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AI receptionist for dental offices
Dental offices have a different starting point from the trades: callers share health information, so privacy rules come first. Once that's sorted, an AI or live receptionist can cover lunch hours, after-hours emergencies and new-patient calls your front desk can't get to.
Start with HIPAA
If the service will hear, record or store patient health information, you'll generally need a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with the vendor. Of the services we track:
- Upfirst lists BAAs for HIPAA-regulated businesses on its Custom plan (over 600 calls/month), not on the self-serve plans.
- Ruby (live receptionists) states that HIPAA-compliant services are available.
- Allo lists a HIPAA BAA add-on at $50/month per workspace for its phone system.
- For the other services, BAAs weren't mentioned on the pricing pages we checked. Ask directly and get it in writing before going live.
This is not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with your compliance advisor.
What dental callers need
- Emergencies: severe pain, swelling, a knocked-out or broken tooth, trauma. Have a written protocol for what to tell callers and when to page the on-call dentist. For facial swelling that affects breathing or swallowing, the caller should go to the ER.
- New patients: insurance carrier, reason for visit, preferred times.
- Existing patients: rescheduling and cancellations, often the most common after-hours call.
- Insurance and billing questions: usually best taken as a message for the front desk.
Must-haves checklist
- Signed BAA if PHI is involved.
- Practice-management software. Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental and similar systems weren't listed as native integrations on the pricing pages we checked. Most AI receptionists book into Google/Outlook calendars or booking tools. If you need real-time booking into your PMS, ask specifically.
- Bilingual answering if your patients need it. Rosie includes English and Spanish on every call; Ruby offers 24/7 Spanish and bilingual answering.
- Overflow mode so the AI only answers when the front desk is busy or closed.
Services worth a look
These picks are based on what each vendor documents on its pricing page. We have not run hands-on call tests yet.
Ruby (live receptionists) Live human
From $250/mo · Live receptionist minute plans from $250/mo (50 minutes)
Entry plan includes: 50 receptionist minutes/mo · Trial: Not stated
Live human receptionists with HIPAA-compliant services available and bilingual answering. Plans start at $250/month for 50 receptionist minutes.
Source: https://www.ruby.com/pricing/, checked October 27, 2026
Visit Ruby ↗Upfirst AI
From $24.95/mo · $20/mo billed annually
Entry plan includes: 30 calls/mo · Trial: 14-day free trial with full plan features
Offers BAAs, but only on its Custom (600+ calls/month) plan. Smaller practices should ask whether that's negotiable.
Source: https://www.upfirst.ai/pricing, checked October 27, 2026
Visit Upfirst ↗Smith.ai AI Receptionist AI + human backup
From $0/mo · Free plan: 25 calls/mo; Pro from $150/mo
Entry plan includes: 25 calls/mo (Free); 75 calls/mo (Pro) · Trial: Free plan (25 calls/mo) instead of a timed trial
AI-first with the option to escalate to live receptionists. Ask about HIPAA terms; they weren't stated on the AI receptionist pricing page.
Source: https://smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist, checked October 27, 2026
Visit Smith.ai ↗Questions to ask before you sign up
- Will you sign a BAA on the plan I'm buying?
- Can it book directly into my practice-management software, or only send me requests?
- How long are recordings and transcripts kept, and can I turn recording off?
- How does it page the on-call dentist for emergencies?
See what a missed new-patient call is worth with the missed-call calculator.