Skip to content
Dental Supplier Guide Supplier guide for dental clinics

Type a supplier, a system or a topic.

    Criteria and method

    Page last reviewed

    This page explains how the suppliers in the US edition are found and assessed. The method comes first, then the requirements for facts, and then, for each category, the criteria, the search frame, the sources searched and the known gaps.

    The search frame is locked before the assessment

    For each category, I decide in advance which sources will be searched and which rule decides who is included. The frame is locked before I look at the candidates. If it changes later, the category gets a new version and a line in the changelog.

    The US edition covers national suppliers only: a supplier has to document that it sells to practices across the US. There are no state-by-state pages, and regional or local suppliers are not included. Only companies are listed; the privacy policy explains which company forms count.

    The overview includes the suppliers that meet the rule and are found through the sources in the frame. It is not exhaustive, and the known gaps are listed under each category. Web searches and other search tools are used only to find candidates, never as the source of a fact.

    Every candidate gets an outcome and a reason, including those that are not published. Suppliers in the same category are assessed on the same criteria. If a fact is missing, the table shows it as missing. By default, the order is by the number of published facts, most first, and alphabetical on a tie. The count says nothing about quality, and there are no scores.

    Where the facts come from

    Who a fact comes from and how well it is supported are two different questions, and the labels keep them apart. A fact from the supplier keeps the label «Provided by the vendor» even when something else supports it; it then also gets «Independently corroborated». Before a fact is published, a separate check fetches the source again. If the source does not contain the fact, or cannot be fetched, the fact is not published.

    Legal requirements and rules from authorities are taken only from official sources. For implant systems, regulatory status is quoted from the FDA 510(k) database as the record states it, not from the manufacturer’s marketing. A missing record is shown as a gap in the research, not as a finding about the product.

    Prices

    All prices are in US dollars, as the source states them. A price is shown in one of three ways:

    • with the amount, the date it was checked, and what the source says is included. Sales tax is shown only when the source states it; it is never assumed;
    • «Price on request (stated by the supplier)», only when the supplier itself says the price is given on request;
    • if no public price was found, the page says «Base price: no public price found as of» followed by the date of the search. The search is described with the date and the pages that were searched.

    The guide does not add prices together and does not guess the billing period. The base price, price per additional user, add-ons and fees are shown separately, as the source states them. Prices behind a log-in or in account pricing are not public and are not shown. In categories with consumables, item prices are not compared.

    How many facts are published

    Each row in the comparisons shows a badge such as «12 of 15 facts published». The number is how many of the fields below are published for that offering. The badge counts published information, not quality.

    The default order is by the number of published facts (most first), then alphabetical. The number counts only which fixed facts the supplier has made public, the same for everyone. It is not an assessment of quality. Alphabetical order is always one click away, under «Alphabetical (A–Z)». No supplier pays for position or coverage. That also applies to offerings Dental Markedsføring owns or has an interest in. They are counted on the same fields as everyone else.

    The fields that are counted

    • Price. Counts when the offering has a public price. «Price on request» and «no public price found» do not count.
    • Integrations. Counts when at least one integration is named in the structured data. An empty list does not count.
    • Production country. Applies to dental labs. Counts when the production country is stated. «Production country not stated» does not count.
    • Local seller. Applies to implant and aligner systems, dental chairs and units, and intraoral scanners. Counts when at least one seller in the market is named. «No local seller found» does not count.
    • Criteria for the category. Each criterion that applies to the offering's category and offering type is one field. It counts when the value has a source. A gap does not count. Contract length and cancellation, and where data is processed, are such criteria where they apply to the category.

    Fields that do not apply to the category or the offering type are not part of the number. Within one table, the list is the same for every row. The list for each category is shown under the category.

    Requirements for facts

    • Every published fact and price has a source, a date and its own source check.
    • Prices older than 180 days and other facts older than 365 days must be checked again.
    • «No public price found» is published only when the search is described and repeated by a second check.
    • Candidates get an outcome: included, excluded, could not be verified, deferred, with a reason (meets the inclusion rule, outside the category, not available in the market, cannot be published with minimal fields, documentation too weak, the source could not be reached, research not finished).
    Provided by the vendor
    the supplier's own statement
    Confirmed in the source
    the source contains the fact (it does not say the fact is true)
    Independently corroborated
    supported by something other than the supplier
    Official source
    law, regulation, authority or official register

    Practice management software

    Version 2.4, October 18, 2026

    Criteria

    • Hosting (cloud, local server or both)
    • Data export when switching
    • Online scheduling (built in or integrated)
    • Automatic appointment reminders
    • Integration with X-ray and imaging software
    • Digital patient forms and health history
    • Electronic referrals
    • Integrated patient payments or billing
    • Reports and analytics
    • Patient portal or patient app
    • Minimum term and cancellation
    • Where data is stored and processed, and HIPAA business associate agreement
    • Stated response time and support hours
    • Conversion from another practice management system
    • Regulatory status
    • Electronic insurance claims and eligibility checks
    • E-prescribing, including controlled substances (EPCS)

    Facts counted in the badge

    The same list for every offering in the table. A gap does not count.

    • Price
    • Integrations
    • Hosting (cloud, local server or both)
    • Data export when switching
    • Online scheduling (built in or integrated)
    • Minimum term and cancellation
    • Where data is stored and processed, and HIPAA business associate agreement
    • Stated response time and support hours
    • Regulatory status
    • Electronic insurance claims and eligibility checks
    • E-prescribing, including controlled substances (EPCS)

    Search frame

    Who is included: Dental practice management software with a clinical patient record (charting, treatment plans, clinical notes) made for dental practices, offered to private dental practices nationally in the US, with public product information. The vendor's own pages must show a US-English product page aimed at US dental practices plus at least one US condition: US insurance claims or eligibility checks, US e-prescribing, a US company or US distributor, or an integration with US imaging, payment or clearinghouse services; an English page aimed at another market is not enough. Only suppliers that sell to practices across the US are listed; there are no state-by-state pages or values, and a product sold only in one state or region is not included. Only companies are listed: corporations, and LLCs, LPs and LLPs with a neutral brand name (an SEC-reporting corporation named after a founder counts as a company). The company form is read only from the vendor's own footer, terms or privacy page; a sole proprietorship or DBA, a general partnership, an LLC, PC or PLLC carrying a person's name or degree, or a vendor that states no company form there is excluded without being named, and no people are recorded for included companies. Not included: software that only does imaging, scheduling, patient communication, billing or claims (a clearinghouse on its own), and systems offered only to government, military, tribal or academic dental programs through procurement. Systems aimed at dental service organizations are included when they are also offered to private practices.

    Searched:

    Known gaps

    • There is no official public register of dental practice management software in the US; coverage rests on vendor pages, integration lists, trade sources and directories (names only).
    • No official source on insurance claim standards, e-prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS), HIPAA or ONC certification has been fetched; insurance claims, e-prescribing, data location and regulatory status show vendor statements only.
    • Market shares are not given, and prices are rarely public; many systems are sold through demos or distributors.
    • Business associate agreement terms and data location are often only in contracts.
    • Directory reviews and ratings are never used.
    • Help centers and pages behind a login are not used; vendors with no company form on their own footer, terms or privacy page are excluded without being named, so some real vendors are missing for that reason.
    • Regional resellers and state-specific systems are outside the national scope.

    Dental chairs and units

    Version 1.3, October 18, 2026

    Criteria

    • Type of unit
    • Instrument delivery
    • Price
    • Integrated imaging
    • Waterline hygiene
    • Installation and service in the US
    • Can be configured for left-handed use
    • Surgical/implant motor
    • Apex locator
    • Patient chair without unit

    Facts counted in the badge

    The same list for every offering in the table. A gap does not count.

    • Price
    • Integrations
    • Local seller
    • Type of unit
    • Instrument delivery
    • Price
    • Integrated imaging
    • Waterline hygiene
    • Installation and service in the US

    Search frame

    Who is included: One entry per model: a dental chair or treatment unit (patient chair with instrument delivery and assistant element), or a portable unit, from an identified manufacturer, where public documentation shows that US dental practices can buy the model (the manufacturer's own US sales organization, a national US distributor, or the manufacturer's documented delivery to the US), and where a public product source for the model exists. Manufacturer, model and US seller are shown separately. A patient chair sold without a unit is included when the source shows it is sold to dental practices. Only the manufacturer's US entity or a distributor that documents sales to practices nationwide is recorded as a seller; local and regional dealers are never named, and there are no state-by-state pages or values. A page for another country, or «worldwide» or «North America» without the US named, is not enough. Only companies are listed: corporations, and LLCs, LPs and LLPs with a neutral brand name (an SEC-reporting corporation named after a founder counts as a company). The company form is read only from the company's own footer, terms or privacy page; a sole proprietorship or DBA, a general partnership, an LLC, PC or PLLC carrying a person's name or degree, or a company that states no company form there is excluded without being named, and no people are recorded for included companies. This applies to manufacturers and sellers alike. Only documented properties are compared; ergonomics, durability and clinical quality are not assessed. Not included: used and refurbished units alone, operator and assistant stools alone, loose instruments and handpieces, and standalone X-ray and cameras.

    Searched:

    Known gaps

    • There is no public register of which dental chairs and units are sold in the US; FDA registration and listing show manufacturers and device listings, not sales.
    • What FDA registration and listing means has not been checked and FDA product classification has not been fetched; the guide never writes «FDA approved» or «FDA registered» in its own voice.
    • Most sellers give prices only on request; most base prices are not public.
    • The same model can be configured in many ways; the table shows what the source says exists, not what a given practice gets.
    • Installation requirements (utility room, drains, compressed air, waterline treatment) depend on the premises and are not assessed; electrical, plumbing and radiation rules vary by state and are not researched.
    • No US official source on dental unit waterline quality has been fetched; the guide says nothing about requirements.
    • Local and regional dealers are not listed, so a practice's local service options are not shown.
    • Ergonomics, durability and clinical quality are not assessed.
    • National US dental meeting exhibitor lists have not been fetched and their addresses are not verified; they are used only to find names.
    • PDF spec sheets, catalogs and instructions for use could not be read; a PDF source counts as unreachable.

    Intraoral scanners

    Version 1.3, October 18, 2026

    Criteria

    • Type of scanner
    • Price
    • Open export (STL, PLY, OBJ)
    • Software license and subscription
    • Sending scans to the lab
    • Service and loaner scanner in the US
    • Wireless
    • Intraoral camera or caries aid
    • Orthodontic simulation
    • Link to chairside milling

    Facts counted in the badge

    The same list for every offering in the table. A gap does not count.

    • Price
    • Integrations
    • Local seller
    • Type of scanner
    • Price
    • Open export (STL, PLY, OBJ)
    • Software license and subscription
    • Sending scans to the lab
    • Service and loaner scanner in the US

    Search frame

    Who is included: One entry per model: an intraoral scanner (handpiece with software for digital impressions, wired or wireless, on a cart or connected to a laptop) from an identified manufacturer, where public documentation shows that US dental practices can buy or lease the model (a national US dealer or distributor, the manufacturer's own US sales, or the manufacturer's documented delivery to the US), and where a public product source for the model exists. Manufacturer, model and US seller are shown separately. The US must be named; «North America», «worldwide» or a global English page alone is not enough. Only national dealers and distributors or the manufacturer's US sales company are listed as sellers; there are no state-by-state pages or values, and regional or single-state dealers are not listed. Only companies are listed: corporations, and LLCs, LPs and LLPs with a neutral brand name (an SEC-reporting corporation named after a founder counts as a company). The company form is read only from the company's own footer, terms or privacy page; a sole proprietorship or DBA, a general partnership, an LLC, PC or PLLC carrying a person's name or degree, or a company that states no company form there is excluded without being named, and no people are recorded for included companies. This applies to manufacturers and sellers alike. Only documented features are compared; accuracy, scan speed and clinical quality are not assessed. Not included: used and refurbished scanners alone, lab and desktop scanners, stand-alone software, and milling units and 3D printers alone.

    Searched:

    • FDA: Search Registration and Listing (company fields only) (official register)
    • SEC EDGAR, Search Filings (company name, CIK and state of incorporation for SEC-reporting companies; company fields only) (official register)
    • Manufacturers' own US product pages, brochures and spec sheets, and their US «find a dealer» or «where to buy» pages (manufacturer source)
    • Manufacturers' technical documentation: instructions for use, system requirements, export formats and software license terms (technical document)
    • National US dental distributors' own pages: product page, price list, terms, service plan, financing or leasing page (supplier source)
    • Exhibitor lists of national US dental meetings (names to check only; not fetched, addresses not verified) (industry source)
    • Web searches in US English (only to find candidates, never as a source) (discovery only)
    • Manufacturers and sellers in the Norwegian or Swedish guide that also state US sales (re-checked from US pages) (discovery only)

    Known gaps

    • There is no public register of which intraoral scanners are sold in the US; FDA registration and listing show establishments and devices, not where they are sold.
    • What FDA registration and listing means has not been checked and FDA product classification has not been fetched; the guide never writes «FDA approved» or «FDA registered» in its own voice.
    • Most sellers give a price only on request or behind «Book a demo»; most base prices are not public.
    • License and subscription terms change often and are not always public; the table shows what the source says on the date checked.
    • Which file formats a given lab accepts depends on the lab and is not assessed.
    • Accuracy, scan speed and clinical quality are not assessed.
    • Regional and single-state dealers are not listed as sellers, so local service options are under-represented by design.
    • National US dental meeting exhibitor lists have not been fetched and their addresses are not verified; they are used only to find names.

    Implant systems and suppliers

    Version 2.5, October 18, 2026

    Criteria

    • Regulatory status
    • Connection types
    • Material and surface
    • Digital components
    • Guided surgery
    • Short implants (6 mm or shorter)
    • Narrow implants (under 3.5 mm)
    • Warranty
    • Can use the surgical kit of another system
    • Training and support in the US
    • Online ordering for US practices

    Facts counted in the badge

    The same list for every offering in the table. A gap does not count.

    • Price
    • Integrations
    • Local seller
    • Regulatory status
    • Connection types
    • Material and surface
    • Digital components
    • Training and support in the US

    Search frame

    Who is included: One entry per implant system, identified by the legal manufacturer (as stated on the FDA 510(k) record, the labeling or the instructions for use) and the system name: a system of endosseous dental implants with matching prosthetic components, where public documentation shows that the system is available to US dental practices (the manufacturer's own US sales organization, a national US distributor, or the manufacturer's documented delivery to the US), and where a public product source for the system exists. The US seller is recorded as a role; only the manufacturer's US entity or a distributor that documents sales nationwide is recorded, local reps and regional dealers are never named, and there are no state-by-state pages or values. Regulatory status is shown only as the vendor's statement with independent backing (the manufacturer's own document or the FDA 510(k) record); missing regulatory documentation does not exclude a system but shows as a gap. Only companies are listed: corporations, and LLCs, LPs and LLPs with a neutral brand name (an SEC-reporting corporation named after a founder counts as a company). The company form is read only from the company's own footer, terms or privacy page; a sole proprietorship or DBA, a general partnership, an LLC, PC or PLLC carrying a person's name or degree, or a company that states no company form there is excluded without being named, and no people are recorded for included companies. This applies to manufacturers and sellers alike. Not included: orthodontic anchorage screws and mini-implants for orthodontics, bone grafts and membranes, surgical motors and imaging, planning software alone, systems the manufacturer states are discontinued, and component makers without their own system.

    Searched:

    Known gaps

    • There is no public register of which implant systems are sold in the US; the FDA 510(k) database shows clearances, not current availability, and older systems may be cleared under different trade names.
    • What FDA registration and listing means has not been checked and FDA product classification has not been fetched; the guide states no product codes or classes and never writes «FDA approved» or «FDA registered» in its own voice.
    • Large manufacturers' sites may refuse automated fetching.
    • Local reps and regional dealers are not shown.
    • Course coverage depends on public calendars; courses run by third parties such as study clubs and universities are not searched.
    • Implant prices are rarely public; manufacturer web stores usually show prices only after login.
    • Third-party compatible components are not covered.
    • Clinical documentation is not assessed, and clinical claims are left out of the comparison.
    • PDF spec sheets, catalogs and instructions for use could not be read; a PDF source counts as unreachable.

    Dental distributors

    Version 2.3, October 18, 2026

    Criteria

    • Assortment areas
    • Manufacturers the supplier states it represents
    • Ordering channels
    • Free shipping
    • Next-business-day delivery
    • Express or rush delivery
    • Stated return period
    • Courses and training
    • Custom training for the practice
    • Loaner equipment during service
    • Delivery in the US
    • Technical service and support

    Facts counted in the badge

    The same list for every offering in the table. A gap does not count.

    • Price
    • Integrations
    • Assortment areas
    • Manufacturers the supplier states it represents
    • Ordering channels
    • Delivery in the US
    • Technical service and support

    Search frame

    Who is included: A business that sells consumables, dental materials, instruments or equipment directly to dental practices in the US (full-service distributor, catalog or online distributor, importer, or manufacturer with its own sales to practices), with public documentation of its offer to US practices (US web store or catalog, US sales terms) and a public description of its assortment. The entry is always the business that sells to the practice; manufacturers that sell only through distributors appear only as brands, and roles are recorded only as the source states them. The supplier must document that it sells and ships to practices nationwide (or in all contiguous states); regional distributors are not included, and there are no state-by-state pages or values. Only companies are listed: corporations, and LLCs, LPs and LLPs with a neutral brand name (an SEC-reporting corporation named after a founder counts as a company). The company form is read only from the vendor's own footer, terms or privacy page; a sole proprietorship or DBA, a general partnership, an LLC, PC or PLLC carrying a person's name or degree, or a vendor that states no company form there is excluded without being named, and no people are recorded for included companies. A general medical or business supplier is included only when its own pages document an offer to dental practices. Not included: sales to consumers only, businesses that only sell or lease equipment or only provide technical service, dental labs and suppliers to labs only, businesses that only sell implant systems or clear aligners, software, marketing agencies, group purchasing organizations and buying groups that do not sell themselves, and multi-seller marketplaces.

    Searched:

    • Exhibitor lists of national US dental meetings (company names only; not fetched yet) (industry source)
    • Dental Trade Alliance public member list, if one exists (company names only; not fetched yet) (industry source)
    • Manufacturers' US «where to buy» and «authorized distributors» pages (manufacturer source)
    • SEC EDGAR, Search Filings (company name, CIK and state of incorporation for SEC-reporting companies; company fields only) (official register)
    • FDA: Search Registration and Listing (company fields only) (official register)
    • Web searches in US English (only to find candidates, never as a source) (discovery only)
    • Suppliers in the Norwegian or Swedish guide that state a US offer (re-checked from US pages), and suppliers named in the implant, chair, scanner and aligner categories (names only) (own research)
    • Candidates' own public pages: company form first (footer, terms or privacy page), then assortment, web store, terms of sale, shipping and returns policy, and service pages (supplier source)

    Known gaps

    • There is no official list of dental distributors in the US; candidates come from industry lists, manufacturer pages and searches.
    • National meeting exhibitor lists and any Dental Trade Alliance member list have not been fetched yet; they are used only to find names.
    • FDA registration does not generally cover distributors, so a missing FDA record is not a finding; what FDA registration means has not been checked, and the guide never writes «FDA registered».
    • Regional and local distributors are left out, so a practice's local options are not shown.
    • Account and contract pricing is behind login and not shown; most practices in the US buy at negotiated prices.
    • Group purchasing organizations and buying groups are not covered.
    • Third-party compatible components are not covered.
    • Sales and delivery terms change without notice; the date given for each source applies.

    Clear aligner systems for clinics

    Version 1.3, October 18, 2026

    Criteria

    • Regulatory status
    • Requirements to become a provider
    • Treatment planning
    • Scanners and impressions
    • Packages and what they include
    • Retainers offered
    • Refinements included
    • Remote patient monitoring
    • App for the patient
    • Patient can see the planned result digitally
    • Replacement aligners under warranty
    • Free treatment proposal
    • CBCT integration in planning
    • Browser-based planning
    • Pay per aligner
    • Training and support in the US

    Facts counted in the badge

    The same list for every offering in the table. A gap does not count.

    • Price
    • Integrations
    • Local seller
    • Regulatory status
    • Requirements to become a provider
    • Treatment planning
    • Scanners and impressions
    • Packages and what they include
    • Training and support in the US

    Search frame

    Who is included: A system of removable clear trays for orthodontic treatment (aligners) that a dentist or orthodontist orders for a patient, from an identified manufacturer, where a source that can be fetched documents that US dental practices can order the system (a national US seller, distributor or lab, the manufacturer's own US sales, or the manufacturer's documented delivery to the US), and where a public, provider-facing product source for the system exists. «North America», «worldwide» or «global» without the US named is not enough. The system must be orderable by practices across the US; there are no state-by-state pages or values, and a lab's own aligner brand sold in one state or metro area is not included. Only companies are listed: corporations, and LLCs, LPs and LLPs with a neutral brand name (an SEC-reporting corporation named after a founder counts as a company). The company form is read only from the company's own footer, terms or privacy page; a sole proprietorship or DBA, a general partnership, an LLC, PC or PLLC carrying a person's name or degree, or a company that states no company form there is excluded without being named, and no people are recorded for included companies. This applies to manufacturers and sellers alike. Missing regulatory documentation in public sources is not a reason to exclude a system; it shows as a gap. Not included: aligners sold direct to patients without the practice ordering, planning or design software alone, materials and equipment for in-office production, retainers, whitening, bite and snoring trays alone, and fixed braces and other orthodontic appliances.

    Searched:

    Known gaps

    • There is no public register of which aligner systems are sold in the US; FDA registration and listing do not show where products are sold.
    • What FDA registration means has not been checked and FDA product classification has not been fetched; regulatory status rests on the manufacturer's statement plus a 510(k) record where found, and the guide never writes «FDA approved» or «FDA registered» in its own voice.
    • Aligners may be cleared under a group company's name or a device name different from the brand; a missing 510(k) match is not a finding.
    • Several manufacturers keep provider pages and price lists behind a login; most base prices are not public.
    • Large manufacturers' sites may refuse automated fetching.
    • Lab-made aligner brands from small labs often fall under the companies-only or national-only rule, so coverage of lab brands is lower by design.
    • In-office production of aligners is not covered.
    • PDF spec sheets, catalogs and instructions for use could not be read; a PDF source counts as unreachable.
    • Clinical documentation is not assessed.
    • National US dental meeting exhibitor lists have not been fetched and their addresses are not verified; they are used only to find names.

    Online booking and integrations

    Version 2.4, October 18, 2026

    Criteria

    • Practice management systems it works with
    • What the patient can book
    • Online cancellation and rescheduling
    • How it connects to the practice website
    • Where booking data is processed, and HIPAA business associate agreement
    • Text message appointment reminders
    • Patient can confirm the appointment
    • Digital patient forms before the visit
    • Mobile check-in
    • Accepts bookings from outside portals or marketplaces
    • App for patients
    • Several languages for patients
    • Minimum term and cancellation
    • Stated response time and support hours
    • Patient identification and login
    • Patient can enter dental insurance when booking

    Facts counted in the badge

    The same list for every offering in the table. A gap does not count.

    • Price
    • Integrations
    • Practice management systems it works with
    • What the patient can book
    • Online cancellation and rescheduling
    • How it connects to the practice website
    • Where booking data is processed, and HIPAA business associate agreement
    • Minimum term and cancellation
    • Stated response time and support hours
    • Patient identification and login
    • Patient can enter dental insurance when booking

    Search frame

    Who is included: A tool where patients book or request an appointment with a dental practice online, in real time or as a request the practice confirms, standalone or built into a practice management system, offered to many practices as a product, with public product information. The vendor's own pages must show a US-English product page aimed at US dental practices plus at least one US condition: integration with a practice management system sold in the US, a US company, or documented US use; an English page aimed at another market is not enough. Scheduling built into a practice management system is listed as its own offering on the same criteria. Only suppliers that sell to practices across the US are listed; there are no state-by-state pages or values, and a product sold only in one state or region is not included. Only companies are listed: corporations, and LLCs, LPs and LLPs with a neutral brand name (an SEC-reporting corporation named after a founder counts as a company). The company form is read only from the vendor's own footer, terms or privacy page; a sole proprietorship or DBA, a general partnership, an LLC, PC or PLLC carrying a person's name or degree, or a vendor that states no company form there is excluded without being named, and no people are recorded for included companies. Not included: marketplaces where patients choose between practices (when the same vendor sells practices a scheduling tool for their own website or system, only that product is assessed), generic calendar tools without a dental or healthcare offer, scheduling by phone and AI receptionists, chatbots that only collect requests, reminders without booking, contact forms without choosing a time, and single practices' own forms.

    Searched:

    • SEC EDGAR, Search Filings (company name, CIK and state of incorporation for SEC-reporting vendors or parents; company fields only) (official source)
    • Practice management systems in the US guide: their own scheduling and integration or partner pages (no login) (supplier source)
    • Exhibitor lists of national US dental meetings and US trade press (names to check only; not fetched yet) (industry source)
    • Web searches in US English (only to find candidates, never as a source) (discovery only)
    • Software directories such as Capterra, G2 and Software Advice (names only; ratings and reviews never used) (discovery only)
    • Tools in the Norwegian or Swedish guide that also state a US offer (re-checked from US pages) (research lead)
    • Candidates' own public pages: company form first (footer, terms or privacy page), then product, pricing, terms, security and HIPAA, and help pages (supplier source)

    Known gaps

    • There is no official public register of online scheduling tools for dental practices; coverage rests on practice management system integration lists, vendor pages and searches.
    • Most integration claims come from one party only and are not independently confirmed.
    • Real-time versus request booking, patient login and data location are rarely described publicly; business associate agreement terms are often only in contracts.
    • Patient marketplaces are not compared, even though they are common in the US.
    • No official source on HIPAA (45 CFR 160.103) has been fetched; data location and business associate agreements are shown only as the vendor states them, and the guide says nothing about what HIPAA requires.
    • Prices for scheduling built into a practice management system are rarely stated separately.
    • Help centers and pages behind a login are not used; vendors with no company form on their own footer, terms or privacy page are excluded without being named, so some real vendors are missing for that reason.

    Patient communication

    Version 2.4, October 18, 2026

    Criteria

    • Channels to the patient
    • What can be sent
    • Replies from the patient
    • Practice management systems it works with
    • Automatic appointment reminders
    • Recall reminders
    • Appointment confirmation to the patient
    • Online scheduling
    • Patient portal or app
    • Digital patient forms
    • Payment link or payment by message
    • Review requests
    • Follow-up after the visit
    • Messages to groups or campaigns
    • Minimum term and cancellation
    • Stated response time and support hours
    • Consent and opt-out for text and marketing messages
    • Where message data is processed, and HIPAA business associate agreement

    Facts counted in the badge

    The same list for every offering in the table. A gap does not count.

    • Price
    • Integrations
    • Channels to the patient
    • What can be sent
    • Replies from the patient
    • Practice management systems it works with
    • Minimum term and cancellation
    • Stated response time and support hours
    • Consent and opt-out for text and marketing messages
    • Where message data is processed, and HIPAA business associate agreement

    Search frame

    Who is included: A service or module that sends messages to patients of a private dental practice in the US, or receives their replies, offered to many practices as a product, where a public source shows an explicitly described messaging function (appointment reminder or confirmation, recall, two-way texting or secure messaging, review requests by text or email, or messages to patient lists), an offer to dental or healthcare practices or an integration with a named dental practice management or scheduling system, and a US condition (integration with a practice management system sold in the US, a US company, or documented US use). Messaging in a practice management system, in a scheduling tool and standalone services are compared on the same criteria; a vendor that also sells phones or an AI receptionist is assessed here only on its messaging product. Only suppliers that sell to practices across the US are listed; there are no state-by-state pages or values, and a product sold only in one state or region is not included. Only companies are listed: corporations, and LLCs, LPs and LLPs with a neutral brand name (an SEC-reporting corporation named after a founder counts as a company). The company form is read only from the vendor's own footer, terms or privacy page; a sole proprietorship or DBA, a general partnership, an LLC, PC or PLLC carrying a person's name or degree, or a vendor that states no company form there is excluded without being named, and no people are recorded for included companies. Not included: text message gateways not set up for practices, general newsletter and marketing tools without a dental or healthcare offer, marketing agencies, website chat, phones and AI reception, booking itself, payment links or collections only, digital forms or video visits only, and tools that only display reviews.

    Searched:

    Known gaps

    • There is no official public register of patient communication tools for dental practices; coverage rests on integration lists, vendor pages and searches.
    • No official source on TCPA or FCC rules for text messages or on HIPAA has been fetched; the guide makes no legal statement about consent for texts or about HIPAA.
    • Consent handling, data location and business associate agreement terms are rarely public and often only in contracts.
    • Many US tools bundle messaging with phones, payments, reviews and websites; only the messaging product is compared, and bundle prices may not split.
    • No test messages are sent; delivery, sender names and opt-out handling in practice are not assessed.
    • Help centers and pages behind a login are not used; vendors with no company form on their own footer, terms or privacy page are excluded without being named, so some real vendors are missing for that reason.
    • The market changes fast; the date given for each source applies.

    AI reception and telephony

    Version 2.4, October 18, 2026

    Criteria

    • Books directly in the practice management software
    • Opening hours and after-hours calls
    • Handoff to staff
    • Call recording and transcription
    • Cancels and reschedules appointments
    • Text message to the patient (confirmation or summary)
    • Appointment reminders
    • Several languages
    • Call statistics and call log
    • Answers from the practice's own information
    • Handles dental emergencies
    • Outbound calls or patient recall
    • Chat or text as a channel besides phone
    • Minimum term and cancellation
    • Stated response time and support hours
    • Regulatory status
    • Use of call data for model training
    • Where data is stored and processed, and HIPAA business associate agreement (BAA)
    • Insurance questions and eligibility checks on the call

    Facts counted in the badge

    The same list for every offering in the table. A gap does not count.

    • Price
    • Integrations
    • Books directly in the practice management software
    • Opening hours and after-hours calls
    • Handoff to staff
    • Call recording and transcription
    • Minimum term and cancellation
    • Stated response time and support hours
    • Regulatory status
    • Use of call data for model training
    • Where data is stored and processed, and HIPAA business associate agreement (BAA)
    • Insurance questions and eligibility checks on the call

    Search frame

    Who is included: A service that answers or handles inbound phone calls for dental practices with AI voice (the AI talks to the caller), with public product information, where a public source shows that it answers phone calls, that the vendor targets dental practices (or healthcare practices with dental named) or documents an integration with a dental practice management system used in the US, and that it is offered to US practices without a state limit with calls held in English. Dental phone systems are included only with a documented AI voice feature that answers calls, and practice management vendors' own AI phone features are listed under the same vendor. Only suppliers that sell to practices across the US are listed; there are no state-by-state pages or values, and a service offered only in one state or region is not included. Only companies are listed: corporations, and LLCs, LPs and LLPs with a neutral brand name (an SEC-reporting corporation named after a founder counts as a company). The company form is read only from the vendor's own footer, terms or privacy page; a sole proprietorship or DBA, a general partnership, an LLC, PC or PLLC carrying a person's name or degree, or a vendor that states no company form there is excluded without being named, and no people are recorded for included companies. Not included: human-only answering services and call centers, phone systems without AI answering, website chatbots and text assistants without phone, tools that only do web booking, reminders, call analytics or transcription of clinical visits, general-purpose voice bots without a sourced offer to dental practices, and voice AI carriers and developer platforms that are not sold set up.

    Searched:

    • Public partner, integration and app marketplace pages of US dental practice management and online scheduling vendors (names only) (supplier source)
    • Exhibitor lists of national US dental meetings (names to check only; not fetched, addresses not verified) (industry source)
    • Research leads from the US plan (checked against the inclusion rule like any other candidate) (research lead)
    • Web searches in US English (only to find candidates, never as a source) (discovery only)
    • Services in the Norwegian or Swedish guide that also state a US offer (re-checked from US pages) (research lead)
    • Candidates' own public pages: company form first (footer, terms or privacy page), then product, pricing, terms, privacy policy, security and HIPAA page, sub-processor list and help articles (supplier source)

    Known gaps

    • There is no public register of AI phone services for dental practices in the US, and no public partner list is known for practice management vendors' API programs.
    • No official source on recording phone calls (federal or state consent), on AI disclosure to callers, on TCPA rules for outbound calls or on HIPAA has been fetched; call recording, outbound calls and data location repeat only what the vendor says.
    • Integration with a named practice management system is usually only the service's own claim and is shown as such unless the system vendor's own page confirms it.
    • No test calls are made and vendors are not contacted; voice quality, accents and real call handling are not assessed.
    • The category is new and changes fast; many services have no public price.
    • Many small AI vendors do not state a company form on their own pages and are excluded without being named, so coverage of small start-ups is lower by design.
    • Human answering services are not covered.
    • National US dental meeting exhibitor lists have not been fetched and their addresses are not verified; they are used only to find names.