I’ve spent 15 years in dental marketing. I’ve seen quite a few tools and strategies hit the market over the years. Some of have been great and others were flops. When new tech hits the market there are early adopters who rush to implement the tool hoping for improved profitability. And in most cases that happens. But there is a shake out process where the new tools need to find themselves and during this time period there is waste.

Leland jumped on this in our conversation and laid it out perfectly: “Right now, a dental practices could easily exceed a couple thousand dollars a month in AI costs by paying for tools that do some or part of the same thing as another tool. For example, we’ve got diagnostic tools that also do insurance verification, note-taking apps that provide AI insurance verification, insurance verification softwares that manage phones, AI phone receptionists that also provide note taking capabilities. On top of that each one of those softwares haver to pay a fee to get access to the PMS. So all of these companies are paying a fee that really only needs to be paid once. But because there are so many companies providing a portion of the solution the cost multiplies.”

It’s like having three different hygienists all trying to clean the same tooth. (Yeah, I went there with the dental metaphor.)

As we talked about this Leland said something that brought some clarity: “AI isn’t driven by research. It’s all market driven. There’s no large institution developing AI studies that give direction on what needs to be developed. The development is driven simply by what the dental practices are purchasing.

Leland then mapped out how he and P1 Partners are using a strategic approach to AI implementation that doesn’t involve buying everything at once. The strategy is to be hyper-focused on solving simple issues that help them to streamline processes. To do this they’re focused on three core areas: diagnostics (VideaAI for them), investigating call management systems like Annie AI), and Power BI for data analysis. That’s it. No chasing every new startup that promises to “revolutionize dentistry.”

To help manage this process they’re actively turning OFF redundant features. “Can we turn this off?” “Hey it looks like, we can get this data elsewhere and not have to pay for it.” They’re not just adding AI—they’re strategically managing it to avoid the overlap trap.

The real kicker? They’re tracking which doctors actually adopt the tools and why others don’t. One doc couldn’t use it because he still uses phosphor plates. Another’s waiting for his associate to start. They’re treating AI implementation like actual change management, not just a software rollout.

The Human Factor: Leland brought up something I’d never considered—some patients don’t want AI knowing they went on vacation. They’ll hang up on an AI agent. The human element isn’t going away; it’s becoming more crucial for managing the AI-human balance.

The Compliance Nightmare: With the Heartland lawsuit setting precedent, every practice needs to understand their AI tools’ data usage. Are you training someone else’s AI with your patient conversations? That’s a HIPAA violation waiting to happen.

The Market Consolidation: “The market takes care of redundancy,” Leland said. We’re going to see massive consolidation in the next 18 months. Pick your vendors carefully—some won’t survive.

The Integration Reality: You can’t just buy AI and expect magic. If your practice management system has garbage data, your AI will give garbage results. It’s that simple.

I’m not gonna lie—this conversation completely changed how I’m advising my MSP clients. Instead of showcasing every cool AI tool, we’re now doing strategic AI audits. What do you actually need? What’s redundant? What’s your team ready to handle?

Leland’s approach is what every practice should steal: Start with diagnostics (it has the clearest ROI), add one thing at a time, and constantly evaluate for overlap. Don’t put too much on your staff at once.

The practices that win won’t be the ones with the most AI tools. They’ll be the ones who thoughtfully integrate AI without losing the human touch or breaking the bank.