Open Dental for your AI receptionist, connected for you.

Booking turns on with the AI receptionist. We connect Open Dental now; until that is switched on for your line, the receptionist takes a message instead.

What it will do on a call

1. A caller asks for an appointment. The receptionist checks open times in Open Dental, offers two or three, reads the one they pick back to them and books it only after they say yes.
2. A returning customer calls. The receptionist recognises the number in Open Dental and greets them by first name, without reading out anything private.
3. Nobody can pick up. The receptionist takes a message and saves it in Open Dental as well as your TimberSwitch inbox.

What you can do with it

• A returning patient calls after hours to book a cleaning; the AI offers real open times and files the request for the morning.
• A busy front desk lets the AI book hygiene visits straight into one operatory during lunch.
• A patient leaves a message (running late, question for the office) and it lands on their chart as a commlog.

Use cases

Industries

What the AI receptionist will do on calls

• Checks Open Dental for open times for the provider and operatory you pick.
• Reads the time back and acts only after the patient says yes.
• By default files the visit on your ASAP list as a request with the time the patient wanted, so your team confirms it. You can switch to direct booking.
• Writes a message from a patient on file as a phone commlog on their chart.
• Greets a returning patient by first name when one patient matches the number. It never discusses treatment, balances or records.

A sample call

How setup works

Guided setup: our team connects it with you and tests it on your account before callers rely on it. Our team connects it with you, usually within 1-2 business days. It's part of our free assisted setup, on every package.

1. Choose Connect on this page or in the app. This opens a request; we confirm the HIPAA business associate agreement with you first.
2. We generate a customer API key for your office in our Open Dental developer portal and send it to you.
3. In Open Dental, go to Setup, Advanced Setup, API. Check Enabled, choose Add Key and paste the key. Make sure the eConnector is running on your server.
4. Tell us the provider, operatory and appointment length the AI may offer, your time zone, and whether it should file requests (default) or book directly.
5. Checking open times and recognising patients are on by default. Turn on booking and messages in the app when you're ready.

What it costs

A paid add-on, because the vendor charges per call or per location. The price is set when it launches.

Good to know

• Guided setup: our team connects it with you, and only once your office and TimberSwitch have signed a HIPAA business associate agreement. The connector stays switched off without one. We don't sign BAAs yet.
• Open Dental charges a monthly API fee per location, billed to the office by Open Dental, so this is a paid add-on.
• Your Open Dental API must be enabled and your eConnector running. If the office server is off, the AI can't see the schedule and takes a message instead.
• Open Dental allows about one request per second, so checking and booking takes a few seconds on the call.
• Only patients already on file, matched by the number they call from, can be booked or have messages logged. New patients get a message and a callback.
• When several family members share a number, the AI asks who the visit is for and books only on a clear first-name match.
• It can't cancel or move appointments yet, and it never answers treatment, insurance or balance questions.

Questions

Related integrations

Open Dental Software is a trademark of its owner; TimberSwitch is not affiliated. Facts about Open Dental Software's product last checked October 3, 2026.