The Challenge
For Dr. Ankush "Kush" Garg and his team at Watford Smiles, one of the biggest barriers to patient understanding wasn't the care itself — it was the image used to explain it. Traditional X-rays lacked clarity, and conveying what those grey and white shadows meant often required lengthy, manual explanations.
Before Pearl, explaining a diagnosis required time-consuming manual drawings over x-rays using a mouse. “Historically, I'd use our dental software to manually draw with my mouse — marking enamel, decay, dentine, and fillings — just to help explain what we were seeing," Dr. Kush says. "It was a long, tedious process." Not only did patients struggle to understand — delegating restorations was difficult.
Even within the practice, treatment handoffs between dentists and associates were prone to misinterpretation. The visuals just weren't doing the job.
Without a common visual standard, diagnoses could be misread or second-guessed, and junior clinicians lacked the confidence to move forward independently.
The Solution
Pearl's AI-powered x-ray analysis overlays were introduced in mid-2024. The tool automatically scans radiographs and highlights areas of concern — decay, bone loss, fillings, calculus — with easy-to-understand, colour-coded visuals.
The same visuals used in the chair became the basis for internal collaboration. Handoffs to hygienists or associates no longer relied on notes — they simply opened Pearl.
“Before Pearl, I would create the treatment plan and pass it to my associates, but my drawings left too much room for interpretation," Dr. Kush says. "Pearl's AI puts everyone on the same page. It's made internal referrals and team communication so much easier and more straightforward."
The Impact
Pearl’s colour-coded radiograph overlays replaced drawn-on annotations, making it easier for patients to understand and simpler for clinicians to align on. Treatment surged — 57% more care was delivered after Pearl than before.
As a result, Pearl drove double-digit growth across every major procedure:
- Hygiene: 58%↑
- Filings: 56%↑
- Crowns: 60%↑
- Root Canals: 56%↑
From individual providers to unified team.
- 'Tedious' drawings, scrapped: Instead of manually drawing over x-rays — marking enamel, decay, dentine, fillings — Pearl's AI overlays did the work. The team could discuss findings straightaway, leaving more time for care discussions
- Quick and easy handoffs: Treatment plans no longer left "too much room for interpretation." Internal referrals to hygienists and associates became seamless — Pearl's AI put everyone on the same page.
- Building trust from the start: Many new patients come after a bad experience or years away from a dentist. Pearl adds an extra layer of credibility — showing the practice has invested in their care.
