Dentists: Don't get left behind on AI
AI is no longer a buzzword in dentistry—it’s reshaping practices from the front desk to the operatory. With new tools flooding the market and the technology evolving at breakneck speed, many dentists are left wondering: what’s worth adopting now, and what will truly shape the future of care?
Enter Cher-Marie Scott, a 20-year industry veteran who’s worked on both the clinical and commercial sides of dentistry. Now vice president of international sales at AI diagnostics leader Pearl, she shares how AI is already transforming workflows, and what to look for when evaluating the next wave of dental tech.
—Interview by Carrie Pallardy, edited by Bianca Prieto
How do you see AI reshaping clinical operations and patient care in dentistry today?
The speed and the acceptance of AI has accelerated far greater with things now like ChatGPT in the last couple of years. Even working in the industry for a long time, I didn't expect the rate of acceleration to be as fast as it has been.
This is being woven into every kind of element in the workflow and dental practice now. We're seeing things when patients call the practice, automated agents and automated booking, things before they even get into the chair.
Obviously, there are things like diagnostic AI tools that standardize care, things that help streamline workflows and various different PMS add-ons.
I think there is actually more of an openness, probably in the last year, from clinicians with regard to AI. I know hundreds of dentists and peers across the world and just the tone of what people realize: AI is not going anywhere. You have to get on board with it or be left behind.
What advice do you have for dentists who are evaluating the multitude of AI tools available in the market right now?
The most important thing is knowing why they want to have it. If they have a problem and just throw a technology solution at it, it won't necessarily fix the problem.
We have quite a robust process wherein we work with our clinicians and our clinics to understand why they want to use a solution to make sure there's a long-term viability of that technology.
From a very practical standpoint, I would say look at the team that's selling the product to you. Can you rely on that team? Is it practical? Can they support what you want to actually implement? And then, more from a logistical side, how will that tool integrate with what you currently have? Is it already going to be easy to integrate with your PMS, for example?
What do you think will be some of the most exciting opportunities for AI applications in dentistry within the next few years?
What I visualize for clinics of the future will be some kind of seamless end-to-end workflow. The patient books the appointment with AI. They then go and have their treatment, which is diagnosed via AI. The treatment plan is created via AI. I think there'll be more and more tools that will help patients also make good, informed treatment decisions, which can only be a good thing for public health systems as well as for DSOs.
And if you look at lean methodologies where you're trying to decrease waste and increase productivity, this is what all of the large chain groups are trying to achieve effectively. AI can provide that.
The partnership and the communication stream between groups, in particular public health systems and AI providers, needs to be effective so that we're making relevant innovation. We can create all the innovation we want and all the features we want, but it needs to be actually solving problems day-to-day on a Monday morning when the dentists have their patients in the chair. 🪑
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Dental Bite is curated and written by Carrie Pallardy and edited by Lesley McKenzie.
