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Before They Call, They Ask AI

Posted in Artificial Intelligence | November 3, 2026

How AAE is bringing evidence-based information to Google and the AI platforms patients use, and how your practice can follow the same playbook.

By Kim FitzSimmons, MBA, CAE, AAiP, AAE’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

For most patients, the search starts long before the appointment. It starts the moment a tooth begins to ache, or a dentist says the words root canal. Then come the questions, typed into Google or asked of ChatGPT: Will it hurt? Can this tooth be saved? Is an implant better? What will it cost? Often an AI-generated answer appears before the patient clicks a single link.

Those answers shape every step that follows: whether patients accept the referral, who they call, and how they feel walking in. When the answers are accurate, patients arrive calmer, better prepared, and ready to save their tooth.

This is now common. In a 2026 KFF poll, about a third of U.S. adults said they had used AI for health information in the past year. Four in ten of them said a major reason was to research before deciding whether to see a provider.

Those early questions are an opportunity, and AAE is working to make the most of them. We are bringing evidence-based information to Google and the AI platforms patients turn to, through work called Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO. Here is what that work looks like, what it has achieved, and how your practice can use the same playbook.

What AAE is doing

We monitor what patients find. AAE regularly checks how Google and AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, and Claude answer common questions about endodontic care. Answers vary by platform and change over time, so this work never stops.

We find the gaps. Our research shows that misinformation about root canals keeps returning to four topics: pain, cancer, longevity, and implants. Those are the questions where patients most need clear, accurate answers, and where public information needed strengthening.

We fill them. In August, AAE launched seven new and enhanced patient pages: Root Canal Explained, Root Canal Myths, Do Root Canals Cause Cancer?, Root Canal Pain, Root Canal Cost, Root Canal vs. Dental Implant, and Whole-Body Benefits of Saving Your Natural Teeth. Each one answers patients’ most common questions directly, links to the others, and uses structured data that helps search engines and AI tools understand the content.

We counter misinformation and seek credible coverage. We respond when inaccurate claims circulate, and we pursue coverage in reputable media that brings endodontists’ expertise to the public information patients encounter.

It’s working. AAE is the leading voice on endodontic treatment across AI platforms, with a 31% share of voice as of August 2026. No one controls what an AI platform says, and results can shift, so we keep monitoring and updating. That benefits every member: patients who understand the specialty, myths challenged before they keep someone from care, and a stronger public case for saving natural teeth.

Use our playbook on your website

AAE’s national work tells patients why to see an endodontist. Your website tells them why to see you. The approaches behind our patient content work just as well for a practice.

  1. Title pages with patients’ questions. Our pages carry titles like What is a Root Canal? and Root Canal vs. Dental Implant: Which Is Right for You? Do the same with the questions your front desk hears every day. What happens at my first visit? Do I need a referral? What if it’s urgent? A page called “Your First Endodontic Appointment” works harder than one called “Our Approach.”
  2. Meet fears head-on, in plain language. Our Root Canal Pain & Comfort and Myths About Root Canals pages address worries directly. Answer your patients’ concerns the way you would chairside, and keep key answers in the page text, not only in videos or PDFs. Link to AAE’s new patient pages for general topics, share them with patients before and after treatment, and spend your effort on what only your practice can explain.
  3. Show who is behind the care. Include substantive doctor biographies with accurate credentials, and name the clinician who wrote or reviewed each patient page. Google’s guidance stresses clear, expert authorship, especially on health topics.
  4. Keep your listings current. Review your Find My Endodontist listing, Google Business Profile, and other directories for accurate addresses, phone numbers, hours, and links. Google notes that a Business Profile can help a practice appear in its AI responses.
  5. Ask your website provider three questions. Can search engines reach and index our key pages? Does our structured data match what is on the page? Is our site included in Google’s AI features in Search Console? Inclusion is the default, but sites can now opt out. Be wary of anyone who guarantees AI placement. Google says no special optimization is needed, and inclusion isn’t guaranteed.
  6. Check what AI says about you, the way we do. A few times a year, search Google and ask several AI platforms the questions a prospective patient would ask, including how to find an endodontist near you. Use general questions only, never patient information. Treat the answers as a snapshot, not a ranking. If something is wrong, fix the sources you control first.

When patients turn to Google or AI with questions, we want them to find evidence-based answers, understand the value of specialist care, and know where to turn next. AAE will keep doing that work nationally. Your website connects it to your team and a clear path to an appointment.

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