AI by industry · Health and wellness
AI for orthodontists: what to automate first
Orthodontics runs on long relationships: a consult, a start, a year or more of adjustment visits, then retainers. AI can answer consult calls, keep parents informed, follow up on consults that did not start and nudge patients who drift away between visits. Westward builds these for practices, and patient privacy rules apply to all of it.
Talk through your practice with the person who builds it
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your orthodontic practice to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Pick what you want AI to take off your plate
The consult is the front door
Most new patients arrive as a parent asking questions: what age, how long, what it costs, whether a referral is needed. A consult booked on the first call is worth more than a missed one.
An AI that answers, explains what a first visit involves and offers times can catch the calls that land during adjustments.
Treatment is a long game
A year of visits gives a year of chances for a teenager to miss one. Broken brackets, lost aligner trays and forgotten retainers all lead to calls and delays.
Reminders and simple ways to report a problem keep treatment on track.
Your referrers matter
Many patients come from general dentists. Keeping those offices updated on patients they sent is a courtesy that tends to bring more.
Picture this
Examples of what it can look like. Illustrations, not clients.
A parent calls at 4 PM, mid-adjustment rush, asking if their twelve-year-old needs braces. The call is answered, a consult is offered, and the parent gets the forms.
A patient texts that a bracket came loose. The practice gets the note, sorts it by urgency and offers the next open repair slot.
A general dentist sent a referral last month. A short update on the patient’s progress is drafted for the doctor to approve.
The rules that apply, in their own words
“A covered entity or business associate may not use or disclose protected health information, except as permitted or required by this subpart”
Sources
- 45 CFR § 164.502 (HIPAA Privacy Rule): When patient information may be used or shared, including by vendors.
- NIST AI Risk Management Framework: The U.S. standards body’s framework for using AI responsibly.
- 15 U.S.C. § 45 (FTC Act, Section 5): The federal ban on unfair or deceptive business practices, ads included.
Talk through your practice with the person who builds it
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your orthodontic practice to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Questions
Does AI handle clinical questions?
No. It handles scheduling, forms and general questions about your process and passes clinical ones to staff.
Is patient information protected?
It needs to be. Ask about a business associate agreement, where data is stored and who can see it. Your compliance advisor can help.