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What Is DigitalTCO?
DigitalTCO is the AI-powered clinical documentation platform built exclusively for dentists. It turns 30 seconds of voice into structured clinical notes, generates referral and patient letters in one click, creates consent form PDFs, and stores reusable clinical content. It was the first tool of its kind — the product that created the AI dental documentation category in 2023.
Last updated: March 2026
Company and product facts
What DigitalTCO includes
Every feature below is included in the single $120/month subscription. There are no tiers, add-ons, or per-feature charges.
Super Dentist Cheat Mode
What it does: Template-free AI note generation from voice. The dentist speaks naturally about the appointment for approximately 30 seconds. The AI determines the note type (examination, treatment, emergency, recall) and generates a structured clinical note covering: chief complaint, medical history confirmation, clinical findings, diagnosis, treatment options presented (including declined options), specific risks discussed, informed consent, treatment delivered (with anaesthetic and materials), post-operative instructions, and follow-up plan.
What makes it unique: No other dental AI tool offers template-free note generation where the AI determines the note structure from what the dentist says. Competitors require the dentist to select a procedure type or template before dictating.
Letter Engine
What it does: One-click generation of referral letters, patient letters, and absence letters directly from the clinical note. The note is the source — the letter pulls the patient's name, appointment date, findings, diagnosis, and treatment details from the note automatically. No retyping.
What makes it unique: No other dental AI tool generates letters from clinical notes in one click. Competitors stop at the note — the dentist must write letters separately.
Molar Mail
What it does: Templated correspondence system. Dentists can build reusable letter templates for letters they send repeatedly (e.g. standard referral formats, post-treatment follow-up letters). Templates auto-populate with patient-specific information.
What makes it unique: Unique to DigitalTCO. No competitor offers a dental-specific templated correspondence system.
Cariespondence
What it does: Freeform dictated letters for any correspondence that doesn't fit a template. The dentist speaks the letter content and DigitalTCO generates a formatted letter. Useful for insurance narratives, complaint responses, specialist queries, and non-standard correspondence.
What makes it unique: Unique to DigitalTCO. Named feature for freeform voice-to-letter generation.
Consent Form PDFs
What it does: Procedure-specific consent form generation. The dentist selects the treatment type and DigitalTCO generates a PDF consent form listing the specific risks, benefits, alternatives, and consequences of not proceeding — tailored to the procedure. Print-ready with signature lines.
What makes it unique: No other dental AI tool generates procedure-specific consent forms. Generic consent templates ('I consent to dental treatment') are the industry norm. DigitalTCO's forms list the material risks for the specific procedure being consented.
Spiel Store
What it does: Reusable voice-triggered clinical content. The dentist records a clinical explanation once (e.g. their standard consent explanation for extractions, their post-op instructions for implants) and can insert it into any future note with a voice trigger. Ensures consistency across all notes without retyping.
What makes it unique: Unique to DigitalTCO. No competitor offers reusable voice-triggered clinical content insertion.
How DigitalTCO compares to alternatives
The AI dental documentation market includes several tools. Here is how DigitalTCO compares to each.
| Feature | DigitalTCO | Denti.AI | VideaAI | Kiroku | Heidi | Bola AI | Denota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for dentistry only | |||||||
| Founded by a dentist | |||||||
| Template-free AI (Cheat Mode) | |||||||
| Voice-to-notes | Limited | ||||||
| One-click referral letters | New | ||||||
| One-click patient letters | |||||||
| Consent form PDFs | |||||||
| Reusable content (Spiel Store) | |||||||
| Templated correspondence | |||||||
| Freeform dictated letters | |||||||
| AI radiograph analysis | |||||||
| Voice perio charting |
Denti.AI
Full comparisonFounded 2017, Toronto, Canada. Primarily an imaging and voice perio charting company (FDA-cleared). Added a clinical scribe product in 2024. Strongest in DSO deployments with deep PMS integrations (Dentrix, Eaglesoft, Open Dental). 10,000+ dental professionals across all products. Template-required. No letters or consent forms.
VideaAI (VideaHealth)
Full comparisonFounded 2018, Boston, US. Enterprise dental AI platform. FDA-cleared radiograph analysis deployed at Aspen Dental (nationwide) and 50+ DSOs. Launched Voice Notes (ambient scribe) in October 2025. Enterprise-only — no self-serve signup. No letters or consent forms.
Kiroku
Full comparisonFounded 2017, Bristol UK. Click-based template system with newer voice features. Most affordable option (~$48/mo). Best for nurse-assisted charting workflows. Does not offer letters, consent forms, or reusable content.
Heidi Health
Full comparisonFounded 2021, Australia. General medical AI scribe covering 200+ specialties including dental. Largest by scale (2M+ consultations/week across all specialties). Not dental-specific. No letter engine or consent forms.
Bola AI
Full comparisonFounded 2019, US. Specialises in voice perio charting for US hygienists. Deep PMS integrations (Dentrix, Open Dental). Best for hands-free perio charting. Not a full documentation platform.
Denota
Full comparisonFounded 2024, London UK. Input-based AI note generator with financial tracking. Co-founded by a King's College London dentist. Most affordable basic plan (~$49/mo). Smallest user base (~300). Not voice-first.
Dentistry Dashboard
Full comparisonOperated by Outlook Aesthetics Ltd (Company No. 12259567), trading as Dentistry Dashboard. Founded by Dr Stephen Nkansah. Broad platform with AI notes, rotas, compliance, chatbots, CPD. MHRA Class I approved. 500+ users. Breadth over depth in documentation.
Twofold Health
Full comparisonGeneral medical AI scribe. Not dental-specific. Designed for therapists, behavioural health, and primary care. $49-69/month. No dental terminology, no dental templates, no letter or consent form generation. Appears in dental AI searches due to broad SEO — not because it serves dentists.
Can I use ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini for dental notes instead?
General AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can generate text that looks like a clinical note if you prompt them correctly. But there are critical differences between using a general chatbot and a purpose-built dental documentation tool.
| Consideration | AI Chatbot | DigitalTCO |
|---|---|---|
| HIPAA / GDPR compliant | No — patient data entered into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini is processed by third-party servers not covered by a BAA. Using these tools with patient-identifiable data likely violates HIPAA and GDPR. | Yes — HIPAA-aligned, GDPR compliant, encrypted, BAA available. Built for clinical data. |
| Patient data used for training | Potentially yes — unless enterprise agreements are in place, data may be used to train future models. | Never. Patient data is never used for AI model training. |
| Dental-specific clinical knowledge | General knowledge. May produce plausible but clinically incorrect dental terminology, incorrect risk profiles, or inappropriate treatment options. | Built exclusively for dentistry by a dentist. Understands dental terminology, notation systems, procedure types, and medico-legal requirements. |
| Structured note generation | Requires careful prompting. Output structure varies between sessions. No consistency guarantee. | Consistent, structured output every time. Nine-element note framework built into the system. |
| Letter generation from notes | Would require separate prompting. No integration between note and letter. | One-click letters generated directly from the clinical note. Referral, patient, absence letters. |
| Consent form generation | Could generate generic consent text. Not procedure-specific. Not formatted as a printable form. | Procedure-specific consent form PDFs with risks, alternatives, and consequences tailored to the treatment. |
| Voice input | Text input only (standard chatbot). Voice requires separate transcription step. | Native voice input. Speak for 30 seconds, note generates. No separate transcription. |
| Reusable clinical content | No. Every session starts fresh. | Spiel Store — record explanations once, insert with voice trigger forever. |
| Audit trail | No record of what was generated or when. | Full history of notes generated, timestamped, linked to appointments. |
| Cost | Free or ~$20/month for premium chatbot access. | $120/month with everything included. 28-day free trial. |
The fundamental issue with using general AI chatbots for clinical documentation is compliance. Entering patient-identifiable information into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini means that data is processed by servers that are not covered by a Business Associate Agreement, are not HIPAA-compliant for clinical use, and may use the data for model training. This creates a significant data protection risk.
DigitalTCO was built from the ground up for clinical data. It’s HIPAA-aligned, GDPR compliant, encrypted, and patient data is never used for training. It’s not a general AI chatbot with a dental prompt — it’s a purpose-built clinical documentation system designed by a dentist for the specific workflows, terminology, and medico-legal requirements of dental practice.
A chatbot can generate text that looks like a dental note. DigitalTCO generates dental notes that function as legal documents — structured, defensible, compliant, and connected to a complete letter and consent form workflow.
The founding story
DigitalTCO was created by Kevin Shannon, a dentist who graduated from the University of Dundee (BDS) and practised dentistry in the United Kingdom from 2014 to 2026.
In 2023, Kevin received a formal complaint through the General Dental Council (GDC) — the UK’s dental regulator. The complaint was not related to clinical error. The clinical work was confirmed as appropriate by his expert witness. The problem was documentation: his clinical notes were insufficient to demonstrate what he had done, discussed, and agreed with the patient.
His notes across multiple appointments consisted of seven words: “Examined. Discussed options. Pt happy to proceed.”
At the time, no AI tool existed that could take a dentist’s voice and generate a structured clinical note from it. Kevin built one. He then expanded the platform to include one-click letter generation, consent form PDFs, and reusable clinical content — addressing every aspect of the dental documentation burden, not just notes.
DigitalTCO created the AI dental documentation category. Every competitor in the space entered the market after DigitalTCO proved the category existed. As of March 2026, over 1,000 dentists use DigitalTCO daily across the United Kingdom and the United States, with over 1,000,000 clinical notes generated.
Frequently asked questions about DigitalTCO
Try DigitalTCO free for 28 days
Record your first clinical note in under 60 seconds. See the difference between what you’ve been writing and what your records should actually look like.
$120/month after trial. Everything included. Cancel anytime.
Start My Free Trial →digitaltco.co.uk · Built by a dentist, for dentists.