We spent a day at Dentapreneur’s Den last week, and if you had played a drinking game on the word “AI”, you would not have made it to lunch. AI receptionists, AI notes, AI treatment plans, AI marketing. By the afternoon it had all blurred into one long pitch. Talking to practice owners and suppliers afterwards, the feeling was the same: people are tired of hearing about it.
That is worth paying attention to, because it tells you something about patients too. So here is where we stand on AI at Unpick, and what we think practices should ask before they let any of it near their patients.
Nobody chooses a dentist because of AI.
Patients choose a practice because they trust it. They read the reviews, look at the team, check the prices and get a feel for whether this is a place that will look after them. Not one of them is searching for “dentist that uses AI”.
The same goes for practice owners buying software. They don’t want AI. They want fewer missed calls, notes written up before the next patient sits down, and recalls that actually go out. AI might be how a product does that, but it is not the reason anyone buys it.
So our rule is simple: talk about the outcome, not the technology. “We answer the phone when your reception team can’t” means something to a practice owner. “AI-powered conversational voice agent” doesn’t.
Looking like everyone else is a real risk now.
There is a quieter problem with the AI rush. A lot of websites, adverts and even products now look and sound the same: the same glowing gradients, the same stock phrases, the same “revolutionise your practice” headlines. People have started to recognise it, and it puts them off. It reads as generic, and generic is the opposite of what a private practice is selling.
We use AI in our own work where it genuinely helps, for research, first drafts and speeding up the boring parts of a build. But everything a patient sees is designed, written and checked by people who understand the practice. That is the difference between a website that sounds like your practice and one that sounds like every other one.
Personal service is the advantage AI can’t copy.
If every practice ends up with the same AI receptionist and the same automated messages, the thing that sets you apart is the human bit: the receptionist who remembers a nervous patient, the dentist who explains things properly, the follow-up call that feels like someone cares.
That is where we think the opportunity is. Use technology to take the repetitive work off your team, so they have more time for the moments patients actually remember. AI should catch the calls nobody can answer at lunchtime, not replace the person who answers the rest.
Before you buy an AI tool, ask where the patient data goes.
This is the part that got lost in all the excitement. An AI receptionist listens to patients describe their symptoms. An AI scribe records consultations. A chatbot collects names, numbers and treatment questions. That is health data, and it carries real responsibilities for the practice, not just the supplier.
Here are the questions we would ask any supplier before signing up:
Where is the data stored and processed? Is it in the UK, and which other companies does the supplier pass it to?
Is our patients’ data used to train your models? Get the answer in writing.
Have you completed DTAC? The NHS Digital Technology Assessment Criteria cover clinical safety, data protection, security, interoperability and accessibility. If you treat NHS patients, NHS England expects you to make sure the digital tools you use meet these standards, and that can include phone systems, CRMs and chatbots, not just clinical software. A supplier should be able to send you their DTAC form on request.
Is the product a medical device, and is it registered? More on this below, because it is often misunderstood.
What happens when it gets something wrong? Who checks the output, and how is a mistake picked up before it reaches a patient record?
And on your side, if you are bringing in a tool that processes patient data in a new way, you will usually need a data protection impact assessment, and your privacy notice should tell patients what is happening.
AI scribes and medical device rules: what changed this year.
At the event we heard suppliers say their AI notes tools don’t need to be registered as medical devices, and others insist they all do. The truth sits in between, and it changed recently.
In April 2025, NHS England said AI scribes that summarise consultations should be treated as medical devices. In July 2026, the MHRA, which regulates medical devices in the UK, published guidance that changed the picture. A tool that only transcribes, summarises, structures notes or drafts letters for a clinician to review is not automatically a medical device. It becomes one when its purpose is clinical, for example suggesting a diagnosis or a treatment plan, or when it is marketed as doing that. NHS England has since updated its guidance to match.
So the practical question is not just “are you a medical device?” It is “what exactly does your product do, and how do you describe it?” If a supplier’s sales material says their tool guides treatment planning, but they tell you it isn’t a medical device, that is worth a closer look. And whatever the answer, DTAC and data protection still apply.
We’re not lawyers, and this area is moving quickly, so check the current guidance or speak to your compliance adviser before you commit.
Where we stand.
We lead with outcomes, not technology. Fewer missed calls and more booked consultations, not buzzwords.
We use AI behind the scenes, never as a substitute for judgement. Everything patients see is designed and checked by people.
We protect the personal side of your practice. Technology should give your team more time with patients, not less.
We are impartial. We don’t sell AI tools, so we can tell you honestly whether one is right for your practice, and what to check before you buy.
If you are weighing up an AI receptionist, an AI scribe or any other tool and want a second opinion, see how we help dental practices or book a discovery call. We will look at what you have, what you are being sold, and whether it actually suits the practice you want to run.