Oryx and Pearl AI: The power of dental tech stack integration

The phrase ‘tech stack integration’ is about as pleasant as ‘double root canal.’ But when discrete parts of a dentist office’s tech stack work together seamlessly, it can mean the difference between a thriving practice and one hanging by a thread.

A simple system for success

Dr. Meredith Gantos, a dentist with a busy, thriving practice in Naperville, IL, knew that increasing case acceptance was key to her patients’ wellbeing and her practice’s financial future. Like many modern dental practices, her team used a dental practice management system: in this case, Oryx. Oryx worked extremely well in streamlining and automating certain tasks, but the team needed something more for patient education and communication.

In May 2023, Oryx integrated Pearl AI’s imaging software, trained on thousands of dental x-rays to accurately identify and predict the progress of all kinds of dental disease. Dr. Gantos started using it the same month. “I had looked at AI before, but I didn’t adopt it until it was natively integrated,” she explained. “As soon as Pearl was embedded in Oryx, I said, ‘Sign me up.’”

Pearl’s integration into the Oryx platform was seamless, and the cloud-based platform was easily accessible and efficient—even from home. “There’s no extra step,” said Dr. Gantos. “My team just clicks a button, and we’re using it every single day—it’s truly seamless.”

The AI-backed imaging software provided objective data about a patient’s condition, turning abstract dental concepts into quantifiable, trackable insights. For example, being able to clearly show patients the affected parts of a tooth was a game changer. It helped patients understand their condition, and then accept treatment. The objective data also built trust with more skeptical patients, by validating their concerns while guiding them to the right care decisions. “It just builds that trust and rapport,” explained Dr. Gantos. “That’s how my practice grows without having to market, overtreat, or overdo things. Patients see that and they feel that—it’s so authentic.”'

Tech support for the team

The impact on Dr. Gantos’ team was also immediate and positive. Thanks to Pearl and Oryx, hygienists could have more meaningful conversations with patients, without replacing the doctor’s expertise. This has helped patients see hygienists as thoughtful clinicians—not as a barrier to seeing the ‘real’ doctor. Dr. Gantos said, “I love that AI is helping hygienists not only confirm areas from a periodontal perspective, but also empowering them to have those conversations about incipient lesions [with patients].” 

The effect on case acceptance has been significant. “If you help patients understand the need for even one extra filling, it pays for the software,” Dr. Gantos said. “But it’s not just about profitability—it’s about reducing the doubt, the second-guessing, the resistance. That’s what really changes everything."

Unlike other technologies that can feel redundant, Dr. Gantos and her team found that AI solved a problem that no other tool could. No other tool could predict the progression of dental disease so precisely. Now, they had easily accessible numbers to back up their observations, which they could then share with patients to speed up case acceptance. Even a personal radiologist couldn’t provide the same real-time, chairside insights, Dr. Gantos said. 

“This is a technology I can’t live without... There's just no substitute for this. It’s such an important, powerful communication tool that it’s really tremendous. I wholeheartedly love it, I wholeheartedly believe in this.”

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