# AI scribes for dental chart notes: dentists say templates first

URL: https://howdentistsuse.ai/cases/ai-scribes-dental-notes-templates-first
Category: Clinical notes & scribes · Source label: Practitioner report · Published: 2026-10-20

On r/Dentistry, the most specific praise for AI scribes came from people whose scribe fills in their own note templates, and a Tennessee dentist told a dental podcast the same tool cut his note time. The trouble came from open-bay microphones, record-upload-paste workflows, tools that degraded, and AI-drafted notes that had to be retyped. A King's College London study adds that clinicians should check every transcript.

## At a glance

- Practice: Several dentists + 1 named
- Size: Not stated
- Location: Mostly unstated (TN, UK)
- Tool: Overjet, Kiroku, Freed, others
- Cost: Not disclosed (lists vary)
- Source: Practitioner report

## Did it work? Results

- A commenter whose office uses Overjet with its own templates for limited exams, new-patient exams and consults said the notes capture everything in detail and usually need only minor tweaks. Routine procedures still get plain templates. (https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/1xa9d4f/ai_for_chart_notes/)
- A Kiroku user set the voice-to-text feature to their own template. They said it saves time because notes get written right after the visit rather than after hours, and that it works well for new-patient consults and detailed pain histories. They added that it can also generate letters from the appointment. (https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/1xa9d4f/ai_for_chart_notes/)
- One practice built its own system. A local model fills in the blanks on a note form and adds a summary of the conversation, and the full conversation is kept and indexed on the office server. They said it finally works but took quite a bit of work to get right. (https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/1xa9d4f/ai_for_chart_notes/)
- A commenter who once tried an AI tool that writes the note said they ended up retyping half of it anyway. Having the AI fill in template blanks worked better for them. (https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/1xa9d4f/ai_for_chart_notes/)
- Tennessee dentist Dr. Giles Damron has used Freed, a general clinical AI scribe, for about two years to write detailed dental notes 'in a fraction of the time', according to the show notes of a July 2026 Very Dental episode that also featured Freed's co-founder. The show notes give no figure for the time saved. (https://dentalhacks.libsyn.com/group-function-erez-druk-and-dr-giles-damron)
- In March 2025, a commenter said Dentistry Dashboard AI notes probably saves them about 30 minutes a day, mainly on exams, consultations and patient letters. A self-described co-creator of the tool later promoted it in another thread, so treat praise for this tool with some caution. (https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/1jg1z6z/anyone_really_using_ai_in_their_office/)
- One dentist said templated notes already take them under a minute, and that they would never want active microphones in their operatories. Another said auto notes in the PMS are already quick. (https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/1vg6ueq/dental_notes_ai_experiences/)
- A King's College London study of 10 speech-recognition systems on spoken orthodontic records found the most advanced ones were faster and more accurate than typing, saving up to 60% of the time. Clinically significant errors, such as misidentifying teeth or treatment plans, still occurred, and the researchers recommend that clinicians check and edit every transcript. (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/ai-speech-tools-could-revolutionise-dental-record-keeping-but-caution-is-needed-kings-study-finds)

## Who tried it, and why

In an October 2026 r/Dentistry thread, a dentist said their office was considering Pearl for chart notes so the doctors wouldn't have to stay after work finishing them. Evenings already go to treatment planning and to emails for patients and specialists on large cases, and some assistants write poor notes. The rep said every operatory would get its own microphone and the AI would write the clinical note. This dentist likes their own detailed templates, which are usually quick, but sometimes stays an extra hour after a day of consults or large treatments. They couldn't find reviews online. Replies in this thread and in an August 2026 thread split sharply. One dentist said a templated note takes them under a minute, another said auto notes in the PMS are already quick, and a third asked why an assistant couldn't take the notes. Others said a scribe that fills in their templates had saved them real time.

## What did they set up?

- Start from the templates you already use. The happiest commenters pointed the scribe at their own templates. One uses Overjet with the practice's templates for limited exams, new patients and consults, and fills in plain templates for routine procedures. Another set Kiroku to their own template instead of the generic one.
- Pick how audio gets captured. Overjet says Voice listens through every visit. It says any microphone works but recommends a package of two microphones per operatory (a wireless model), and anything you want in the note has to be said out loud. A separate recorder such as Plaud means recording, uploading, running your template, then pasting into the PMS. DigitalTCO markets dictating after the patient leaves, with live recording as an option.
- If you have open bays, test for cross-talk before rollout. One commenter said the operatory mics at their office picked up the next chair.
- Get the paperwork done before any patient audio goes in. That means a signed Business Associate Agreement for the exact product and plan, written terms on how long audio is kept (Freed's FAQ says audio is deleted automatically once the note and quality checks are done), and patient consent that meets your state's rules. Overjet notes that consent requirements vary by state, and Freed's FAQ includes a sample script for asking patients.
- Use the free trial. Freed offers 7 days; Kiroku, Dentistry Dashboard and DigitalTCO offer 14. DigitalTCO's founder also promises a refund if the first paid month doesn't save at least an hour a week. Try the scribe on consults and new-patient exams first, where notes run longest.
- Review every note before it is final. Some tools keep notes out of the chart until you paste them in (Dentistry Dashboard says nothing reaches the PMS until you copy it). Overjet says Voice writes notes and perio data straight back into the practice's software, so the review has to happen there.

## What did it cost?

None of the commenters said what they pay. List prices checked on 2026-10-20 (per clinician unless noted): Freed advertises plans 'starting at $39/mo', and its entry plan is capped at 40 notes a month. Its comparison table ticks 'Organization-wide BAA' for the Premier and custom-priced Groups plans, not Starter/Core. DigitalTCO lists $120/month in the US (£99 + VAT in the UK). Kiroku's pricing page shows only pounds and Australian dollars (£26.99 to £89.99 a month), and its US page says letters come with the Pro plan. Dentistry Dashboard AI Dental Notes is £40.99/month per dentist in the UK; it links to a US pricing page we didn't check. Plaud's NotePin recorder is $159. Its healthcare page lists a free starter plan with 300 transcription minutes a month, plus larger plans priced elsewhere. Overjet Voice pricing isn't published. In a May 2026 episode, podcast host Dr. Alan Mead explains why compliant AI scribing software carries a premium price: the vendor signs a BAA, which carries legal liability, and has to delete data promptly (per the show notes). Disclosure: the January 2025 podcast episode where Dr. Giles Damron introduced Freed listed his promo code DrDamron50 ($50 coupon) next to a tracked link (getfreed.sjv.io). The July 2026 episode carried the podcast's own code VERYDENTAL (50% off the first three months).

## What didn't go well?

- Open-bay mic bleed: a commenter whose boss installed Overjet's microphones warned that in open operatories the system hears the next chair, which makes for a very confusing note. Overjet's Voice page recommends two microphones per operatory but doesn't address open bays.
- Repeat errors: in the same August 2026 thread, another commenter said Overjet keeps making the same mistake and never learns.
- Plaud's workflow friction: a commenter using a Plaud recorder said its visit summaries were remarkably accurate. But they had to upload each recording, run it through their templated instructions, then copy, paste and edit the result into the PMS, so they don't use it all the time. Plaud's healthcare page calls the product HIPAA compliant but doesn't say how to get a BAA.
- DigitalTCO going wrong (UK thread, November 2025): a commenter said their team's DigitalTCO worked very well at first, then started writing nonsense for several of them on different accounts, so they cancelled. The original poster replied that someone they knew still found it useful.
- The home-built route is real work: the practice running its own local model got a working fill-in-the-form system with indexed conversations, but said it took quite a bit of work to get right.
- AI-drafted notes: the commenter whose tool wrote the note retyped half of it. Skeptics in the thread said notes shouldn't be educated guesses and joked about defending AI-written notes in a lawsuit.
- Oversimplified HIPAA claims in the August 2026 thread. One commenter said neither Claude nor OpenAI is HIPAA compliant, and another said Claude Enterprise is HIPAA compliant for $25 a month. Both oversimplify. Under HIPAA, a practice may disclose patient information to a vendor (a business associate) only after getting satisfactory assurances documented in a written agreement, usually a BAA (45 CFR 164.502(e)). Anthropic's BAA covers HIPAA-ready Claude Enterprise organizations (the Primary Owner has to switch HIPAA on and accept the BAA), HIPAA-ready API organizations and Claude in Microsoft Foundry. The $25 figure is Claude's Team Standard seat billed monthly, and Team isn't on that list. Enterprise lists $20 per seat per month billed annually, with a 20-seat minimum plus usage. A HIPAA guide from Medcurity says OpenAI offers BAAs only for zero-data-retention API setups and sales-managed ChatGPT Enterprise/Edu, not for Free, Plus, Pro, Team or self-serve Business.
- Forum noise: in December 2025, in the UK thread, a self-described co-creator of Dentistry Dashboard offered an extended trial six minutes after a user said they had switched to it. Other comments read like vendor pitches, so we left them out.

## Takeaways

- Templates first. The most specific positive reports came from commenters whose scribe fills in their own templates. The one person who described an AI drafting the note retyped half of it. Make your templates good before you buy anything.
- Use AI where the conversation is long: consults, new patients, limited exams with a pain history. Commenters keep routine procedures on plain templates, which one dentist says already take under a minute.
- Test microphones in your real operatories. Open bays can mix the next chair's conversation into a note.
- Count the clicks. A tool that needs record, upload, run and paste won't get used every day, however accurate the summary is.
- No product is HIPAA compliant just because its website says so. Get a signed BAA for the specific plan you'll use, written audio-retention terms, and patient consent that meets your state's rules. Claude Team and ChatGPT's consumer and Team plans aren't on their vendors' BAA lists.
- Compliant scribes cost more than consumer recorders. Published list prices run roughly $39 to $120 a month per clinician, and most tools offer 7 to 14 day trials.
- Read, edit and sign every note. Check tooth numbers and treatment plans first: the King's College study found even good systems can get these wrong.
- Discount forum praise from accounts linked to vendors, and remember that podcast recommendations can come with promo codes.

## Prompt to try (written by us)

Turn your note template into scribe instructions

```
I'm a dentist setting up an AI scribe. Below is one of my existing chart-note templates (for example: limited exam, new-patient exam, or consult). It contains no patient information.

Rewrite it as instructions for an AI scribe that will listen to the appointment and fill in this template. Follow these rules:
1. Keep my headings, their order and my wording exactly. Do not add or remove sections.
2. Under each blank, say in plain words what the scribe should listen for.
3. If something was not said out loud during the visit, the scribe must write [NOT DISCUSSED]. It must never guess or insert a 'normal' default.
4. Tooth numbers, surfaces, quadrants, perio readings, medications and doses are written only exactly as heard. If anything is unclear, write [CHECK].
5. End every note with: 'Draft - reviewed, edited and signed by Dr. ____'.

Then list the 5 places in my template where an AI scribe is most likely to make a mistake, so I know what to check first when I review each note.

[Paste your template here]
```

## Sources

- AI for chart notes (r/Dentistry thread), Reddit r/Dentistry, 2026-10-19: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/1xa9d4f/ai_for_chart_notes/
- Dental Notes AI Experiences? (r/Dentistry thread), Reddit r/Dentistry, 2026-08-05: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/1vg6ueq/dental_notes_ai_experiences/
- Dental notes AI (r/Dentistry thread, UK dentist), Reddit r/Dentistry, 2025-11-02: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/1ome6fu/dental_notes_ai/
- Anyone really using AI in their office? (r/Dentistry thread), Reddit r/Dentistry, 2025-03-20: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dentistry/comments/1jg1z6z/anyone_really_using_ai_in_their_office/
- Archived comments for 'AI for chart notes', Arctic Shift Reddit archive, 2026-10-20 (accessed): https://arctic-shift.photon-reddit.com/api/comments/search?link_id=1xa9d4f&limit=100
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- Group Function: From Hours to Minutes with Erez Druk and Dr. Giles Damron, The Very Dental Podcast Network (Libsyn), 2026-07-17: https://dentalhacks.libsyn.com/group-function-erez-druk-and-dr-giles-damron
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