Dental Group Overview
Navy Yard Dental is a modern, doctor-owned practice in the heart of DC’s fastest-growing neighborhood, led by Howard-trained dentist Dr. Chad M. Jones — a “Forty Under 40” honoree recognized for his advanced cosmetic, restorative, and implant work. A 1-provider practice in Washington, DC, Navy Yard Dental uses Dentina.Ai Premium for after-hours and overflow, where Dentina helps screen patients during business hours while the staff is busy. With call transfer, web chat, 2-way texting, and advanced scheduling, Dentina helps the practice capture more booking opportunities while easing front-desk workload across exams and cleanings, emergency visits, restorative appointments, and reschedules.
Results at a glance
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Avg calls handled by Dentina per month (after-hours + overflow) | 484.5 |
| Avg appointments booked by Dentina per month (27.5/mo new + 19.8/mo existing) | 47.2 |
| Interaction rate | 83% |
| Avg reschedules handled by Dentina per month | 51.8 |
| First-year production potential from Dentina booked appts | $1,392,600 |
| Hours of front desk time saved over the last 12 months | 533 |
What other dental practices can take away
- Overflow + after‑hours coverage can be a growth lever: many new‑patient calls happen when teams are already at capacity.
- Reschedules and cancellations don’t have to create phone tag—automating them helps protect the schedule and patient experience.
- Escalation matters: call transfer preserves a “human option” for complex conversations while still offloading routine work.
- Multi‑channel communication helps meet patients where they are (voice + SMS + web chat).
The challenge
Navy Yard Dental wanted to capture demand when the front desk was busy (overflow) and when the practice was closed (after-hours). Without coverage, these calls often land in voicemail, delaying care and risking lost new-patient opportunities.
Benchmark: An analysis of 8 million patient conversations reported that the average dental practice misses 300 calls/month and that most missed calls are booking-related (nearly 80%), with many coming from potential new patients (65%).[5]
The solution
Navy Yard Dental deployed Dentina’s premium setup for after-hours and overflow coverage. Dentina was configured to handle the practice’s most common appointment needs – new patient exam/cleaning, existing patient exam/cleaning, emergencies, restorative needs, and rescheduling – while escalating complex requests via call transfer when appropriate.
Key Premium features used in this workflow included:
- Advanced scheduling capabilities to book and reschedule common appointment types.
- Call transfer to connect patients to the front desk or team members when live handling was needed.
- 2‑way texting (SMS) to support patients who prefer message‑based communication and follow-ups.
- Web chat (available within the package) to extend the same experience beyond phone calls.
Implementation approach
Dentina was positioned specifically as a safety net for calls that would otherwise hit voicemail. This approach helped Navy Yard Dental add capacity without changing the core clinical schedule or requiring staff to be on the phone after hours.
- Overflow handling during busy times: Dentina screens patient calls during business hours while the staff is busy.
- After‑hours coverage: Dentina answers when the office is closed and captures patient intent immediately.
- Escalation rules: calls needing live assistance are routed using Premium call transfer.
- Texting support for message-based follow-up.
Estimated value impact
- Potential new-patient production: In the last 12 months, Dentina booked 330 new-patient appointments. Using an industry benchmark of $4,220 in first-year production per new patient, this represents up to $1,392,600 in first-year production potential.[3]
- Sensitivity: If 60-80% of those booked new-patient appointments are ultimately kept, the estimated first-year production captured would range from $835,560 to $1,114,080.
- Estimated staff time saved: 5,814 calls were handled in the last 12 months. At ~4-7 minutes (5.5 min avg) per voicemail/callback cycle, that’s about 388-678 hours (533 hours avg). At the U.S. median receptionist wage of $17.90/hour, that equates to ~$6,945-$12,142 in wage-time value (excluding taxes/benefits/overhead).[4]
- Schedule protection: 622 reschedules and 205 cancellations were handled in the last 12 months – reducing phone tag and helping the team fill openings faster.
ROI note: To estimate payback, compare your monthly Dentina cost to the value of kept appointments. A simple break-even formula is: kept new patients/month = (monthly cost) ÷ ($4,220 × kept rate).
The larger operational win is often capacity: when the phone doesn’t pull the front desk away from in‑office patients, teams can focus on the in-person patient experience, check‑in/check‑out, insurance verification, treatment coordination, and filling last‑minute openings.
Dentina is an AI receptionist built for dental practices – designed to capture more opportunities while reducing front-desk burden.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics – Receptionists and Information Clerks (median wage $17.90/hr)
- TrueLark – Analysis of 8 million patient conversations (missed-call and booking data)
- Navy Yard Dental – Practice hours and location
- Burkhart Dental Supply – Average patient value benchmark ($4,220 first-year production)
Definitions: Interaction rate = calls where the caller engaged with Dentina (excluding immediate hang-ups). End-to-end (no transfer) and transfers are shown as a share of interacted calls; transfers act as a safety valve for complex or urgent needs. Appointments booked = appointments placed on the schedule (kept rate varies by practice).
