What Is Pearl?
Pearl is an AI-powered dental diagnostics platform that analyzes radiographic images in real time, flagging pathology that the human eye might miss. The company's flagship product, Second Opinion, uses deep learning models trained on millions of dental images to detect up to 18 distinct findings per image — including caries, periapical radiolucencies, bone loss, calculus, defective margins, fractures, root canals, crowns, bridges, and implants.
Pearl now holds FDA 510(k) clearance for three distinct capabilities: Second Opinion for periapical and bitewing radiographs, Second Opinion for panoramic radiographs (cleared December 2025), and Second Opinion 3D for CBCT imaging. That made Pearl the first dental AI company cleared by the FDA for both 2D and 3D image analysis — a distinction it earned in May 2025, months ahead of the rest of the category. Clinical validation studies show 94-95% accuracy in pathology detection.
Beyond diagnostics, Pearl has expanded into practice analytics with Practice Intelligence, a dashboard that analyzes clinical quality, financial performance, appointment metrics, case acceptance rates, and production by provider — all in real time.
Who Is It For?
Pearl works for any practice that takes dental radiographs, which is essentially every practice. The sweet spot is mid-size to large practices and DSOs where the volume of images makes AI-assisted detection most valuable. Coast Dental, an 88-location DSO serving nearly one million patients annually, deployed Pearl across its entire network.
Solo practitioners benefit too, especially those without an associate to bounce diagnostic questions off of. The AI acts as a perpetual second opinion, catching things you might miss at 4 PM on a Friday after 30 patients.
Pearl integrates with over 30 imaging and PMS platforms globally, including Curve Dental (80,000-plus users), Oryx, Medit Link, and others. The company holds regulatory clearance in 120 countries across six continents, so international DSOs can standardize on a single AI platform.
Key Features
Second Opinion (2D): Real-time AI overlay on periapical, bitewing, and panoramic radiographs. Detects caries, bone loss, periapical radiolucencies, calculus, defective restorations, and more. Color-coded annotations appear directly on the image so you can walk patients through findings chairside.
Second Opinion 3D: Extends AI analysis to CBCT scans. Automatically identifies anatomical structures — dentition, maxilla, mandible, inferior alveolar canal, mental foramen, maxillary sinus, nasal space, and airway. Saves significant time on 3D treatment planning.
Practice Intelligence: Analytics dashboard tracking clinical quality scores, financial performance, case acceptance, production by provider, and appointment utilization. Identifies revenue leaks and clinical gaps across your practice or DSO.
Patient Communication: AI-annotated images make it dramatically easier to explain findings to patients. Practices report improved case acceptance because patients can see what the AI detected, not just take the dentist's word for it.
Pros
- First dental AI with FDA clearance for both 2D and 3D imaging
- 94-95% pathology detection accuracy backed by clinical studies
- Integrates with 30-plus imaging and PMS platforms
- Dramatically improves case acceptance through visual AI annotations
- Practice Intelligence adds analytics beyond just diagnostics
- 30-day free trial lets you evaluate before committing
Cons
- No published pricing — you have to talk to sales
- Requires an internet connection for cloud-based AI processing
- Value depends heavily on your image volume and case acceptance baseline
- Another subscription on top of your PMS and imaging software
- Practice Intelligence is a newer product with less track record
- Small practices with low radiograph volume may not see enough ROI