Dental Intelligence AI Receptionist is an add-on to our Engagement Module. If you're interested in learning more about AI Receptionist and setting it up for your practice, CLICK HERE to request a demo!
Once you've set up emergency detection keywords and notifications inside of Dental Intelligence, AI Receptionist can automatically recognize when a patient is calling about a dental emergency — and notify your team right away, even outside business hours. This guide walks you through setting it up.
Before You Start
Make sure your AI Receptionist has been personalized with a name. You'll find this under Settings > AI Receptionist > General, where you can confirm your practice phone number and set your receptionist's name.
By default, the AI Receptionist's name is Linda. You can change this at any time.
Step 1: Go to Emergency Settings
Navigate to Settings > AI Receptionist > Emergency. This is where you'll define what counts as a dental emergency and control how your team gets alerted.
By default, the following emergency keywords have been added for you:
Emergency
Tooth pain
Toothache
Swelling
Knocked out tooth
Broken tooth
Chipped tooth
Bleeding gums
Abscess
Infection
Lost filling
Loose tooth
Jaw pain
📌 If you delete and/or remove emergency detection keywords, AI Receptionist does not have the knowledge to alert you about urgent patient scenarios.
Step 2: Review and Customize Emergency Keywords
In the Keywords field, review the list of words and phrases patients commonly use when describing an emergency — things like emergency, tooth pain, toothache, swelling, knocked out tooth, broken tooth, chipped tooth, lost filling, bleeding gums, abscess, and infection. When a caller uses any of these words or phrases, your AI Receptionist will recognize the call as an emergency and trigger your notification settings.
To add a keyword, type the word and then hit Enter on your keyboard. Repeat to add more words or phrases.
Remove any keyword that doesn't apply to your practice by clicking the X next to it.
Tip: Think about how patients actually talk on the phone, not just clinical terms. Casual phrases ("my tooth is killing me") are just as important to capture as formal ones ("I have an abscess").
📌 There is a 255 character limit for emergency keywords.
Step 3: Set Up Notifications for During Business Hours
Click the During business hours tab under Notify the team.
Choose how you want your team alerted when an emergency call comes in while your practice is open:
Send an inbox notification — a real-time alert sent to the Personal Assistant inbox. This is a good default since your team is already working in the inbox throughout the day.
Send an email
Send a text message
Forward a call
Check the box for each method you want. If you choose email, text, or call, you'll be prompted to enter the address or phone number to notify (you can add more than one).
Step 4: Set Up Notifications for After Business Hours
Click the After business hours tab.
Since your team isn't actively watching the inbox after hours, we recommend choosing a method that will actually reach someone in real time:
Send an email — enter the email address(es) that should receive after-hours alerts. Click + Add another email if more than one person should be notified.
Send a text message — enter the phone number(s) for whoever is on call. Click + Add another number to notify more than one person.
Forward a call — automatically routes the emergency call to a person, like your on-call doctor.
You can select multiple methods to make sure nothing gets missed overnight or on weekends.
Step 5: Save Your Settings
Click Save at the bottom of the page once you've configured your keywords and notification preferences.
Once saved, AI Receptionist will begin detecting emergencies using the keywords you've added during calls with patients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use different notification methods for during vs. after hours?
Yes — that's exactly what these two tabs are for. Many practices use an inbox notification during the day (since staff are already logged in) and text/call forwarding after hours when no one is actively watching the system.
What happens if a patient's call doesn't match any keyword?
The AI Receptionist will handle the call normally without triggering emergency escalation. If you notice real emergency calls aren't being flagged, revisit your keyword list and add the phrasing patients actually used.
Can more than one person receive after-hours alerts?
Yes. Use + Add another email or + Add another number to notify multiple team members.
Do I need to set up notification preferences for both during and after hours handling, or just one?
We recommend configuring both so emergencies are handled appropriately no matter when a patient calls.