DentalClinicsBuilt-in AI vs cloud AI in the dental practice: which task belongs where
The question is not which architecture is better. It is which task you are asking the algorithm to do, and what happens to your patients' images once the answer comes back.
Two places an algorithm can run
Every dental AI feature runs somewhere. Built-in AI (often called edge AI) runs on the device itself or on the workstation plugged into it: an intraoral scanner, a milling unit, an imaging PC. Cloud AI runs on remote servers: the practice sends an image, the server analyses it, and a result comes back.
Both are legitimate. They solve different problems, and most practices will end up using both.
Tasks that must stay on the device
Some tasks cannot wait for a network round trip. While you scan a patient, the software has to recognise the tongue, the cheek and the glove, discard them, and stitch the teeth into a 3D model as your hand moves. A delay of a fraction of a second makes the wand feel unusable.
- Real-time stitching and soft-tissue filtering during intraoral scanning
- On-screen guidance showing areas you have missed
- Automatic bite alignment while the patient is still in the chair
For these, built-in AI is the right answer. The device also keeps working when the internet does not.
Tasks that gain from server-grade models
Reading a set of bitewings, a periapical series or a panoramic image is a different job. Speed matters less than depth: the analysis can take a few seconds, but it should use the largest, best-validated model available.
- Model size. A server can run models far larger than the GPU in a practice workstation.
- Updates without new hardware. A new model version reaches every practice at once; nobody has to replace a computer to benefit.
- Comparison. The same image can be sent to more than one platform, and the outputs read side by side.
- Lower upfront cost. A standard office PC or tablet is enough to view the results.
What "cloud" should not mean
Sending an image to a server for analysis does not have to mean leaving a copy there. Before you sign with any cloud AI provider, ask how long your images and results are kept, and whether they are used to train models.
The safest design is stateless: the image is analysed, the result is returned, and nothing remains on the provider's infrastructure. There is no archive to protect, and nothing to transfer if you leave.
An FDA clearance covers a product, not a company
A vendor that "uses AI" is not the same as a device cleared for a clinical function. The FDA clears (510(k)) or authorises (De Novo) a specific product for a specific indication: caries detection on bitewings, for example. It does not certify a company or all of its features. Check that the clearance you are shown matches the function you will actually use.
Cost: where the money goes
| Built-in AI | Cloud AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | Higher: capable workstation or device | Lower: existing PCs and tablets |
| Recurring | Usually low, often in maintenance | Subscription or per-analysis fee |
| Ageing | Hardware limits which models can run | Model upgrades happen on the server |
| Without internet | Keeps working | Analysis waits for the connection |
The practical answer: split the work
Keep acquisition on the device, where real-time feedback lives. Send diagnostic analysis to server-grade models, under contracts that keep nothing. When you buy new equipment, prefer vendors that export standard formats (DICOM, STL) so your images can reach any analysis platform you choose later.
Six questions to ask any cloud AI vendor
- How long are my images and results kept after the analysis?
- Are my images used to train or improve your models?
- Which product, and which indication, does your FDA clearance cover?
- Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA)?
- Where are the servers that process my images?
- What can I export if I stop the subscription?
Where DentalClinicsAIHub fits
DentalClinicsAIHub catalogues dental AI products by clinical function, so you can see which product does what before you commit. Read our due-diligence questions and how we handle data, or browse the catalogue.
DentalClinicsAIHub is an integration and access platform. Regulatory status belongs to each vendor for its own product.