Dr. Sarah Mathai was reviewing a complex periodontal case involving Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome when she decided to try something different. Instead of calling a specialist colleague or diving into textbooks, she called Isaac—Trust AI’s clinical intelligence system—to discuss the case and brainstorm a comprehensive treatment plan.
Isaac immediately recognized the complexity. “With Ehlers-Danlos, we need to consider the increased bleeding risk and delayed healing,” the AI responded in its conversational tone. “What type of EDS does the patient have, and have you noticed any unusual tissue friability during previous procedures?” Dr. Mathai found herself in an actual dialogue, describing the patient’s hypermobile type and previous extraction complications. Isaac suggested modified surgical protocols, asked about the patient’s current medications, and even recommended specific suture techniques proven effective for EDS patients. When Dr. Mathai mentioned the patient’s anxiety about treatment, Isaac pivoted seamlessly, offering evidence-based approaches for managing dental anxiety in patients with chronic conditions.
“That’s when it hit me,” says Dr. Mathai, who practices in Sacramento, California. “This wasn’t just a fancy search engine. It was thinking through the case with me, like having a specialist looking over my shoulder—except it’s available at 2 AM on a Sunday if I need it.”
Dr. Mathai is among the 3,000 dentists who have started using Trust AI in recent weeks, making it the fastest-growing dental technology platform in history. The company just announced a $6 million seed round—the largest ever in dental tech—led not by Silicon Valley venture capitalists but by dental industry leaders, including Wehrle Implant Immersion Center and Midwest Dental, along with successful practicing dentists representing over $100 million in practice revenues.
This unusual investor composition reflects something significant happening in dentistry. The people funding Trust AI aren’t betting on abstract technology potential. They are users who have experienced firsthand how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape dental practice.
Beyond Digital Tools
To understand why Trust AI represents such a departure, consider how most dental practices operate today. The typical office runs between four and six different software systems—practice management, imaging, patient communication, insurance verification, and more. These systems rarely communicate effectively, forcing staff to duplicate data entry and manually transfer information between platforms.
“I calculated once that my staff was spending about 15 hours per week just moving information between systems,” explains Dr. Divian Patel, owner of multiple practices in the US and the UK, and Trust AI co-founder. “That’s not even counting the time I spent after hours catching up on treatment notes.”
Trust AI takes a fundamentally different approach. Rather than adding another layer to this complexity, it introduces what the company calls an “AI-native” practice management system—the first of its kind in dentistry. In an exclusive preview of the PMS, it’s clear how radically different this approach is. Users interact with it through natural conversation, whether typed or spoken, and the AI handles the complexity behind the scenes.
The implications become clear through simple examples. A dentist can ask, “Show me all patients with periodontal disease who haven’t been in for six months,” or “What’s the average case acceptance rate for crowns this quarter compared to last year?” The system understands context, maintains conversation history, and learns practice-specific patterns over time.
But the real transformation happens in clinical applications. When practitioners upload radiographs, Trust AI doesn’t simply highlight areas of concern like existing AI diagnostic tools. It generates comprehensive narratives explaining findings in clinical terms, suggests treatment sequences based on evidence-based protocols, and even helps craft patient-friendly explanations.
The Specialist in Your Pocket
Dr. Shervin Molayem, a Beverly Hills periodontist and Trust AI co-founder, describes the system’s development philosophy: “We didn’t want to build AI that replaces clinical judgment. We built AI that enhances it. Every dentist sometimes encounters cases where they’d love a specialist’s input. Now they have it, instantly.”
This capability has proven particularly valuable for younger practitioners. Recent graduates face an increasingly complex clinical environment with less mentorship than previous generations. Student debt averaging over $300,000 forces many into high-volume practices where learning opportunities are limited.
“In dental school, you could always find an instructor to discuss a challenging case,” notes Tracey Johnson. “In practice, especially as a hygienist, you’re often on your own. Isaac gives me confidence to handle complex cases I might have otherwise referred out.”
The system’s training on thousands of real dental cases enables it to recognize patterns and suggest approaches that might not be immediately obvious. It can identify when a seemingly routine procedure might have complications based on subtle radiographic findings or patient history factors.
The Insurance Breakthrough
Perhaps no aspect of dental practice frustrates practitioners more than insurance verification and claims processing. Trust AI has quietly solved this problem by connecting to over 3,500 insurance payers and developing AI that can interpret the often-Byzantine coverage details into clear, actionable information.
“Last week, I had a patient in the chair needing extensive work,” recounts Tammy Wehrle from Texas. “In the past, we’d have to call the insurance company, wait on hold, get confusing information, and possibly delay treatment. With Trust AI, I had complete coverage details in under a minute, explained in plain English. The patient could make informed decisions immediately.”
Why Now?
The timing of Trust AI’s emergence isn’t accidental. Several factors have converged to make this moment ripe for transformation in dentistry. Large language models have reached a sophistication level where they can handle complex medical reasoning. The dental industry has digitized enough infrastructure—from electronic health records to digital imaging—to provide the foundation for AI integration. And perhaps most importantly, practitioner attitudes toward technology have shifted dramatically.
“Five years ago, dentists were skeptical of any new technology,” observes Dr. Marty Jablow, America’s Dental Technology Coach. “The pandemic changed everything. Practices that adapted thrived. Those who didn’t, struggled. Now there’s an openness to innovation I’ve never seen before.”
This openness is reflected in Trust AI’s growth trajectory. The platform has expanded entirely through word of mouth, with practitioners sharing their experiences with colleagues. The company reports that their average user refers three other dentists within the first month.
The Network Effect
What makes Trust AI particularly intriguing from a market dynamics perspective is how it continuously improves through expert oversight. Behind the scenes, a team of dental specialists and AI evaluators review interaction patterns—not patient data—to identify areas where the system can provide better guidance. When practitioners ask novel questions or present unusual cases, these experts develop enhanced responses that benefit the entire network. This human-in-the-loop reinforcement learning means every practice’s unique challenges help shape a more comprehensive system, without ever training on individual patient information.
This creates what Silicon Valley calls a “moat”—a competitive advantage that becomes stronger over time. Competitors can’t simply copy the technology; they’d need to replicate years of specialist expertise and careful refinement based on real-world dental scenarios.
Dr. Bernard Casse, Trust AI’s CEO and a serial entrepreneur who previously founded AI robotics companies, understands this dynamic well. “In my previous company, we deployed AI systems that now handle 50 million products annually in factories. I learned that in AI, the winner isn’t who has the best algorithm—it’s who has the best feedback loop in the real world. Our specialist team ensures Trust AI gets smarter every day while maintaining complete patient privacy and HIPAA compliance.”
Looking Forward
The question isn’t whether AI will transform dentistry—it’s how quickly the transformation will occur. Trust AI’s investors are betting it will happen faster than most expect. Their vision extends beyond current capabilities to a future where AI orchestrates entire practice operations, from scheduling to inventory management to treatment planning.
For now, dentists are discovering immediate practical benefits. Faster diagnoses. Better treatment planning. Simplified insurance processing. Less time with paperwork. More time with patients.
As Dr. Shankar Iyer, Director of AAID Implant Maxicourse centers globally, puts it: “I became a dentist to help people, not to fight with software or spend weekends doing paperwork. For the first time in years, I’m actually practicing the way I always wanted to.”
That sentiment, multiplied across thousands of practices, suggests Trust AI may have found something powerful: technology that makes dentistry more human, not less.
The platform is available free at www.trustdentistry.ai, with premium features coming up in the next couple of months. Given the current adoption rate, it seems many dentists have already decided the future is worth exploring.
