Overjet’s AI for Dental X-rays Helps Elevate Patient Care

When patients visit Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics, Ashwin Gulati, DDS, knows they want affordable, high-quality dental care that they can trust. Overjet’s artificial intelligence (AI) for dental x-rays helps achieve that goal.

The AI technology analyzes and annotates x-rays in real time, adding a layer of data to the radiographs to help with clinical decision-making and patient education. Overjet is the only dental AI solution that is cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration for bone-level quantification as well as decay and calculus detection. The data help dentists evaluate periodontal and restorative treatment needs.

“It’s our job to be as accurate as possible. If you’re going inside the tooth, you need to be confident that a cavity exists. It’s our responsibility to get as much information as possible to validate going into the tooth,” says Dr Gulati, the lead dentist at Rodeo Dental in Palmhurst, Texas.

Innovative AI Technology

The dental group has 45 practices in Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. It focuses on making it easy for patients to receive dental care by incorporating general dentistry, orthodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, and pedodontics under one roof. It has built its reputation on innovation, quality of care, and elevating the patient experience.

“We have a culture of innovation and invest in the newest technology for our practices and doctors,” says Saam Zarrabi, DDS, the CEO and cofounder of Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics. “We recognize that AI development is the future of dentistry and believe this will be a breakthrough technology that will lead to better access to care, higher-quality clinical outcomes, and ultimately a better experience for patients and providers.”

Dr Gulati adds: “Many of our patients can’t conceptualize their condition. Then we pull up the x-rays and they see where Overjet has outlined cavities and displayed significant bone loss in red. People understand that red means something is not right. Their eyes are drawn to the monitor, and it helps them to codiagnose. They want to know the details. It’s a great communication tool.”

As patients better understand why they need treatment, case acceptance increases.

“It converts into production,” says Dr Gulati. “I produce more because of Overjet.”

AI for Speed, Accuracy, and Consistency

Dr Gulati’s practice in South Texas is very busy. Their systems and workflows need to be tight and coordinated to ensure the best experience for patients and team members.

“I think Overjet should be the new standard,” Dr Gulati says. “I’m destressed because of Overjet. It helps make sure I’m looking at the right areas, and that I have another opportunity to reassess.”

Dr Gulati trains other dentists and team members within Rodeo Dental to use the AI. Unlike human eyes, computer vision never gets tired. It is objective and will consistently return the same results regardless of the time of day it analyzes the radiograph.

“When you have a patient in the chair, you need to make sure you’re diagnosing what’s there,” he says. “What’s small today could grow big very quickly. If you decide to put a watch on it, it’s annotated in the chart, and you’ll be able to monitor it every time the patient returns.”

New providers are amazed when they see the x-rays with the AI markings.

“It helps to train new doctors. I’ll have them look at the x-rays without AI, and then add Overjet. It improves your accuracy and accelerates your learning,” Dr Gulati explains.

Elevating Patient Trust & Communication

In addition to improving diagnostic precision and accuracy, the AI dramatically enhances patient education and communication. The colors and markings on the dental radiographs are a powerful patient motivator. Adding Overjet’s objective findings in support of the doctor’s diagnosis builds trust.

That is especially evident when patients come in for a second opinion. “They’ll say, ‘My last doctor said this, what do you think?’ I can show them Overjet, and the AI validates what I’m saying to them,” says Dr Gulati.

“The bane of dentistry is that patients don’t know who to trust. Now there’s a third-party arbiter that’s objective. It adds positive reinforcement, enhances communication, and elevates patient care,” he says.

That is the ultimate goal of Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics. Overjet’s AI technology is one more way they can help more patients receive the dental care they need to enjoy a better quality of life.