Pediatric dentistry has always centered on prevention, trust, and clear communication with families. According to Dr. Bobbi Augustyn, artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a powerful tool that strengthens all three.
A board-certified pediatric dentist with 18 years of clinical and leadership experience, Dr. Augustyn has grown practices in both rural and metropolitan markets and held roles ranging from associate and partner to sole proprietor and CEO. That range of experience has given her a front-row seat to how technology can improve clinical consistency, patient understanding, and practice performance.
We spoke with her about why she believes AI is poised to become the standard of care in pediatric dentistry and how it is already reshaping patient conversations.
What sparked your interest in AI?
“For me, it wasn’t about solving a specific problem. It was about staying curious and making sure I’m always improving as a clinician and as a leader. Dentistry is evolving quickly, and I want to make sure I’m bringing the best tools possible to my patients.”
She added that pediatric dentistry, in particular, benefits from visual communication.
“A picture is worth a thousand words. AI helps translate what we see clinically into something parents and kids can understand instantly. It really helps create that aha moment for parents and patients”
How do you use AI during patient visits?
“I always review radiographs traditionally first. Then I compare my assessment with the AI before presenting findings to parents and patients”
“When decay is highlighted visually, parents and patients grasp the severity almost instantly. They can see the depth and number of cavities how close they may be to the nerve. That context makes treatment recommendations much easier to understand and trust.”
“Sometimes parents say, ‘It’s just a baby tooth.’ But when they see how close decay is to causing pain or infection, there’s often an immediate shift. It goes from abstract to very real, and that clarity helps families feel confident moving forward.”
Prevention is such a core part of pediatric dentistry. How does AI support that?
“Our goal is always prevention first. Ideally, we’re stopping disease before a filling is ever needed.”
AI helps identify very early lesions and makes those discussions more concrete.
“I can show parents areas that might not need treatment today but absolutely need monitoring and preventive care. Sometimes I explain that a small lesion today could mean multiple restorations later if ignored. Seeing it visually helps families take prevention seriously.”
“I can see it in their faces now. They truly understand what I’m explaining in a way grayscale images never conveyed. It brings the conversation to their level and gets them genuinely excited about their oral health.”
Where do you see AI heading in dentistry overall?
“I think AI will likely become the standard of care in dentistry within five years. As machine learning advances, it has the power to reduce variation between providers by identifying more clinical variables and bringing greater consistency to diagnosis. That consistency can strengthen trust in our profession and even influence how we train the next generation of dentists."
“My advice is to just try AI and get comfortable with it. You’re still the decision maker, and AI doesn’t replace clinical judgment, it supports it. It’s only going to make you a better provider."
