Open your mouth and say AI: Dental startups raise $10M to detect disease and boost access

AI startups are positioning themselves to revolutionize dentistry by using artificial intelligence to detect oral diseases early, streamline administrative processes, and expand access to care. The push comes as dental health crises intensify globally, with 3.7 billion people affected by oral diseases and millions lacking adequate access to preventive care, creating a massive opportunity for AI-driven solutions to transform reactive treatment into proactive prevention.

The big picture: Traditional dentistry has been stuck in a reactive model of drilling and filling, but AI companies are betting they can shift the industry toward prevention and accessibility.

• Dr. Deepak Aulak, founder of Toothfairy, a U.K.-based dental AI company, argues that “by the time the drill hits the tooth, it’s often already too late,” emphasizing AI’s potential to catch disease earlier and spare patients from painful, expensive interventions.
• The World Health Organization calls oral diseases the most common health condition worldwide, affecting nearly 3.7 billion people, while untreated dental issues cost the U.S. $46 billion annually in lost productivity.

Key market drivers: Access gaps and rising costs are creating urgent demand for digital dental solutions.

• In the UK, 82% of dentists have treated patients who attempted DIY dentistry since lockdown, including people pulling teeth at home or gluing broken fillings.
• An estimated 72 million Americans lack dental insurance, according to the 2024–2025 CareQuest State of Oral Health Equity survey, forcing many to wait until pain becomes unbearable.

How the technology works: AI companies are targeting two main areas: diagnostic imaging and administrative automation.

• Toothfairy uses AI to spot early signs of gum disease and cavities in pictures, focusing on prevention before problems spiral into expensive treatments.
• Viva AI, an administrative automation company, streamlines patient calls and scheduling, with founder Farid Fadaie explaining that “AI eliminates the bottlenecks that waste time and money — missed calls, unbooked treatments and confusing care plans.”
• Companies like Overjet are applying AI to validate X-rays and streamline billing codes, helping reduce claim denials and speed reimbursement.

Critical challenges: Bias, trust, and regulatory hurdles remain significant obstacles to widespread adoption.

• Dental tissues vary in color, texture, and pigmentation across ethnicities, complicating algorithmic diagnosis and requiring careful bias audits.
• Dr. Chester Gary, a clinical assistant professor of restorative dentistry, warns that “AI in its best form is still only a computer. AI cannot think, feel or have a soul and AI doesn’t have the clinical judgment of a human being.”
• Both Aulak and Fadaie emphasize keeping humans in the loop and maintaining transparency about when and why AI is used.

What they’re saying: Industry leaders stress the importance of domain expertise and inclusive design.

• “Building effective AI solutions requires deep domain expertise. Our team is made up of practicing dentists who have treated thousands of patients,” Aulak noted.
• Fadaie frames inclusivity as essential: “We actively test across diverse demographics and languages to avoid blind spots. Our multilingual platform is designed so patients of all backgrounds get equitable care.”

Investment momentum: Funding is flowing despite broader AI sector challenges.

• Toothfairy recently closed an oversubscribed $10 million funding round while achieving profitability and generating millions in revenue — unusual in an AI sector where many startups operate at losses.
• Fadaie calls dentistry “high-volume, high-cost and fragmented — exactly where AI creates quick, measurable ROI.”

Looking ahead: Both founders envision comprehensive AI ecosystems spanning home and clinic care.

• Aulak sees a future with full-stack tools bridging diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment across different care settings.
• Fadaie predicts integration between communication AI and clinical AI, enabling real-time patient feedback and making “prevention finally become the more economical path.”