Automation

    Pricing

    Cheapest Dental Answering Service? 6 Options Priced Out

    The cheapest option on paper is usually the most expensive once you count the appointments that never got booked.

    Wavez Team8 min read
    Flat illustration of telephone handsets on pedestals being compared by a person with a clipboard

    Six ways to cover the phones, priced at 600 calls/month

    ToolBest ForPMS IntegrationHIPAAPricing Transparency
    Wavez AI receptionistOur pickPractices that want calls booked, not messagedBooks into 13+ dental PMSHIPAA-aligned + signed BAA$999/mo flat at this volume
    Voicemail onlyNobodyNoneN/A$0/mo, highest lost-revenue cost
    Per-call answering serviceAfter-hours message takingMessages emailed or textedBAA on qualifying plans~$2–$8/call ≈ $1,200–$4,800/mo
    Per-minute answering serviceLow, predictable volumeMessagesBAA on qualifying plans~$1.20–$2.00/min ≈ $1,800–$4,800/mo
    Offshore virtual receptionistBudget human coverageManual entry, verify write-backVaries — verify carefully~$1,200–$2,600/mo per seat, limited hours
    Part-time in-house staffPeak-hour relief onlyManual entryWorkforce member$1,600–$2,400/mo, ~20 hrs/week

    Ranges reflect published US answering-service and staffing rates as of August 2026 at an assumed 3-minute average handle time.

    Price it per booked appointment

    A message-taking service at $4 a call looks cheap next to a flat plan, until you notice the callback still has to happen and roughly half of after-hours callers have already booked somewhere else by morning.

    • Divide monthly cost by appointments actually booked, not calls answered.
    • Count after-hours separately — that is where the difference between message and booking shows up.
    • Include the staff minutes spent processing message slips the next morning.

    Model your own numbers on the missed-call revenue calculator before choosing on headline price.

    Flat per-call pricing, no setup fee, appointments written straight into your schedule.

    See pricing

    Frequently asked questions

    Human dental answering services typically charge $2 to $8 per call or $1.20 to $2.00 per minute, which lands between roughly $1,200 and $4,800 a month at 600 calls. Flat-rate AI receptionists like Wavez are $599 to $999 a month at the same volume.

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