Telvana Journal
Field notes on the modern front desk.
Practical writing on voice AI, call automation, and the operational details that decide whether a caller becomes a patient.
Dentrix vs Open Dental: Cost, Hosting, and Integrations Compared
Open Dental publishes every price on its website. Dentrix publishes none. A sourced comparison of what each system costs, where it runs, what data conversion involves, and how outside tools connect.
Open Dental ASAP List: How to Fill a Same Day Opening
The Open Dental ASAP List is not a fill button. It is a flag plus a queue with an order and a clock. Where to find it, how to fill it, and when to call instead.
14 min read
Dental Appointment Confirmation: A Reminder Is Not a Confirmation
Your software says confirmed but the patient never replied. The confirmation ladder, the unconfirmed cutoff rule, and three scripts for a dental front desk.
13 min read
Open Dental Unscheduled Treatment: Which List to Use and How to Work It
Open Dental has three tools people call the unscheduled treatment list. Which one does which job, how to clean each, and the follow-up system that books the chair time.
15 min read
Dental Front Desk Checklist: The Daily System That Survives the Phone
Most dental front desk checklists assume quiet time the front desk never gets. Here is the daily list, sorted by how well each task survives a ringing phone, plus the coverage rule to write down.
11 min read
Dental No Show Policy: A Template and the System Behind It
A no show policy is not a fee. It is four decisions: what counts as a no show, how you confirm, what happens in the ten minutes after the chair goes empty, and what you measure. Template included.
12 min read
Dentrix Phone Integration: How an AI Receptionist Books Into Dentrix
What a Dentrix phone integration actually does, how the Dentrix API Exchange lets an AI receptionist book appointments into your schedule, and how Telvana integrates with Dentrix.
3 min read
Dolphin Management Integrations: How an AI Receptionist Books Into Dolphin
Dolphin Management is the practice management system built for orthodontists and oral surgeons. What an AI receptionist has to handle differently in a specialty practice, what a real Dolphin integration does on a call, and how Telvana integrates with Dolphin.
3 min read
Denticon Integrations: How an AI Receptionist Books Into Denticon
Denticon is Planet DDS's cloud practice management system built for groups and DSOs. What a real Denticon integration does on a multi-location call, the questions to ask, and how Telvana integrates with Denticon.
3 min read
WinOMS, OrthoTrac, and DSN: AI Receptionist Integration for Specialty Practice Software
Oral surgery, orthodontic, periodontal, and endodontic practices run specialty practice management systems: WinOMS and OrthoTrac from Carestream Dental, and DSN Software. What phone integration means for each, and how Telvana integrates with all of them.
3 min read
Eaglesoft Integrations: How an AI Receptionist Books Into Eaglesoft
Eaglesoft is Patterson Dental's server-based practice management system, and connecting phone tools to it works differently from a cloud PMS. What a real Eaglesoft integration does on a call, the questions to ask, and how Telvana integrates with Eaglesoft.
3 min read
Curve Dental Integrations: How an AI Receptionist Books Into Curve
Curve Dental is cloud-based and already integrates with phone systems. What that means for an AI receptionist, what a real Curve integration does on a call, and how Telvana integrates with Curve Dental.
3 min read
Dentrix Ascend Integrations: How an AI Receptionist Books Into Ascend
Dentrix Ascend is cloud-based, which changes how phone tools connect to it. What the Ascend API Exchange is, what a real Ascend integration does on a call, and how Telvana integrates with Dentrix Ascend.
3 min read
Best AI Receptionist for a Dental Office: How to Compare Vendors
A vendor-by-vendor comparison of AI receptionists for dental practices: who publishes pricing, which practice management systems each one names, and the four questions that separate a real PMS integration from a message-taking service.
5 min read
How Much Does a Dental Answering Service Cost?
Dental answering services cost $165 to $1,380 a month for live operators billed by the minute, $300 to $2,100 for per-call plans, and $199 to $599 flat for AI receptionists. Published prices, a comparison table, and what to ask before you sign.
7 min read
AI Receptionists and Your Dental Software
Telvana answers, screens and books the call, then writes a real appointment back into your system rather than leaving a message. What the booking contains, how the Open Dental write works, and how to test any vendor's integration claim.
6 min read
Open Dental AI Scheduling: How Write-Back Works
What actually has to happen for AI to write a real appointment into Open Dental: the six steps, the failure modes, and the questions to ask in a demo.
9 min read
Dental Office Phone Scripts for 8 Common Calls
Ready-to-use phone scripts for the eight calls a dental office gets most, from the new patient inquiry to the after-hours voicemail greeting.
8 min read
Dental Office Overhead: What Your Front Desk Costs
Front desk cost hides across four categories in a dental P&L. How to consolidate it, and the sixth cost that never appears in your accounting at all.
5 min read
Dental Answering Service vs AI Receptionist
A dental answering service takes a message. An AI receptionist books the appointment. How the two differ, and what to ask before you buy either.
7 min read
Dental Insurance Verification Before You Book
Eligibility at booking and a full benefits breakdown are two different jobs. Separating them is how a dental office gets its afternoon back.
6 min read
When Should an AI Receptionist Transfer to a Human? A Practical Escalation Guide
When an AI receptionist should hand a call to a person: four outcome tiers, escalation triggers, what the handoff must carry, and the fallback ladder.
14 min read
The Dental Calls an AI Should Never Handle
Implant consults, clinical questions, billing disputes. The dental calls that must reach a human, and why escalation rules test a vendor best.
6 min read
How to Forward Calls to an AI Receptionist Without Losing Your Number
You rarely need a new number. Four call routing models compared, what breaks when you forward a business line, and a reversible rollout and test plan.
10 min read
Dental Appointment Types, Codes, and Chair Time
A dental appointment is a type, a length, and a code set. How to map all three so the booking is right the first time and your schedule survives it.
6 min read
Bilingual AI Receptionist: Handling Spanish-Speaking Callers
Bilingual AI receptionist guide for Spanish-speaking callers, including dental and medical practices: four routing models, seven leak points, and a test plan.
10 min read
Dental Hygiene Recall: Filling the Column
Hygiene recall fails as a system before it fails as a script. Fix the list, the cadence, and the ownership, then use these scripts for each patient group.
7 min read
Can AI Receptionists Schedule Appointments? A Practical Guide
Learn how AI receptionists schedule appointments, which booking rules matter, when to use a human fallback, and how to test the workflow.
7 min read
After-Hours Dental Emergency Calls: A Playbook
After-hours calls are a dental practice's highest-intent and worst-covered calls. A triage playbook, three urgency tiers, and four ways to cover the phone.
6 min read
AI Receptionist Setup: A Small Business Launch Checklist
Plan an AI receptionist setup with a call flow worksheet, launch scorecard, test matrix, handoff rules, and a practical go live checklist.
10 min read
The New Patient Dental Call: What to Ask
The six questions that decide whether a new dental patient books, and why the order you ask them in matters more than the questions themselves.
6 min read
What a Missed Call Costs Your Dental Practice
Skip the industry averages. The arithmetic for working out what missed calls cost your dental practice, using your own call reports and patient value.
6 min read
AI Receptionist Script: A Practical Template for Small Businesses
Build an AI receptionist script for greetings, qualification, booking, transfers, and fallback paths. Use the practical template and test checklist.
10 min read
Speed to Lead: Why Answering First Wins the Customer
Speed to lead decides who wins the customer. See why answering on the first ring beats every callback, and how to be the first responder 24/7.
3 min read
AI Receptionist for Dental Practices: What It Does
An AI receptionist answers every dental patient call 24/7, books appointments, and captures the new patients a busy front desk would miss.
4 min read
Best AI Answering Service for Small Business in 2026
Compare the top AI answering services for small business. See features, pricing, and which one fits.
5 min read
After-Hours Answering Service: Why Your Business Needs One
40-60% of business calls come after hours. Learn why after-hours coverage drives revenue and how AI makes it affordable.
5 min read
How Much Does an AI Answering Service Cost?
AI answering services cost $50 to $300/month. Compare pricing to traditional services and see the full breakdown.
5 min read
What Is an AI Answering Service? The Complete Guide for Small Businesses
AI answering services handle calls 24/7 using voice AI. Learn how they work, what they cost, and why businesses are switching.
6 min read
AI Receptionist vs Answering Service: Published Prices Compared
An AI receptionist vs answering service comparison built on published prices only. What each option charges per call, how the two handle after hours and surges, and the one difference that decides it for a dental practice.
11 min read