was led by dental industry leaders, the very people who understand firsthand what the industry needs most, rather than traditional VCs.
The platform, developed by a team of AI engineers and board-certified periodontists, gives general practitioners access to specialist-grade insights in real time and is becoming the operating system for modern dentistry. Trust AI has attracted over 3,000 dentists in just a few weeks.
Trust AI cofounder and general dentist Dr Divian Patel says: “Digitally progressive practices aren’t asking for another point solution. They want AI that goes beyond detection, tools that connect the dots, personalize care, and streamline the entire workflow. Most AI companies in dentistry still stop at diagnosis, flagging a cavity or highlighting bone loss. Helpful, yes. Transformative, no. Detection isn’t care.”
Clinicians, he says, want a single intelligent system that integrates everything: patient history, risk assessment, treatment planning, SOAP notes, coding, claims, and communication.
He adds: “AI is already reshaping case acceptance with patient-friendly visuals, predicting no-shows and treatment outcomes, drafting notes in real time through voice-to-chart systems, and giving specialists new capabilities like orthodontic simulations, endodontic canal mapping, and prosthodontic design.”
AI adoption by U.K. dentists
The U.K. dental industry is seeing a similar pattern of AI adoption, as dentist Dr Sam Jethwa, President of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and founder of Bespoke Smile, explains.
He says: “Over the past six months, we have started to see AI become integrated into many larger and more corporate dental practices across the U.K., along with forward-thinking and innovative independent clinics. We do expect the smaller independent practice to follow suit with the adoption of AI, but at a slower rate than the larger practices, likely due to the demographic of owners and the level at which technology is being embraced.”
Dental practices typically use AI for early disease detection through advanced radiograph reading, as well as treatment planning and cosmetic designs, predicting risks and maintaining patient records. AI can also enhance visual communication with the patient, allowing them to have the ability to better understand their diagnosis and treatment plan.
Supporting a growing practice
Dentist David Hickey and his wife Rashmi took over Southport Road Dental in the U.K. in 2010 when it was a small, community-based two-surgery practice. The couple have since expanded it into a modern, multi-surgery dental center with advanced facilities and a multidisciplinary team comprising seven dentists, a dental therapist, two hygienists, and 17 nursing and admin staff. The patient base has expanded to thousands of active patients, with an approximate ratio of 1250 patients per dentist.
Adopting AI, dentist David Hickey
Southport Road Dental
Hickey first introduced AI in 2023 via ChatGPT. He says: “We started with AI-assisted drafting for patient-friendly treatment summaries, educational content, and marketing materials. In terms of business operations, we have spent lots of time training Chat to help with marketing strategy and planning, website content creation and SEO optimization, drafting patient letters and consent forms.”
In terms of treatment coordination, AI helps with prequalifying patients through questionnaires, creating tailored treatment proposals and managing follow-up communications by helping to craft responses. “It also improves clinical communication by creating consistent, clear, patient-friendly treatment plans,” says Hickey.
Significant time savings
Specific AI applications being used include DigitalTCO, which transforms voice recordings into comprehensive clinical notes, Diagnocat, which assists with radiographic reporting, and Smilecloud, which is used for aesthetic set-ups to give an idea of smile improvements.
“With all of the applications, there is still a risk that it will make mistakes, so everything needs to be checked,” says Hickey. “However, it does reduce time; from an admin point of view, an estimated saving of between 30% and 40%.”
Training is provided for treatment coordinators, reception, and marketing staff on the effective use of AI tools, fact-checking and accuracy, maintaining the Southport Road Dental tone of voice, as well as patient confidentiality and data handling. Hickey plans to integrate AI into their telephone and booking system, not just to reduce load on the team, but also to ease and speed up the booking process for their customers.
Enhancing the human touch
Of course, there are ethical concerns with AI in dentistry, for example, over-reliance on technology, and worries about patient privacy and confidentiality, which underpin the fundamental principle that AI must only be used as a tool to support dental professionals, never to replace them.
“One concern is that AI may replace the human element of dentistry, which is especially important in cosmetic dentistry,” says Dr Jethwa. “A cosmetic dentist and their patient must have a good rapport to achieve a successful outcome. Cosmetic dentistry can have an emotional impact on the patient; therefore, empathy and patience are just as important as clinical skills.”
Not only is the human element important for cosmetic dentistry, but also for general dentistry. The concept of the dentist can make many patients nervous, and it is often only a human connection that can help ease that anxiety.
“A dental professional will not be over-reliant on AI technologies to diagnose a patient or create a treatment plan,” adds Jethwa. “Instead, AI may be used to enhance their judgment. Dental professionals must be confident with their clinical judgement regardless of AI being present.”
A competitive edge for dentists
A key question is whether the adoption of AI will help dentists gain a competitive edge. As well as being clinicians, dentists are entrepreneurs, operators, and curators of the patient experience, whilst also bearing the responsibility of online reviews that can hinge on the smallest detail. As Dr Patel points out, in that world, consistency becomes currency.
He says: “AI delivers that consistency without replacing the human touch. Automating the repetitive tasks frees dental teams to look patients in the eye and focus on building trust. Beyond the chair, Trust AI transforms the practice itself; no more late nights spent finishing notes, or assistants being buried in data entry. Teams focus on care, and retention improves.”
For independents especially, this is transformative. AI levels the playing field, giving small practices the efficiency and consistency of DSOs without the overheads. Dentists using Trust AI report reclaiming six to eight hours a week. Patel adds “That time strengthens profitability, reputation, and patient relationships while preserving what matters most: the human connection,” adds Patel. AI isn’t just a tool for efficiency; it’s fast becoming the competitive edge in dentistry.”
