Dental Practices Are Losing $100K+ a Year to Unanswered Calls

Most dental practice owners know they miss calls. Few know how much it costs them. The numbers are worse than you think.

The missed call problem in dentistry

According to Dental Economics (2025), 35% of calls to dental offices go unanswered. That includes calls during lunch breaks, busy front desk moments, and every hour the office is closed.

Of those missed callers, 75% never call back. They call the next practice on their list, or they book with whoever shows up first on Google.

For a general dentistry practice, each missed call represents $850 to $1,300 in first-year patient revenue. Cleanings, fillings, follow-up visits. Multiply that across a year of missed calls and the math gets uncomfortable.

For practices doing high-value procedures like implants, prosthodontics, or full-mouth reconstruction, the stakes are higher. A single missed call from that type of patient is worth $5,000 to $30,000.

The 136-hour gap

Most dental offices operate Monday through Thursday (or Friday), 9 AM to 5 PM. That is 32 to 40 hours of coverage per week.

A week has 168 hours. The gap between coverage and total hours is 128 to 136 hours. Every evening, every weekend, every holiday. Callers during those windows hear a voicemail greeting. Most hang up.

Even during business hours, the front desk is juggling check-ins, insurance verification, patient questions, and appointment changes. When two calls come in during a busy moment, one goes to hold. Some callers wait. Many do not.

What one missed call actually costs

The math is straightforward. If an AI receptionist captures just 2 to 3 patients per month who would have otherwise hung up and called a competitor:

These are first-year numbers. Patients who stay with a practice for 5 to 10 years multiply those figures further. A single captured implant patient has a lifetime value that can exceed $100,000.

Why hiring more staff does not solve it

The obvious solution is to hire evening and weekend staff. In practice, this creates new problems.

A part-time evening receptionist in Canada costs $25,000 to $35,000 per year. They cover evenings only. Weekends, holidays, and lunch-hour overflow are still gaps. To cover all 136 hours outside business hours, you need multiple hires, shift management, and training for each person.

Then there is turnover. Front desk staff in dental offices turn over frequently. Every departure means retraining, lost institutional knowledge, and weeks of reduced productivity.

The real problem is not that dental practices need more people. The problem is that the current model only works during business hours. The phone system needs to work all the time.

How AI receptionists work for dental practices

A dental AI receptionist is not a chatbot. It is a phone answering system built specifically for dental practices. When a patient calls, the AI picks up immediately and handles the conversation.

What it does:

• Answers every call. Day, night, weekend, holiday. No voicemail. No hold music.
• Books appointments. Integrates with Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or Open Dental. Writes directly into your schedule.
• Answers patient questions. Hours, insurance accepted, services, location, parking. Trained on your practice.
• Triages emergencies. Identifies urgent language ("chipped tooth," "severe pain") and routes to your on-call line immediately.
• Sends SMS confirmations. Every booking gets a text confirmation. Reduces no-shows.

What it does not do:

• Replace your front desk staff. The AI handles overflow and after-hours calls. Your team handles in-person patient care.
• Require new software. It connects to the practice management system you already use.
• Take months to set up. Most practices go live in 2 to 3 weeks.

Compliance matters for Canadian practices

Any system handling patient calls in Ontario must comply with PHIPA (Personal Health Information Protection Act). That is Canada's health privacy law, equivalent to HIPAA in the United States.

A compliant dental AI receptionist stores all data in Canada, encrypts information in transit and at rest, and does not share patient data with third parties. Call recordings and transcripts are accessible only to authorized practice staff.

This is not optional. Dental practices handling patient information over the phone are subject to the same privacy requirements as in-person interactions.

The economics of switching

For multi-location practices or dentists opening a second office, the economics improve further. The same AI system can be configured for additional locations without hiring and training a new front desk team for each one.

Key takeaways

• 35% of dental calls go unanswered. 75% of those callers never try again.
• A missed call from an implant patient can be worth $5,000 to $30,000.
• A typical dental office is open 32 hours a week, leaving 136 hours uncovered.
• Hiring part-time staff is expensive and still leaves coverage gaps.
• AI receptionists provide 24/7 coverage, book into existing systems, and go live in 2-3 weeks.
• PHIPA compliance is required for any system handling patient calls in Canada.
• Capturing 2-3 new patients per month adds $10,000 to $90,000 in annual revenue.

Frequently asked questions

How many dental calls go unanswered?

Industry data from Dental Economics (2025) shows that 35% of dental calls go unanswered on average. Of those missed callers, 75% never try the same practice again. They call the next dentist on their list.

How much revenue does a dental practice lose from missed calls?

For general dentistry, each missed call represents $850 to $1,300 in first-year patient revenue. For practices doing implants, prosthodontics, or full-mouth reconstruction, that figure ranges from $5,000 to $30,000 per missed call.

What is a dental AI receptionist?

A dental AI receptionist is an automated phone system that answers calls 24/7, books appointments into practice management software like Dentrix or Eaglesoft, answers common patient questions, and triages dental emergencies. It supplements the front desk team rather than replacing them.

Is an AI receptionist PHIPA compliant for Canadian dental practices?

Purpose-built dental AI receptionists can be fully PHIPA compliant with all data stored in Canada, encrypted in transit and at rest, and no patient information shared with third parties. PHIPA is Ontario's health privacy law, equivalent to HIPAA in the United States.

Sources

• Dental Economics. (2025). Missed call data for dental practices.
• Canadian Dental Association. Practice management benchmarks.
• Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner. PHIPA compliance guidelines for healthcare providers.