# Dental answering service

Julius Answer by DealsFlow answers your practice's phone when the front desk is with a patient, at lunch or closed for the night. It asks whether the caller is a new or existing patient, books the visit as a request your team confirms, and never gives medical advice.

## What it does for a practice
- Answers before opening, after closing, at lunch and whenever every person at the front desk is already on a call.
- Asks whether the caller is a **new or existing patient**, the reason for the visit in a few words, and the insurance provider if the patient wants it on file.
- Marks severe pain or swelling that is getting worse as urgent. For uncontrolled bleeding, trouble breathing or swallowing, or chest pain, it tells the caller to call 911 right away.
- Never gives medical advice. Visit reasons and caller details are left out of email summaries by default.
- Does not sign Business Associate Agreements: read the HIPAA answer at the end of this page before using it for patient calls.

## Where dental calls slip through

Calls to a dental office can slip through at the busiest times: the first half hour after opening, lunch, and the end of the day, when the same one or two people are checking patients out, scheduling recalls and waiting on hold with insurance companies. After hours, calls go to a voicemail that someone works through the next morning.

Calling back doesn't close the gap. Quo's August 2026 analysis of 16.7 million missed calls on its own platform found that healthcare businesses returned 41% of missed calls within 48 hours, so most were not returned in that window. Quo's customers aren't a random sample, so treat the figure as a rough guide. And when the office does call back, the patient may not answer: Hiya's State of the Call 2026 report, based on a survey of more than 12,000 consumers in six countries, says 86% of calls from unknown numbers go unanswered.

An AI receptionist takes the call the first time it rings, collects what the front desk needs, and leaves your team a short list of requests to confirm instead of a round of phone tag.

## How Julius Answer handles patient information

Julius Answer collects only what it needs to book: the caller's name and number, new or existing patient, the reason for the visit in a few words, and the insurance provider if the patient wants it on file. It doesn't ask patients to describe their symptoms in detail.
- Visit reasons and caller details stay in the console, behind your team's logins, and are left out of email summaries by default.
- Its memory of returning callers never stores health details, card numbers or passwords.
- It never reads stored details back to a caller it can't verify, so someone asking about another person's appointment doesn't get an answer from it.
- It never gives medical advice. Questions about medication, pain or aftercare become a message for your clinical team.
- Every call is recorded, and callers hear that in the greeting.

**Before you use it for patient calls:** Julius Answer does not currently sign Business Associate Agreements. If your practice needs one, [talk to us first](/contact/). Our [security page](/security/) has more on how data is handled.

## Urgent dental calls, and when it says 911

Julius Answer doesn't assess symptoms. It sorts calls by what the caller describes, so the right person sees the urgent ones quickly and routine requests wait for the morning.

How calls to a dental office are handled
| What the caller describes | What Julius Answer does |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled bleeding, trouble breathing or swallowing, chest pain | Tells the caller to hang up and call 911 right away. |
| Severe pain or swelling that is getting worse | Marks the call urgent, takes the name, number and a few words about what's happening, and offers to connect the caller with the person you've picked, such as the dentist on call. If the transfer isn't picked up, it takes an urgent message and alerts your team. |
| A cleaning, a checkup, a new patient exam | Asks new or existing, the reason in a few words and, if they want, the insurance provider, then offers up to three open times. |
| "Should I take something for this?" or any other medical question | Doesn't advise. Takes a message for the clinical team, and if the caller describes something urgent, handles it as above. |
| Billing, payment plans, "are you in network with my plan?" | Answers from your practice's information, or puts the caller through to your billing person. |

## Example: a new patient calls before the office opens

This is an example early-morning call, shortened. The practice uses a professional tone, and the greeting gives the practice name and says the caller is talking to an AI assistant on a recorded line.

**Harbor Street Dental**Monday, 7:10 a.m.Example

Hi, I just moved here and I'm looking for a new dentist. Are you taking new patients?

Yes, the practice is taking new patients. What would the visit be for, in a few words?

Just a cleaning and checkup. It's been about a year.

Thanks. Would you like your insurance provider on file, or would you rather bring your card to the visit?

I'll bring the card.

That's fine. I have Wednesday at 8 a.m., Thursday at 3:30 p.m. or Friday at 11:15 a.m.

Thursday at 3:30.

Thursday at 3:30 is requested. The office confirms appointments after it opens at 8. May I have your name and the best number to reach you?

**Booking request:** new patient, cleaning and checkup, Thursday 3:30 p.m., bringing insurance card.**Then:** confirmed with one tap at 8 a.m. The email summary leaves the visit reason in the console.

An illustrative example. Your receptionist uses your practice's name, hours, team and policies.

## What it takes off the front desk

### Overflow and after hours

Forward only the calls your team can't reach during the day and all calls after closing. Julius Answer answers 1 call at a time on Starter, 3 at once on Pro and 10 on Business.

### New patient requests

Each request arrives with the patient type, the visit reason and a chosen time, so your team confirms it with one tap instead of starting from a voicemail.

### Change requests

A patient who needs to move a visit leaves the request and a callback time. "Call me after 4" becomes a real due time, and you're alerted when it comes due.

### The right person

Billing questions go to the office manager and calls from a lab go to whoever you name. If nobody can take it, it takes a message.

### Questions from your information

Hours, holiday closures, parking, new patient paperwork, the plans you accept. What it can't answer, it saves for you to answer once.

### Returning patients

Recognized by caller ID and greeted by first name, with lasting preferences remembered, such as preferring early appointments. Spanish callers are answered in Spanish.

## Setting it up for your practice
1.

### Sign up

Create an account on the website with the practice name and an email address, then add a card in the console to start the 7-day free trial. No contract.
1.

### Describe the practice

Type or talk to the setup assistant: hours, lunch, holidays, the insurance plans you accept, how new patients get started, your cancellation policy.
1.

### Choose who gets urgent calls

Name the person who takes worsening pain or swelling calls, and add Slack alerts with one click if your team uses it.
1.

### Connect the calendar

With Google Calendar connected, it never offers a time you're busy, and confirmed visits appear on the calendar. A calendar link also works with Apple Calendar and Outlook.
1.

### Add team logins

Front desk staff can confirm requests and read call notes from any browser, including on a phone.
1.

### Forward and test

Use the local number you're given, or forward your existing line. Then call it yourself and listen to how it handles a new patient.

## What it costs a dental practice

Every plan includes every feature. The difference is included minutes and how many calls are answered at the same time: 1 on Starter, 3 on Pro and 10 on Business.

Julius Answer plans (USD)
|  | Starter | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $79 | $199 | $399 |
| Yearly price (two months free) | $790 | $1,990 | $3,990 |
| Call minutes included | 300 | 1,000 | 3,000 |
| Effective price per minute | $0.26 | $0.20 | $0.13 |
| Calls answered at the same time | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Local phone number | Included | Included | Included |
| Every feature | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days | 7 days |

The arithmetic is simple. If Julius Answer takes 12 calls a day that average three minutes, that's about 792 minutes over 22 working days, inside Pro's 1,000. If it only catches overflow and after-hours calls, say four a day, that's about 264 minutes, inside Starter's 300. Extra minutes start at $25 for 100 and never expire.

## Answer patients the first time they call

Send Julius Answer the calls your front desk can't get to, free for the first 7 days.

[Start free trial](/signup/) [See pricing](/pricing/)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Julius Answer HIPAA compliant?

Julius Answer doesn't currently sign Business Associate Agreements (BAAs), and it isn't offered as a HIPAA-compliant service. If your practice needs a BAA, [contact us](/contact/) before using it for patient calls. Read our [security](/security/) and [privacy](/privacy/) pages for how call data is handled.

### Can it check a patient's dental insurance?

No. It asks for the insurance provider only if the patient wants it on file, and it answers questions like whether you're in network with a plan only from the list you give it. Your team checks eligibility and benefits the way it does today.

### Does it connect to our practice management software?

Not directly. Julius Answer checks availability against Google Calendar if you connect it and books each visit as a request. Your team confirms the request with one tap and enters it in your scheduling system as usual. Calls and bookings can also be downloaded as a spreadsheet (CSV) at any time.

### Can it answer only when the front desk can't?

Yes. Forward only the calls your team doesn't pick up, and the front desk still answers first. On Verizon and most landlines, *71 plus the number forwards unanswered and busy calls; on AT&T and T-Mobile, **004*1 plus the number and # forwards unanswered calls. See [how to forward your business calls](/guides/how-to-forward-business-calls/).

### Do patients know they're speaking with an AI?

Yes. Every call opens with your practice's name, a statement that the caller is speaking with an AI assistant, and a note that the call is recorded. It never claims to be a person, and you choose its name, voice and tone.

### How much does a dental answering service cost?

Plans are $79, $199 or $399 a month with every feature included; they differ in minutes and in how many calls are answered at once. Each plan starts with a 7-day free trial and can be cancelled in the console.

## Sources
1. [Small business callback statistics (16.7 million missed calls)](https://www.quo.com/blog/small-business-callback-statistics/), Quo, August 20, 2026
1. [State of the Call 2026](https://www.hiya.com/state-of-the-call), Hiya, 2026

Checked 2026-10-20. Third-party prices and features change; check the vendor before you buy.

---
Source: https://julius.dealsflow.ai/industries/dental-offices/
Updated: 2026-10-20