- Years answering calls
- 30+
- Live agents, every call
- 24/7/365
- English & Spanish agents
- EN · ES
- Plans start at
- $33
Dental answering service
A live voice for your patients, even when the office is closed
A patient with a cracked molar at 9 p.m. doesn’t want a voicemail box. They want to know someone will help. Our dental answering service puts a trained, live agent on every call in your practice’s name, day or night. Agents follow your protocols for dental emergencies, book or request appointments the way you choose, and make sure new patients reach you instead of the next office on the search results page.
Southern Voices was founded by a physician in 1995 and is still physician-owned, so healthcare calls are the work we know best. We’re a US company headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Our agents work from our office and remotely, and every call runs through our US-hosted systems. Whether you need an answering service for dentists in a single office or coverage for a multi-location group, we answer 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in English and Spanish.
Who we answer for
An answering service for dentists and dental groups
General and specialty practices, solo dentists and dental groups with many locations.
General & family dentistry
Checkups, cleanings and the occasional weekend toothache, all covered.
Pediatric dentistry
Calm, patient answers for worried parents calling after hours.
Orthodontics
Broken brackets, poking wires and appointment changes handled by your rules.
Oral surgery
Post-op patients with swelling, bleeding or pain reach your on-call surgeon.
Endodontics & periodontics
Referral calls and urgent pain calls captured and routed.
Cosmetic & implant dentistry
High-value consultation inquiries answered live, not sent to voicemail.
Multi-location dental groups
Each office with its own greeting, schedule and on-call dentist.
Dental service organizations
Dedicated agents and consistent call handling across a large network of practices.
What we handle
Dental emergencies, appointments and everything in between
Dental emergencies
Knocked-out teeth, swelling, bleeding after surgery or severe pain: sorted by your definitions and sent to your on-call dentist.
Appointment booking
Agents book, move and cancel appointments directly in your scheduling system when you give us access, or take complete requests for your team.
New patients
Name, contact details, reason for the visit and insurance information captured from every new patient caller.
Prescription questions
Refill and medication messages taken in full and sent to the right provider.
Billing & insurance messages
Logged with the details your office needs to call back once.
Daytime overflow
When the front desk is checking patients in, calls roll to a live agent instead of voicemail.
Agents don’t diagnose and don’t give dental or medical advice. They follow the scripts and escalation rules you approve, and anything clinical goes to your dentist.
Nights, weekends & holidays
After-hours coverage for dental emergencies
Dental pain rarely waits for Monday. When your office closes, calls forward to us and a live agent answers with your practice name. If the caller describes what you consider an emergency, the agent reaches your on-call dentist by the method you choose: a live phone patch, a call to their cell, or a secure text. Everything else is logged and delivered so your team starts the day with a clear list.
Your on-call rotation lives in our system, and you can update it whenever your schedule changes. Read what happens when a patient calls after hours for the patient’s side of the call.
- Your front desk: 8 AM–5 PM
- Southern Voices: nights, weekends, holidays
- Southern Voices: lunch hour
- Overflow backup whenever your lines are busy
Example schedule. You choose exactly which hours we cover.
How dental calls are handled
What happens when a patient calls
A live agent answers in your practice’s name, works out what the patient needs, and follows your protocols to the letter.
- Urgent Your on-call dentist, reached now Live phone patch, a call to their cell, or a secure text, by your escalation rules
- New patient New patient captured Reason for the visit, insurance and the best time to call, sent to your front desk
- Booking Appointment booked Booked directly in your scheduling system when you give us access
- Question Question answered Office hours, location, parking and common questions, answered from your information
Many dental offices have Spanish-speaking patients. Our bilingual agents answer in Spanish live, not through a “press 2” menu. See bilingual answering.
Protecting patient information
What to look for in a HIPAA compliant answering service
Dental offices handle protected health information on every call, and compliance is shared between your practice and its vendors. Look for facts about how a service works. Here’s how we handle it:
- We sign a business associate agreement (BAA) with healthcare clients, including dental practices.
- Our agents are HIPAA-trained before they take patient calls.
- Messages go through secure channels: secure texting and the client portal instead of plain SMS.
- US-only staff for system access. Agents who work directly in your scheduling or practice management system are always US-only staff.
Learn more: what a HIPAA compliant answering service is.
Getting started
How it works
- Map your callsWe walk through your call types, office hours, on-call dentists and what counts as a dental emergency.
- Approve your scriptWe write the greeting, screening questions and escalation rules. You approve them before go-live.
- Connect your scheduleGive us access to your scheduling system and agents book appointments for you, or we take requests.
- Forward your lineAfter hours, lunch and overflow, or every call. Change schedules and scripts any time.
Pricing
What a dental answering service costs
Pricing follows your call volume and how much each call involves. Plans start at $33, and dental groups with several locations get volume discounts: the more offices and calls we handle, the lower your rate.
See answering service pricing for what goes into a quote, or ask us for one.
Plans start at
$33
Your plan is built around your call volume, and larger organizations get volume discounts.
Questions
Dental answering service FAQs
Don’t see your question? Call and ask a live agent, any time.
Can your agents book appointments in our scheduling system?
Yes. When you give us access, our agents log in and book, move and cancel appointments directly in your scheduling or practice management system, the way your front desk does. If you prefer, they take complete appointment requests instead and send them to your team.
How do you handle a dental emergency after hours?
Your practice defines what counts as an emergency. When a caller describes one, the agent follows your escalation rules and reaches your on-call dentist by live phone patch, a call to their cell, or a secure text. Non-urgent calls are logged for the morning.
Do your agents give dental advice?
No. Agents follow the scripts you approve and route clinical questions to your dentist. They don’t diagnose or recommend treatment.
Do you sign a BAA?
Yes. We sign a business associate agreement with dental practices, and our agents are HIPAA-trained before they take patient calls.
Can you answer in Spanish?
Yes. Bilingual agents answer in English and Spanish live, so Spanish-speaking patients get the same complete call.
How much does a dental answering service cost?
Plans start at $33 and scale with call volume and complexity. Dental groups with several offices get volume discounts. See our pricing page or contact us for a quote.
Keep reading
Guides and related services
What happens when a patient calls after hours
The after-hours call from the patient’s side.
What is a HIPAA compliant answering service?
What to ask any service that handles patient calls.
The cost of missed after-hours calls
Why unanswered calls cost more than you think.
Also serving: medical practices and hospitals and healthcare networks. Animal hospitals and clinics have their own veterinary answering service.