Booking bot for dental clinics

What a dental booking bot does

What the conversation looks like

Sample wording for the flow the description further down asks for. The square brackets are yours to fill in. On WhatsApp, three options appear as buttons and more than three as a list.

What the bot does not do

Plan around these before you publish a bot for patients.

• No medical advice

  It can't assess a symptom, suggest a treatment or tell a patient whether something can wait.

• No emergency handling

  It doesn't recognise an emergency. It offers an urgent option and your number. A first message such as "my tooth really hurts" gets the greeting and menu like any other, which is why the greeting carries your number. If the patient types instead of tapping, an AI model may match their words to one of your options. That isn't triage and it can miss, and once a booking has started the urgent option isn't offered again, so don't rely on it.

• No health details in chat

  Our data processing terms don't allow a bot set up to ask for health details unless we have agreed in writing and you have a lawful basis and safeguards. This flow asks only for the visit, the time, a name and a phone number, but a booking at a clinic can itself say something about a patient's health, so check that with your adviser. A patient can still type more. Whatever they type stays in the conversation, and a typed message the bot can't use is read by an AI model to work out what they meant. You can turn that reading off per bot.

• No recalls

  It can't message a patient when their six-month check-up is due. Every conversation starts with the patient, and reminders go out only for appointments already booked.

• No checks on the patient

  It can't see records, insurance cover or treatment plans. Every patient sees the same list of services, so a new patient can pick a check-up. If that matters, hold each booking for approval and check it yourself.

• No practice software sync

  Meerlume has its own calendar and doesn't sync with practice management software. Google Calendar sync is planned. If you keep both, someone has to copy bookings across, or a time can be taken twice.

• No shared rooms or "first available"

  A booking uses one calendar, either a person or a room. If a dentist and a hygienist share a surgery, the bot can't stop both being booked into it. Patients pick a named calendar; there is no "anyone available" option.

How it fits a dental clinic

The pieces to set up for a clinic.

Which setup fits your clinic

Three common shapes and what each one needs.

Start from this description

Open in builder starts a draft from this text straight away, and nothing goes live until you publish. Before you do, replace everything in square brackets and read the urgent message again: patients depend on those phone numbers being right. This description sets up two calendars, which need Growth at $49 a month. With one dentist, ask the builder to remove the hygienist.

I run a dental clinic called [clinic name], open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, with one dentist and one hygienist. Keep anything in square brackets exactly as written; I will replace it. Services: new patient exam (45 min, dentist), check-up (30 min, dentist), hygiene appointment (45 min, hygienist), whitening consult (20 min, dentist). Leave 10 minutes after each appointment. Start with this message: "Hello, this is the automated booking chat for [clinic name]. We book routine visits here. Please don't share health details in this chat. For anything urgent, call [clinic phone number]." Then offer three options: Book a visit, Urgent problem, Hours and prices. Urgent problem sends this and ends the chat: "We can't assess urgent problems in this chat. Please call us on [clinic phone number]. If we are closed, call [out-of-hours number]. In a medical emergency, call 112 or your local emergency number." Hours and prices says we are open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm and our prices are at [price list link], then goes back to the options. Book a visit asks for the service, the person, a date and a time, then the patient's full name and phone number, then confirms. Never ask about symptoms, pain, medical history, medication or insurance. Never give health advice.

Dental booking bot FAQ