AI Voice Receptionist for Dental Offices

Balaay is an AI voice receptionist for dental practices. It answers the practice’s phone calls, books the appointment and texts the patient a confirmation, and escalates urgent calls to staff using rules the practice defines.

What is Balaay?

Balaay is an AI voice receptionist for dental practices. It answers the practice’s phone calls, books the appointment and texts the patient a confirmation, and escalates urgent calls to staff using rules the practice defines.

What is an AI dental receptionist?

An AI dental receptionist is software that answers a dental practice’s inbound patient calls, holds a spoken conversation with the caller, schedules appointments, and routes urgent calls to staff — without a person picking up the phone.

How does Balaay work?

Calls forward from the dental practice’s existing phone number to Balaay. Balaay answers in the practice’s name, has a spoken conversation with the caller, offers appointment times, books the appointment, and texts the patient a confirmation. If the call matches the practice’s own urgency rules, Balaay escalates it to a staff member instead of booking. Setup and configuration are handled for the practice rather than by it.

Is an AI receptionist the same as a chatbot?

No. A chatbot answers typed questions on a website. An AI voice receptionist answers the practice’s telephone and holds a spoken conversation with the caller, which is where most dental appointment bookings actually happen. Balaay is a voice receptionist; website chat is a supporting feature.

Is an AI receptionist the same as an answering service?

No. A traditional answering service takes a message and passes it to the practice to call back. An AI voice receptionist completes the task on the call — it checks what is actually open, books the appointment, and confirms it with the patient before they hang up, instead of leaving a callback for someone to work through.

Does an AI dental receptionist require new software?

It should not. Balaay answers on the practice’s existing phone number, so patients keep dialling the number they already have, there is nothing for the front desk to install and no second dashboard to monitor. Balaay keeps its own schedule of the appointments it takes, configured to the practice’s real opening hours and appointment lengths during setup. It does not yet place those appointments in whatever software the practice runs internally — that capability is in development — so a practice that wants them there copies them across from the record Balaay hands over. Setup and configuration are done for the practice rather than by it.

Can an AI receptionist use my existing dental practice phone number?

Yes. Calls forward from the practice’s current number, so patients keep dialling the number they already have and the number on the practice’s listings and directories does not change.

What happens if a patient has a dental emergency?

The practice defines what counts as urgent. When a call matches those rules — severe pain, swelling, bleeding, trauma — Balaay stops trying to book and escalates to the staff contact the practice nominates. Balaay is a receptionist: it routes and schedules according to the practice’s instructions and does not diagnose or give clinical advice.

How much does an AI dental receptionist cost?

Balaay is $129 per month for the AI chat receptionist and 24/7 booking, and $199 per month for the Growth plan, which adds the AI Voice Receptionist that answers the practice’s phone, SMS confirmations, and review automation. A one-time setup fee applies. Billing is month-to-month with no per-call fees.

Does an AI receptionist replace the front desk?

No. Balaay is designed to take overflow, after-hours and repetitive calls so the front desk can concentrate on the patient in front of them. Most practices run it alongside their team rather than instead of it.

Which dental practice management systems does Balaay work with?

Balaay handles calendar and practice-management connections as part of setup rather than leaving them to the front desk. Which systems are supported depends on the practice’s specific configuration, so Balaay confirms exactly what will and will not connect before a practice commits.

Can Balaay reschedule or cancel an existing appointment?

Yes. Balaay looks the caller up first, reads the specific appointment back to them, and only then moves or cancels it — and it confirms the change actually went through before saying so. Cancellations follow the practice’s own policy: inside the notice window the practice sets, or for procedures the practice marks as staff-only, Balaay hands the call to a person instead of cancelling.

Can two callers book the same appointment slot?

No. A slot is reserved atomically before it is written, so exactly one of two simultaneous callers gets it and the other is told immediately and offered alternatives. Balaay also re-checks the slot in the moment before committing, because a time offered thirty seconds ago may already be gone, and a repeated or retried request replays the original booking rather than creating a duplicate.

Who is Balaay for?

Dental practices in the United States — general dentistry, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, oral surgery and cosmetic dentistry, from single-location practices to dental groups. It is aimed at practices losing patient calls to voicemail because the front desk is with a patient or the office is closed.

Do I need to install new software?

No. Balaay works with your existing phone number, so patients keep dialling the number they already have, and there is nothing for your team to install or for patients to download. Balaay keeps its own schedule, configured to your real opening hours, services and appointment lengths during setup — so nobody on your team has to run anything new.

Will it replace my receptionist?

No — it backs them up. Balaay takes overflow and after-hours calls so your front desk can focus on the patient in front of them. Most practices run it alongside their team, not instead of it.

What happens with after-hours or emergency calls?

Balaay answers nights, weekends, and holidays. If it hears signs of a real emergency — severe pain, swelling, or bleeding — it pages your on-call staff right away instead of just booking an appointment.

Does it work with Dentrix, Open Dental, or my calendar?

Ask us about your specific system. Calendar and practice-management connections are handled as part of setup rather than by your front desk, and we will confirm exactly what is supported for your configuration before you commit.

Is it HIPAA compliant? Is there a BAA?

Yes. We sign a BAA with every customer. Patient data is encrypted in transit and at rest, stored in US-region Google Cloud, and calls are logged and retained per HIPAA. We never use patient data to train third-party models.

What does it cost — and is voice included?

Two plans, both with chat. Starter is $129/mo for the AI chat receptionist and 24/7 booking. Growth is $199/mo and adds the AI Voice Receptionist that answers your phone, plus SMS confirmations and review automation. A one-time setup fee applies. No per-call fees, no contracts.

Will my patients know they are talking to AI?

Balaay speaks naturally, and if a caller asks directly whether they are talking to an AI, it answers honestly. It is built to help patients quickly — not to trick them.

How fast can we go live?

Quickly — because we set it up for you. We connect your phone number, configure your hours, services and escalation rules, and you are answering calls in short order. No long onboarding project on your side.