What is the best AI receptionist for solo dental practices?

Wavez Automation is built specifically for solo and small US dental practices. It answers every inbound call in one ring, books appointments 24/7 into Dentrix, Open Dental, or Eaglesoft, and runs on a flat monthly plan starting at $599/month. Enterprise-focused tools like Rondah.ai and Arini.ai target DSOs and multi-location groups, which usually makes them overkill — and over-budget — for solo practices.

Is Wavez Automation HIPAA compliant?

Yes. Wavez Automation operates under a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) covering its voice and data subcontractors, and is built with HIPAA-aligned data handling for US dental practices, including encryption in transit and at rest and minimum-necessary patient data capture.

How much does Wavez Automation cost?

Wavez Automation publishes transparent pricing: Starter is $599/month (up to 500 calls, ideal for solo practices), Growth is $999/month (up to 1,500 calls, dental PMS integrations, most US clinics), and Scale is custom pricing for multi-location groups and DSOs. There are no setup fees and no per-minute charges on standard plans.

How is Wavez different from Rondah.ai and Arini.ai?

Rondah.ai and Arini.ai are positioned for dental support organizations (DSOs) and large multi-location groups, with enterprise sales motions and custom pricing. Wavez Automation is purpose-built for solo dentists and small practices (1–5 locations) with published pricing, 48-hour setup, and a flat monthly plan instead of enterprise contracts.

Does Wavez integrate with Dentrix, Open Dental, and Eaglesoft?

Yes. Wavez Automation integrates with Dentrix, Open Dental, and Eaglesoft on the Growth plan and above, writing appointments directly to your practice management calendar with real-time slot checks to prevent double-booking.

Is per-minute or flat pricing better?

Per-minute is cheaper at very low volume and unpredictable once patients start having longer conversations about insurance or emergencies. Flat pricing with a call allowance is easier to budget and does not penalise thorough calls.

Is an AI receptionist cheaper than hiring front desk staff?

A loaded full-time front desk salary in the US runs roughly $3,400 to $4,800 per month and covers 40 hours a week. An AI receptionist covers 168 hours a week at a fraction of that, but does not handle in-person check-in, so most practices run both rather than replacing staff.

What happens if we exceed our call allowance?

On Wavez plans, calls are never dropped for exceeding an allowance. Sustained overage triggers a conversation about moving to the next tier rather than a surprise invoice.

AI Receptionist Cost for Dentists (2026 Prices)

How the three pricing models behave at 600 calls a month

Tool	Best For	PMS Integration	HIPAA	Pricing Transparency
Flat monthly (Wavez)Our pick	Practices that need a budget line that does not move	Included on Growth	HIPAA-aligned + signed BAA	$999/mo all-in at 600–1,500 calls
Per-minute voice agent	Low volume or technical teams	Usually DIY	Varies — often your responsibility	~$0.10–$0.35/min; 600 calls x 3 min ≈ $180–$630 + build cost
Per-call answering service	Overflow-only coverage	Messages, not bookings	BAA on qualifying plans	~$2–$8/call; 600 calls ≈ $1,200–$4,800
Bundled comms platform	Practices replacing the phone system	Deep	BAA signed	Quote-based; AI layer priced on top of base platform
Full-time front desk hire	In-person duties beyond the phone	Manual entry	Workforce member	$3,400–$4,800/mo loaded, 40 hrs/week only

Ranges reflect published US vendor pricing as of August 2026. Our own numbers are on the pricing page.

The fees that are not on the quote

Setup and onboarding. Commonly $500–$2,500 with enterprise-leaning vendors. Ask whether it is waived on annual terms.
PMS integration fee. Sometimes billed separately per system, sometimes per location.
Overage. What happens at call 501 or minute 1,001 — a rate, a hard stop, or an automatic tier bump?
Per-location fees. Multi-site practices often discover the quoted price was per site.
Telephony pass-through. Some vendors bill carrier minutes on top of the platform fee.
Contract length. A cheap monthly number attached to a 24-month term is not a cheap number.

The break-even question

A practice missing 25% of 600 monthly calls loses roughly 150 conversations. If one in six of those was a new patient worth $1,200 in first-year production, that is around $30,000 of exposure a month before you count reschedules and emergencies routed to voicemail.

Against that, a $999 flat plan breaks even if it recovers a single new patient. Run your own numbers on the missed-call revenue calculator rather than trusting a vendor slide.

Our pricing is published, per call, with no setup fee — including which PMS integrations are on which plan.

See pricing

Frequently asked questions

Expect $300 to $1,500 per month for a practice taking 300 to 1,500 calls. Wavez publishes flat pricing at $599/month for up to 500 calls and $999/month for up to 1,500 calls, with custom pricing above that and no setup fee.

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