AI Is in the Air

Dentistry is finally catching up with technology, and we’re seeing a true renaissance of dental tech entrepreneurship again. Just like in 2019, it’s hard to keep up with all the new companies and what they’re building.

If you look at one of the prominent accelerators in Silicon Valley, we now have two startups in Demo Day (Alaradental.com and Doe.So — good luck to you guys). Not to mention, there are hundreds of others in stealth mode right now, quietly raising money and working on breakthroughs.

Here’s a short list of who I recently met with and had great conversations about the future of AI, real-world applications, and the problems technology can actually solve:

• hellopearl.com – Pearl builds AI solutions that help dentists detect conditions in X-rays with greater accuracy and consistency. The problem they’re tackling is diagnostic error and inefficiency in interpreting radiographs.
  
• DentalBee.ai – DentalBee focuses on automating insurance verification and patient communications. They solve the headache of manual verifications, saving offices hours of back-and-forth every week.
  
• Dentin.ai – Dentin is developing AI-powered clinical decision support tools. They aim to reduce uncertainty in treatment planning and improve outcomes by giving dentists real-time, evidence-based recommendations.
  
• visio360.ai – Visio360 works on AI solutions for patient engagement and visualization. Their tools help practices present treatment plans in a way patients understand, improving case acceptance rates.
  

There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done before AI becomes an out-of-the-box, easy-to-use solution for every dental practice.

For DSOs, one of the main challenges is access to data and creating a centralized pool where everything is gathered (a data lake). Not everyone is set up for that, and it will take prioritization and willpower within each organization to push it forward.

For private practices, the challenges are cost and implementation. My gut feeling is that private practices are more ready for AI adoption as a way to compete with DSOs and gain an edge. But the open questions are: how are AI solutions priced (per seat, per location, token-based)? And how quickly can they be implemented? For adoption to really take off, it has to be three clicks, and instantly show me how it’s either making money (new patients, insurance verification, revenue tasks) or saving money (time optimization, cost reduction). Right now, it still feels like we’re a few steps away.

That said, the future looks bright. AI is pushing dentistry forward, and that’s something to be excited about!

Special thanks to my good friend for hosting us at the GoPro HQ for 3 days and helping me to connect with some brilliant minds in the valley!