AI Receptionist for Dental Practices
New serviceAnswer every patient call, even when reception is busy or you're closed.
An AI receptionist for independent UK dental practices. It picks up overflow and out-of-hours calls, chats on your website and texts back missed callers. It takes booking requests and routes emergencies safely to 999 or NHS 111. It never gives clinical advice, and it tells callers it's an AI.
The pilot fee is credited in full against setup if you continue within 30 days of the pilot ending. Questions first? Email us before paying.
Why it matters
Every unanswered call could be a new patient who rings the next practice on the list. Here are some published figures (follow the links for how each was measured):
- In a UK study for Software of Excellence (Converso, 2011), 44% of 3,557 calls to practices reached an answering machine, an engaged tone or no answer. Source. It's an older study, but it's the only UK figure we could find.
- In CallRail's 2025 benchmark of 1.1 million US calls, health care had a 32% missed-call rate, the highest of any industry it measured. Summary and source.
- A typical private new patient examination costs £80 and a hygiene appointment £83 in the UK (myTribe, August 2026, 8,158 practices). Source.
- NHS charges in England from 1 April 2026 are £27.90 (Band 1), £76.60 (Band 2) and £332.10 (Band 3). Source.
These are third-party figures, not ours. Your own numbers will differ, and the pilot report shows your real call volumes.
What's included
Overflow and out-of-hours calls
When your lines are busy or you're closed, the AI answers in your practice's name, takes booking requests, answers FAQs and passes on messages.
Web chat receptionist
The same assistant on your website, open 24/7, for patients who'd rather type than phone.
Missed-call text-back
If a call is missed, the caller gets one polite text within a minute with ways to book or leave a message, and 111/999 guidance for urgent cases.
Booking requests or direct booking
Structured requests go to reception by email. Where your practice software offers approved access, it can book directly.
Safe escalation
A red-flag safety check on every pain or injury enquiry, with 999, A&E and NHS 111 routing, plus transfer or callback for urgent calls.
Daily summaries
Every call and chat is summarised by email, and urgent items are flagged so nothing is lost.
Who it's for
A good fit if…
- Independent UK practice with 1–3 sites
- Reception is stretched at peak times, lunch and after hours
- You want fewer missed calls without hiring another receptionist
- You want safe, admin-only automation that you approve
Probably not for you if…
- You want an AI to give clinical advice or triage symptoms
- You need full diary integration on day one with software that doesn't offer API access
- You're looking for marketing blasts to patients
- You'd rather not tell patients they're speaking to an AI
Pricing
Prices are fixed and in GBP. Start with the paid 14-day pilot, then choose chat only, or chat plus voice. If you continue within 30 days of the pilot ending, the £395 pilot fee comes off your setup fee. The pilot includes up to 300 call minutes and 150 texts (fair use), and if the service is down for part of it, we extend the pilot by the time lost. The pilot and setup fees are paid through PayPal on the order page; monthly fees are invoiced separately. It's monthly and rolling, with no long-term contract.
14-day Pilot
one-off · 14 days
- Web chat on your site and missed-call text-back
- Voice cover for out-of-hours or overflow calls
- Set up with your hours, prices and FAQs
- Daily summary emails and an end-of-pilot report
- Up to 300 call minutes and 150 texts (fair use)
- £395 credited against setup if you continue within 30 days
Chat & Text-back
setup + £149/month
- 24/7 web chat receptionist on your site
- Missed-call text-back by SMS
- Booking requests to reception, or your booking link
- Emergency and clinical-question guardrails
- 300 texts a month included
Voice Receptionist
setup + £349/month
- Everything in Chat & Text-back
- AI answers overflow and out-of-hours calls
- Natural British voice that says it's an AI
- Transfers to your team, or takes a callback
- 500 call minutes a month included
What we pass through at cost
If you go over the included minutes or texts, we pass on the extra phone-network, voice-AI and SMS usage at cost, with no markup. The same applies to any practice-software integration fee (only if you choose direct booking) and optional WhatsApp messaging fees. We show everything on a monthly statement. A dedicated local phone number is included.
Our guarantee. If your pilot isn't live within 3 working days of us receiving your payment, your details and the signed DPA, we refund the £395. If your full setup isn't live within 7 working days of us receiving everything on the setup checklist, we refund the setup fee. And if, in the first 30 days live, it hasn't handled at least 20 calls or chats that reached it while your lines were busy or you were closed, we refund the setup fee in full. That last part applies when overflow and out-of-hours calls are routed to it. Full policy.
What it won't do
- Give clinical advice, diagnose or suggest medicines
- Pretend to be a person
- Send marketing texts or chase patients who haven't asked to hear from you
- Record calls without telling callers
- Scrape your practice software or ask for staff passwords
How it works
- Day 0
Pilot agreed
You pay the £395 pilot fee and send your details. We agree your hours, prices, FAQs, emergency rules and where summaries go. You sign the DPA.
- Within 3 working days
Pilot live
Web chat on a test page or your site, text-back live, and voice cover for out-of-hours or overflow calls on a forwarded line.
- Days 1–14
Tune and report
Our AI delivery system reviews transcripts every day and fixes wording. If the service is down for part of the pilot, we extend the pilot by the time lost. At the end you get a report showing calls handled, requests captured and urgent items flagged.
- If you continue
Full setup within 7 working days
Your number, voice, booking link or integration, and the final scripts, all signed off by you. If you order within 30 days of the pilot ending, the pilot fee is credited against setup.
- Every month
Monitoring and changes
Script changes, holiday hours and new FAQs are included in the monthly fee, which is invoiced separately.
Data protection and safety
- You're the controller and we're your processor, under a written Data Processing Agreement.
- A draft DPIA for your practice, plus a sub-processor list showing where data is stored.
- Data minimisation: name, contact number and the reason for the call. No dates of birth or medical histories unless you ask for them.
- Call recording is off by default. If you turn it on, we give you the disclosure wording for callers and your privacy notice.
- Written escalation rules (999, A&E, NHS 111, transfer to your team) that you approve before go-live.
Frequently asked
Does it give clinical advice?
No. It handles admin only: appointments, opening hours, prices, directions and messages. If a caller asks about symptoms or medicines, it says it can't advise and offers an appointment, a pharmacist or NHS 111. You approve the wording before go-live.
What happens with emergencies?
Every call about pain or injury starts with a short safety check. If the caller mentions swelling affecting breathing, swallowing or the eye, bleeding that won't stop, or a face or head injury, they're told to call 999 or go to A&E. Out of hours, urgent callers are pointed to NHS 111. During opening hours, urgent calls are flagged for a callback or transferred to your team, depending on your rules.
Will patients know they're talking to an AI?
Yes. It introduces itself as the practice's virtual assistant, and callers can ask for a person at any time. We don't pretend it's human.
Does it book straight into Dentally, SOE Exact, R4 or Pearl?
At launch it sends a structured booking request to reception, or texts the patient your existing online booking link. Booking directly into your diary depends on your software giving approved API access (for example, through an approved integration partner). Where that's available, we quote for it separately after the pilot. We won't scrape your system or ask for staff logins.
Is it UK GDPR compliant?
Appointment details can be health data, which is special category data under UK GDPR. You stay the controller and we act as your processor under a written Data Processing Agreement. We give you a draft DPIA to complete, a list of sub-processors and where they store data, and suggested wording for your privacy notice and call-recording message. Call recording is off unless you choose to turn it on.
Can we keep our phone number?
Yes. Your phone system forwards calls to the AI only when you choose: when lines are busy, when nobody answers after a set number of rings, or out of hours. Most UK business phone systems can do this. We'll check yours during the pilot.
What does the 14-day pilot include?
Voice cover for the calls you forward, web chat, missed-call text-back, setup with your hours, prices and FAQs, daily transcript reviews (by our AI delivery system) and summaries, and an end-of-pilot report. It includes up to 300 call minutes and 150 texts (fair use). If you reach that, we'll tell you and agree the next step before any extra charge. If the service is down for part of the pilot, we extend the pilot by the time lost. If you order a full setup within 30 days of the pilot ending, the £395 is credited in full.
How do I pay, and when do monthly fees start?
The £395 pilot and the setup fee (£695 or £1,495) are paid through PayPal on the order page. If you order setup within 30 days of the pilot ending, you pay the setup fee minus £395. Monthly fees (£149 or £349) are invoiced separately each month, starting when your full setup goes live. The pilot has no monthly fee.
What does it cost to run, and what do you pass through?
The monthly fee covers hosting, monitoring, changes to your scripts, and the included call minutes and texts. If you go over, we pass on the extra phone-network, voice-AI and SMS usage at cost, with no markup, and show it on your monthly statement. Any fee your practice software charges for integration access is passed through at cost too, and we'll agree it before it starts.
Is there a contract?
No long-term contract. It's monthly and rolling. You can cancel with 30 days' notice, and we switch it off and delete your practice's call data as set out in the DPA.
Do you have dental clients already?
This is a new service, so we don't have dental testimonials yet and we won't invent any. As company background, Workrush has delivered 150+ projects for 35+ clients over 5+ years (wider studio work, not this service). That's why we offer a paid pilot that's credited in full if you continue within 30 days of the pilot ending, and a money-back guarantee on setup.
Who does the work?
AI does, end to end. Every package on this site is built and delivered by Workrush's AI delivery system: an AI assistant working with helper bots. No human team builds or checks your order. You stay in control: you see a preview or draft and approve everything before it goes live, the scope and price are fixed in writing, revisions are included as listed for each package, and our refund policy applies as stated. We work by email at connect@workrush.co.uk, and we don't offer phone or video calls. The AI dental receptionist is admin-only and always tells callers it's an AI.
Start with a 14-day pilot.
£395, live within 3 working days and credited in full if you continue within 30 days of it ending. Or try the scripted demo first: ask about toothache, prices or opening hours, or try to get it to give medical advice.