A dental practice can cover its phones four ways: hire more front-desk staff, use a traditional answering service, use a live virtual receptionist, or use an AI receptionist that books into the practice management system. Each differs in what it finishes, how fast it answers, and how it bills.
Message taken versus appointment booked — what each model finishes, and what each costs as volume grows.
Read the comparison →Plans, 24/7 answering, outreach, usage, phone service, languages and compliance — from each company\'s published pages.
Read the comparison →The three service types, what dentistry specifically needs, and the questions to ask before signing.
Read the guide →Per-minute, per-call, and flat-rate models — and how to work out your own total cost.
See the cost breakdown →More front-desk staff. The best answer to a complicated call and the most expensive answer to a simple one. A hire covers the hours they are at the desk, which is the problem: evenings, weekends, lunch and the second ringing line are exactly when the calls go unanswered.
A traditional answering service. A person takes a message and sends it to you. The call is answered, but the work is moved rather than removed — somebody at the practice still has to call back, find a slot and book it, usually the next morning, by which time a patient in pain has called the next office. Billing is per minute or per call, so a busy month costs more.
A live virtual receptionist. A trained person who can sometimes book into your software. Better outcomes than message-taking, at a higher per-minute price, and still limited to the hours you buy.
An AI receptionist. Answers on the first ring, at any hour, and — this is the dividing line in the whole category — writes the appointment into the practice management system during the call. Billing is a flat plan with an allowance of minutes.
Feature lists in this market look identical. These are the questions that actually separate the products, and the answers are worth getting in writing before a contract:
We answer all eight for Dentovox on one page with the status of every capability — including the ones that are built and not yet switched on, and the ones we do not offer at all.
Half this category does not publish a price. The pricing tracker collects what dental AI vendors put on their own pages — plans, usage model, overage, add-on fees — each figure quoted with the date it was checked, listed alphabetically, with no ranking and no paid inclusion. Dentovox is one of the products listed and the page says so.
Comparing us against a specific vendor? Start with Dentovox vs Viva AI — it lists where Viva fits better, too. For what every vendor publishes, see dental AI receptionist pricing, compared.