🦷 Spooked by AI Threats? What Dental Practices Should Really Watch

October 14th, 2025
🦷 Spooked by AI Threats? What Dental Practices Should Really Watch

Spooked by AI Threats? What Dental Practices in the Southeast Should Really Watch

Serving dental offices across Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Panama City, Tallahassee, Atlanta, Savannah, Columbia, and Myrtle Beach.

Deepfakes in Dental Meetings: When “Dr. Smith” Isn’t Really Dr. Smith

Imagine a video call with a vendor who looks and sounds familiar—asking you to urgently update a payment method. With AI deepfakes, that “vendor” could be a criminal using stolen visuals and voice data.

How to Spot the Red Flags

  • Visual oddities: Unnatural blinking, mismatched lighting, fuzzy outlines.
  • Audio delays: Slight lag or robotic tone.
  • Process bypasses: Urgent requests that skip your normal checks.

What to Do Now

  • Verify out of band: Call or text known contacts before approving banking or software changes.
  • Enable MFA on email, imaging software, and remote tools.
  • Train front desk and billing teams—common targets for deepfake and BEC (Business Email Compromise) scams.

AI‑Polished Phishing: Clean Emails, Clever Traps

AI helps attackers craft messages that look like they came from your dental supply rep, insurer, or regional bank—often free of typos and formatted perfectly.

Warning Signs

  • Emotional urgency (e.g., “Invoice overdue,” “Account suspended”).
  • Subtle domain changes (one extra letter or a swapped character).
  • Payment or HR requests that skip your normal process.

Defensive Moves

  • MFA on Microsoft 365 and EHR/imaging portals (Open Dental, Dentrix, Eaglesoft).
  • Security awareness training with local examples (hurricane-season relief scams, vendor banking changes).
  • Email security that rewrites links and sandboxes attachments.

Fake “AI Tools”: More Malware Than Magic

Some “AI dental assistants” or “free imaging optimizers” are actually malware in disguise. They promise faster charting or HIPAA automation—but deliver ransomware instead.

Smart Steps for Dental Practices

  • Ask before installing: Have your IT provider vet any new AI software—especially anything that touches PHI or imaging data.
  • Block unapproved downloads to prevent rogue installs.
  • Watch seasonal lures: Tax-time “AI filing tools,” hurricane “supply chain” updates, or “discounted AI charting” ads.

Compliance and Cyber Insurance: Southeast Dental Reality Check

  • HIPAA/HITECH: Applies if any AI system processes patient data. Always obtain a signed BAA.
  • PCI compliance: Secure front-desk payment workflows and devices.
  • Cyber insurance: Expect audits for MFA, endpoint protection, immutable backups, and employee training logs.
  • Hurricane readiness: Test backups, generator failover, and ISP redundancy before storm season.

What “Good” Dental IT Looks Like

  • Imaging & EHR performance: Reliable networks for Dexis, Carestream, CBCT, Open Dental, Dentrix, and Eaglesoft.
  • HIPAA handled: Annual risk assessments, access audits, and test restores you can show on request.
  • Predictable support: Clear SLAs, fixed-fee billing, and plain‑English communication.

Why Dental Teams Across the Southeast Choose Us

Regional Dental IT Coverage

Serving North and Central Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina with same‑day/next‑day onsite. If you’re near Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Panama City, Tallahassee, Atlanta, Savannah, Columbia, or Myrtle Beach, we’re your local dental IT team.

Ready to Put the “Scary” AI Threats Back in the Box?

We’ll review your HIPAA controls, train your team with Southeast‑specific phishing and deepfake examples, and pre‑approve AI tools so you can innovate safely.

  • Dental practices: Free HIPAA readiness check and imaging performance review.


Schedule your free discovery call

Frequently Asked Questions

How can we verify a video meeting isn’t a deepfake?

Pause and confirm via a known number or text before approving any payment, sharing credentials, or installing software.

What security basics stop most AI‑phishing attacks?

MFA on email, layered email filtering, routine awareness training with local examples, and tested backups.

Are AI tools allowed under HIPAA?

Yes—only when properly configured and backed by a signed BAA. Always confirm vendor posture and document risk assessments before adoption.

Do you support practices outside Florida?

Yes—same‑day/next‑day onsite and remote support in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina

About the Founder

Clay Archer founded DPC Technology in 1995 to help dentists make technology stress‑free and secure. With over 30 years in dental IT, Clay also serves as the Florida Mission of Mercy Technical Team Lead and remains active across multiple dental associations throughout the Southeast.