AI Receptionist for periodontic practices
Gum disease referrals need a specialist who answers. Be that specialist.
Ava is the AI receptionist for periodontic practices that answers every GDP referral and self-referral immediately, captures treatment history, and books the periodontal assessment — so no patient slips through.
Referred patients who don't receive a same-day callback drop off at rates above 50%. Each lost referral costs £1,500–£4,000 in treatment revenue — and risks your GDP referral relationships.
The short answer
The problem
A GDP refers a patient for periodontal assessment. The patient calls your practice to book. If they wait more than 24 hours for a callback, half of them don't follow through. Ava books them the moment they call.
What Ava does
Ava handles referral-based and self-referred periodontic enquiries, explains the difference between non-surgical and surgical treatment options, captures GDP referral details, and books the periodontal assessment appointment — reducing referral drop-off to near zero.
A full periodontal treatment course is £1,500–£4,000. GDP referral pipelines are worth £50,000–£200,000/year to a specialist practice. Answer every call.
How does Ava handle a periodontal referral call?
Ava answers immediately, asks whether the caller was referred by their dentist or is self-referring, captures the referring practice and reason, then books the periodontal assessment from your diary. She explains what the assessment involves so a wary patient arrives knowing what to expect.
Referral calls are time-critical. The patient has been told they need specialist gum care and is often anxious about it. Ava books them on the spot rather than promising a callback that may never get returned.
She records the GDP's name and practice against the patient, which means your team can pull the referral notes and report back to the referrer. That closes the loop and keeps the referring dentist sending work your way.
The assessment writes into Practice-Web or your PMS tagged as referral or self-referral, so reception and your periodontist know the route the patient came in by before they sit down.
Why do periodontal referrals get lost, and what does each one cost?
Referred patients who don't receive a same-day callback drop off at rates above 50%. Each lost referral costs £1,500–£4,000 in treatment revenue and quietly damages the GDP relationship that sent it, putting the whole referral pipeline at risk.
A GDP referral is a fragile thing. The patient is anxious, often in two minds about specialist treatment, and easily put off. A missed call or a slow callback gives them the excuse to do nothing, and more than half don't follow through.
The cost is double. You lose the £1,500–£4,000 treatment course, and you signal to the referring dentist that patients sent your way struggle to get booked. Referrers notice, and a pipeline worth £50,000–£200,000 a year can erode quietly.
Ava removes the delay entirely. Every referral that calls is answered and booked in the same conversation, so the drop-off rate collapses and the GDP relationship stays healthy.
Can Ava explain periodontal treatment to an anxious patient?
Yes. Ava explains non-surgical options like root planing and structured hygiene programmes, and surgical options like flap surgery or bone grafting, in plain English. She reduces anxiety and frames the assessment as where the personalised plan and costs are confirmed. She gives no clinical advice.
Periodontal patients often fear the worst, surgery, tooth loss, big bills. Plain, calm explanation of the treatment ladder, starting with non-surgical care, takes the edge off and keeps them engaged enough to attend.
Ava sets expectations without overstepping. She describes what each option generally involves and points to the assessment for the specific plan and price. She never diagnoses or recommends a treatment, that stays with your periodontist.
On cost she explains that the assessment produces a full plan with figures and mentions any payment options, which stops a price-worried patient from stalling and keeps them moving toward treatment.
>50%
Referred patients who drop off without a same-day response
UK dental industry estimate
£1,500–£4,000
Revenue of a single full periodontal treatment course
Figures already used in this page; UK perio estimate
£50k–£200k
Annual value of a healthy GDP referral pipeline
Figures already used in this page; UK specialist estimate
The difference
Voicemail takes a message. Ava books the appointment.
What callers ring about
Every periodontics & gum specialists call, handled.
- GDP referral bookings
- Periodontal assessment enquiries
- Root planing appointment calls
- Gum surgery consultation requests
Hear it in action
This is what your callers hear.
- Good afternoon, London Perio Centre — how can I help?
- Hi, my dentist referred me for gum treatment. She said it might need specialist care.
- Of course — you've been referred to the right place. Can I ask which dental practice referred you, so I can pull their referral notes?
- It was Riverside Dental in Putney.
- Perfect, I have their details. I can book you for an initial periodontal assessment — we'll do a full chart and discuss the treatment options. I have next Tuesday or Thursday available.
Before you choose
What to look for in an AI receptionist for periodontics & gum specialists.
Same-call booking, not callbacks
Referral drop-off is the core risk. The receptionist must book the assessment in the same call, because any callback queue loses over half of referred patients.
Referrer capture
It should record the referring GDP and reason against the patient, so you can report back and track which practices send the most work.
Calm, non-clinical explanations
It must explain non-surgical and surgical options plainly to reduce anxiety, while leaving every diagnosis and recommendation to your periodontist.
Recall management
Periodontal care is long-term. Confirm it can run the 3-monthly maintenance and review sequence, not just the first booking, to keep patients in active care.
Common questions
Everything you’re wondering.
Can Ava handle GDP-referred patients as well as self-referrals?
Yes. Ava asks whether the caller was referred by their dentist or is self-referring, captures the GDP's name and practice, and books the appropriate assessment type.
Can Ava explain periodontal treatment options to anxious patients?
Yes. Ava explains non-surgical options (root planing, hygiene programmes) and surgical options (flap surgery, bone grafting) in plain English, reducing patient anxiety before the first visit.
How does Ava handle patients who are concerned about the cost of specialist treatment?
Ava explains that the initial assessment provides a full treatment plan with costs, mentions any available payment options, and books the appointment — keeping the patient moving forward rather than stalling.
Can Ava manage follow-up appointment bookings for patients mid-treatment?
Yes. Ava manages the full recall sequence — maintenance appointments, 3-monthly hygiene visits, and treatment reviews — reducing the admin load on your specialist team.
Referred patients drop off if they wait. How does Ava protect the referral pipeline?
By booking them the moment they call. Referred patients who don't get a same-day response drop off at rates above 50%. Ava answers instantly and books the assessment, so the GDP referrals that feed your practice convert instead of evaporating.
Can Ava capture referral details so we can report back to the referring GDP?
Yes. Ava records the referring practice, the dentist's name and the reason for referral, then logs it against the patient. That keeps your referral relationships strong and gives you clean data on which GDPs send the most work.
Does Ava book into specialist periodontic software?
Yes. Ava integrates with Software of Excellence (Exact), Dentally, Carestream R4 and Practice-Web, booking the periodontal assessment and tagging it as a referral or self-referral so your specialist team prepares correctly.
Pricing
Ava pays for herself on call one.
A full periodontal treatment course is £1,500–£4,000. GDP referral pipelines are worth £50,000–£200,000/year to a specialist practice. Answer every call. Plans from £397/mo. One recovered job a month covers it — everything else is pure upside.
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