The phone rings during checkout
A new-patient call lands while the front desk is collecting a copay and booking the next hygiene visit. It goes to voicemail, and the caller tries the next practice on the map.
Dental practicesAI phone agent
New-patient calls answered while the desk is with a patient.
The AI phone agent picks up when both lines are busy, at lunch, and after close. It offers real openings for exams and emergencies, texts a confirmation, and leaves the recording on the patient record.
Where it goes wrong today.
Toothache calls come after close
A cracked tooth at 8 p.m. or a lost crown on Saturday. The voicemail says to call back Monday. By Monday the patient has been seen somewhere else.
Lunch is an hour of missed calls
Most practices close the phones from noon to one. That is the same hour many people step away from their own desk to make a dentist appointment.
How it works for dental practices.
It answers from your approved list
Hours, locations, the procedures you offer, the plans you accept, and whether you see children. The agent says only what you approve. It does not diagnose, quote a treatment fee it has not been given, or promise coverage. Those go to a person with a note.
It books a real opening
The agent sees the openings on the calendar you connect and offers two or three. A new-patient exam goes into an exam slot, an emergency into the same-day block you set aside. The time is held and a confirmation text goes out before the call ends.
The desk sees the whole thread
The recording, a short summary, and the source sit on the patient record in the CRM. When the desk is free again, the booked exam is already there with a next step. Read what an AI receptionist is for the general idea.
Illustrative example
What a day looks like.
- 7:40 a.m.A parent calls before the office opens to ask whether you see a six-year-old. The agent confirms, offers a Thursday afternoon exam, and texts the new-patient forms link.
- 12:15 p.m.The phones are on lunch. A caller with a chipped front tooth asks for the soonest time. The agent books the afternoon emergency block and texts directions.
- 3:05 p.m.Both lines are busy at checkout. The overflow caller asks whether you take their dental plan. The agent reads from your list and schedules a hygiene visit.
- 8:50 p.m.A patient with a lost crown calls after close. The agent takes the details, books the first morning opening, and flags the record for the desk.
An illustrative example of how the system runs, not a measured result.
More for dental practices.
Dental practicesThe whole system for this work: pages, phones, follow-up and reviews.WebsitesA page for every procedure, every toothache, and every town you draw from.CRM and follow-upEvery new-patient call, form and unscheduled treatment plan on one record.ReviewsReview requests that go out after the visit, from the same record that booked it.
Questions dental practices ask
Will it tell patients what a crown or implant costs?
Only if you give it a published price. Otherwise it explains that fees depend on the exam and books the consult. Treatment plans and coverage questions go to your treatment coordinator with a note on the record.
Can it book into our practice management software?
It books into the calendar you connect to Ottimo. Tell us the system you run and we will confirm the handoff in writing before you go live.
What about patient privacy?
Ask us how recordings and summaries are stored and what agreements are in place before the agent handles patient details. We answer that in writing. Calls the agent cannot finish still get a missed-call text-back.