Dentrix-based practices run some of the highest inbound call volumes in healthcare — new patient inquiries, hygiene recall, insurance questions, and after-hours emergencies arrive around the clock. MedReceptionist answers every call 24/7, books appointments into your scheduling workflow via API or FHIR R4, triages dental emergencies to your on-call line, and sends SMS confirmations before the patient hangs up. Flat $79–$449/mo. HIPAA BAA included. Live in ∼24 hours.
A busy dental office handles dozens of calls daily — recall reminders, new patient inquiries, insurance verification requests, appointment changes, and the occasional panicked toothache call at 7 PM. Dentrix and Dentrix Ascend give your team powerful scheduling and practice management tools, but the software doesn't answer the phone. Every call that rings unanswered — during lunch, at end of day, or on a Saturday — is a patient who may not try again. Human answering services charge per minute and bill extra after hours. Voicemail leaves you with a morning queue to return.
MedReceptionist is a fully automated AI voice agent built for healthcare practices. It connects to your practice's scheduling system via API or FHIR R4, answers every inbound call in natural spoken language, books or changes appointments in real time, answers common dental questions, and routes emergencies — all without involving your staff. It is not a Dentrix-certified add-on or a Henry Schein One partner application; it is a practice-management-aware AI receptionist that integrates with scheduling workflows that expose standard API access, including the ones Dentrix-based practices commonly use.
Dental practices deal with a predictable mix of high-volume routine calls that consume front-desk time without requiring clinical judgment. MedReceptionist handles all of them.
| Call Type | MedReceptionist (AI) | Voicemail / Basic Answering |
|---|---|---|
| New Patient Inquiry & Booking | Booked liveGathers patient info, checks availability, confirms slot — SMS sent | Message takenStaff calls back next business day — if patient answers |
| Hygiene Recall Scheduling | Booked liveHandles inbound recall calls and SMS-based recall responses in real time | Message takenManual callback queue; patients may rebook elsewhere |
| Dental Emergency / Toothache (After Hours) | Triaged per protocolTrue emergencies routed to on-call; urgent-but-stable booked next available | InconsistentVoicemail or basic relay; triage protocol rarely enforced |
| Insurance Plan & Cost Questions | Answered from knowledge baseAccepted plans, general cost ranges — configured during onboarding | DeferredTold to call back during business hours |
| Appointment Changes & Cancellations | Updated liveReschedules directly in your scheduling workflow; confirmation SMS sent | Message takenSlot sits unbooked until staff processes the change |
| General Practice Questions (hours, location, services) | Resolved instantlyAI answers without involving staff or using a callback | DeferredPatient told to call back or check the website |
| Spam & Robocalls | Screened freeJunk never consumes your plan minutes | MixedHuman agent may field it before recognizing spam |
| After-Hours Surcharge | $0 — includedSame flat rate nights, weekends, and holidays | CommonHigher per-minute or per-call rate after hours |
MedReceptionist connects to your scheduling system via standard API or FHIR R4 during a short onboarding session. Once live, it operates as a front-desk layer that your Dentrix workflow never has to change to accommodate.
MedReceptionist connects to your practice's scheduling endpoint via API or FHIR R4 — the same open standards used by patient-facing portals and health information exchanges. During onboarding, we configure your endpoint so the AI can query real-time availability and write confirmed appointments directly into your calendar. No native Dentrix marketplace listing or official Henry Schein One certification required — if your scheduling system exposes API access, MedReceptionist can work with it.
When a patient calls at 10 PM describing jaw swelling, uncontrolled oral bleeding, or trauma to a tooth, the last thing you want is voicemail. MedReceptionist follows the triage protocol you define during onboarding. Calls that match your criteria for true dental emergencies are transferred immediately to your designated on-call number. Calls that are urgent but stable — a lost crown, a mild toothache, sensitivity to temperature — are handled as intake and booked for the next available slot, with an SMS confirmation sent before the call ends. Your protocol, applied consistently, 24/7.
Hygiene recall is one of the highest-volume and highest-value call types in dentistry. When patients call in response to a recall reminder — or reach out on their own after months away — MedReceptionist captures them immediately. It answers, confirms identity, checks your real-time schedule, and books the hygiene appointment in a single call. No callback queue. No slot lost to voicemail.
Insurance questions are among the most time-consuming front-desk calls in dentistry. MedReceptionist answers them using a knowledge base you configure during onboarding — accepted insurance plans, in-network and out-of-network policies, and general cost ranges for common procedures. The AI never fabricates benefit information or makes coverage guarantees; for specific eligibility questions, it lets the caller know that your billing team can verify their benefits and offers to book an appointment. It handles what a front-desk team handles: plan acceptance and general guidance.
Yes. MedReceptionist is designed to work alongside dental practice scheduling workflows — including practices that manage appointments through Dentrix — by connecting via open API endpoints or FHIR R4 to read real-time availability and write confirmed appointments. MedReceptionist is not an officially certified or partnered Dentrix or Henry Schein One application; it is a practice-management-aware AI receptionist that integrates with scheduling systems that expose API access.
MedReceptionist handles the high-volume routine call types that occupy dental front desks: new patient inquiries and booking, hygiene recall scheduling, appointment changes, insurance plan and cost questions, general practice information (hours, location, accepted plans), and after-hours calls including dental emergency triage. Calls that require a clinical decision — active trauma, uncontrolled oral bleeding, signs of dental abscess spreading — are immediately routed to your configured on-call protocol.
MedReceptionist follows your configured triage protocol. When a caller describes symptoms consistent with a true dental emergency — severe uncontrolled pain, trauma to teeth or jaw, swelling that may indicate a spreading abscess, uncontrolled oral bleeding — the AI routes the call immediately to your on-call number or designated emergency line. Non-urgent issues such as a chipped tooth, lost filling, or mild sensitivity are collected as intake and booked for the next available appointment slot, with an SMS confirmation sent before the call ends.
Yes. You configure your accepted insurance plans and standard cost ranges in the MedReceptionist knowledge base during onboarding. The AI can tell callers which plans your practice accepts, provide general information about typical procedure costs, and let patients know when a specific coverage question requires verification by your billing team. It never fabricates benefit information or makes guarantee claims — it handles what front desks handle: plan acceptance and general guidance.
MedReceptionist connects to your practice's scheduling system via API or FHIR R4 — the same open standards used by patient-facing portals and health information exchanges. During onboarding, your scheduling endpoint is configured so the AI can check live availability and write confirmed appointments directly. This does not require an official marketplace certification from Dentrix or Henry Schein One.
Plans run $79–$449/month flat — no per-minute or per-call billing, no after-hours surcharges, and no setup fee. Most single-provider dental practices land on a plan between $79 and $149/month. High-volume, multi-provider, or multi-location practices typically use the $249–$449/month tier. Every plan includes 24/7 answering, scheduling-workflow-aware booking, SMS confirmations, spam screening, and a HIPAA BAA. The service is typically live within 24 hours.
20-minute demo. We configure it for your specialty and call your practice number live.