Answering Service for Dentists

A dental office gets many kinds of calls: new patients asking whether you take their insurance, existing patients wanting to move an appointment, and people calling after hours about pain or a broken tooth. When the front desk is busy with a patient in the chair, those calls can ring out.

AllDayDesk answers calls around the clock using business information you save. The receptionist can share your hours, location and services, take a message, and log new appointment requests. When a caller asks something the saved information does not cover, such as a price not on file, the receptionist takes a message so you can respond.

Everything shows up in your dashboard: calls, transcripts, summaries and booking requests. You review them when it works for you, then confirm appointments yourself.

• Shares your saved practice details like hours, location and services
• Takes messages when an answer or price is unknown
• Logs new appointment requests for your review
• Passes requests to change an existing appointment to you as messages, not confirmed changes
• Shows calls, transcripts, summaries and bookings in the dashboard

You do not need a new number. You forward calls from your current practice line to AllDayDesk, so patients keep dialing the number they already know. The exact forwarding steps depend on your phone service, so AllDayDesk shows instructions matched to your provider during setup.

For example, Verizon mobile lines use *72 plus the destination number for all-call forwarding, *71 for unanswered calls, and *73 to turn it off. Verizon business landlines use *72 and *73. Other providers use different codes or an online portal, so always follow the directions for your exact service.

One important limit: Google Voice does not support forwarding calls to an automated system, so a Google Voice number cannot be forwarded to AllDayDesk.

• Forwarding is set up with your phone provider, not AllDayDesk
• Setup instructions depend on your carrier and product
• You can usually turn forwarding on and off whenever you want

Setup starts by choosing your dental practice or entering its website. AllDayDesk pulls in details like your hours, services and location, and you check that everything is correct before going further.

Next, you hear a personalized sample of how the receptionist would sound answering for your practice. This sample does not create a real booking; it is a preview so you can judge the wording and tone.

Then you choose your phone setup. That is where you pick how to forward your existing number, using the instructions for your phone service. Once calls are forwarded, the receptionist answers using your saved details.

• Choose your business or enter its website
• Check the practice details it pulled in
• Hear a personalized sample call
• Choose phone setup and forward your number

New appointment requests are written to the built-in AllDayDesk dashboard calendar by default, once you have configured your services and availability in the dashboard. You can also connect Google Calendar in Settings after connecting and authorizing your Google account; that connection is optional.

Changes to existing appointments work differently. The receptionist passes those requests to you as messages rather than confirming them, so you stay in control of your schedule.

Transfers to you or your team are also possible, but you must configure a destination and rules first, and a transfer is not guaranteed to connect. When a caller needs something the saved information cannot answer, the receptionist takes a message.

• New requests go to the AllDayDesk dashboard calendar once services and availability are set
• Google Calendar is an optional connection in Settings, after you authorize your account
• Changes to existing appointments are requests for you, not confirmed changes
• Transfers require configured destinations and rules

Many dental calls come in when the office is closed: a chipped tooth on a Saturday, a parent calling Sunday night, a patient who just got off work. AllDayDesk is available around the clock, so those callers reach a receptionist that knows your practice instead of a plain voicemail box.

Around-the-clock availability describes when the service can answer, not a promise that every single call connects. If a caller needs urgent care, the receptionist works from your saved instructions, such as telling them your emergency guidance or taking a message for the next business day. It does not provide medical advice or triage symptoms.

If you also want a good voicemail greeting for times you handle calls yourself, a short script with replaceable fields works well.

• Available to answer calls nights, weekends and holidays
• Follows your saved instructions for after-hours callers
• Takes messages instead of giving medical advice
• You review everything in the dashboard the next morning

Dental practices generally compare three routes: an in-house front desk, a human answering service, or an AI receptionist like AllDayDesk. Each has trade-offs.

An in-house receptionist handles phones plus in-person tasks like greeting patients and paperwork, but only during the hours someone is at the desk. Human answering services staff calls with people around the clock; published starting prices for such services include Ruby at $245 per month and per-call pricing from Smith.ai, though real costs depend on the quote, included minutes and contract. An AI receptionist answers with saved business information and logs transcripts and bookings in a dashboard; AllDayDesk plans and pricing are shown separately on this page.

This comparison is based on documented features and published prices, not hands-on testing of each service. AllDayDesk is this site's own product.

• In-house staff: broadest duties, limited to office hours
• Human services: people answer, pricing varies by quote and usage
• AI receptionist: answers from your saved details, with transcripts and bookings in a dashboard