By Dr. Greg Grillo
A New Reality in Patient Communication
When was the last time you called a business and reached a live person on the first try? Whether it was your bank, your airline, or your internet provider, chances are you were greeted by a chatbot or automated system before you ever spoke to a human being.
This trend is no longer limited to big corporations. It’s coming to dentistry, and fast. Patients today are increasingly interacting with AI systems at the very first point of contact — the dental front desk.
The question every practice owner should be asking is simple: will AI replace our teams, or will it empower them?
Patients Want Convenience — But Not at the Expense of Trust
Consumer expectations have changed. Surveys in 2024 revealed that 65% of consumers now prefer self-service options before contacting customer service. Gartner projects that by the end of 2025, 80% of all customer interactions will involve AI in some form.
Think about what that means in dentistry. Patients don’t want to leave voicemails when they land on your website at 10 PM. They want to book an appointment instantly, just like they order from Amazon or DoorDash.
That demand for speed and convenience is real. But dentistry isn’t a commodity. We’re not shipping packages or managing dinner reservations. We’re dealing with health, emotions, fears, and costs. Patients may welcome automation in some parts of their journey, but they crave empathy and reassurance when it matters most.
A Story from the Front Lines
I recently spoke with a colleague in Texas who added a 24/7 chatbot to his practice website. In the first month alone, the bot booked 32 new patient appointments after hours. That’s an impressive boost in production and something his old voicemail system never could have captured.
But there was a catch. When those patients arrived, many were frustrated. The bot had promised openings the office simply couldn’t deliver. Instead of starting with trust, the relationship began with disappointment.
This story highlights the razor’s edge of AI in dentistry: the potential for growth, and the risk of alienation.
Lessons from Other Industries
Dentistry isn’t the first field to face this dilemma.
- Airlines now handle about 70% of rebooking and check-in through AI. That works fine — until a major cancellation leaves passengers stranded. In that moment, nothing replaces a calm, empathetic human voice.
- Banks rely heavily on AI for deposits, transfers, and even loan approvals. Customers like the efficiency — but when fraud strikes their account, they demand immediate access to a human being.
- Healthcare is experimenting with AI triage tools. Yet studies from the AMA show that patients distrust medical advice if it feels “too automated.”
Dentistry sits right in the middle. Patients want efficiency, but they also want a relationship. If we lean too far toward automation, we risk stripping away the very trust that drives treatment acceptance and loyalty.
Where AI Adds Real Value
When used wisely, AI can make a practice more profitable and efficient. Here are four areas where AI shines:
- After-hours patient capture. Many practices lose potential new patients when they call outside of office hours. A chatbot that converts late-night website visitors into booked appointments represents production you wouldn’t have captured otherwise.
- Insurance FAQs. Your front desk team spends countless hours explaining basic coverage questions. AI systems can handle the repetitive basics, giving your team more time to focus on high-value conversations.
- Payment reminders. AI-driven text reminders can cut overdue balances significantly. Patients respond to texts faster than phone calls, and automation keeps cash flow consistent.
- Call filtering. AI can screen incoming calls to block robocalls and spam, ensuring your coordinators spend their time where it matters.
Some DSOs have reported saving $80,000 per year, per location by shifting routine interactions to AI. While solo practices won’t see numbers that dramatic, the efficiency gains can still be significant.
Where AI Damages Trust
On the flip side, AI can undermine your practice if it’s misused. Common pitfalls include:
- Overpromising: Bots offering same-day appointments when your next availability is three weeks away.
- Cold interactions: Patients already skeptical of dentistry may feel further commoditized by robotic responses.
- Sensitive conversations: A chatbot responding to “I’m scared about cost” with a generic finance link damages trust rather than building it.
- Team morale: If staff feel replaced instead of empowered, resentment can creep in and culture suffers.
Trust is fragile in dentistry. And if AI chips away at it, the short-term gains are quickly outweighed by long-term losses.
Finding the Middle Ground
So what’s the solution? I believe AI should be positioned as a digital assistant, not a replacement.
Here’s the formula:
- AI handles transactional tasks — scheduling basics, FAQs, payment reminders.
- Humans handle relational tasks — reassurance, empathy, treatment explanations, and complex scheduling.
The best practices I’ve seen introduce AI transparently. Instead of pretending the bot is a person, they say, “Meet our digital assistant. It can help you book an appointment or answer quick questions. A team member will follow up for anything more complex.”
That transparency builds confidence. Patients feel supported, not tricked. And staff members see AI as a partner, not a threat.
The Future of the Dental Front Desk
AI at the front desk isn’t a passing trend. It’s here to stay. The real question is whether we’ll use it as a blunt instrument that erodes patient trust — or as a carefully designed tool that empowers our teams to focus on what only humans can do.
Dentistry will never be about transactions alone. It’s about relationships, comfort, and trust. If we get this right, AI won’t replace our front desks. It will give them more time to connect deeply with patients.
That’s the kind of future worth building toward.
Listen In
This article only scratches the surface. I dive much deeper into real stories, numbers, and strategies in my latest CEO Chairside podcast episode: “AI at the Front Desk: Will It Replace or Empower Our Teams?”
Listen to the episode now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.