AiroDental Raises $0 to Keep Dental AI Accountable to Dentists

Dentist-founded company announces it has taken no outside capital, carries no debt and answers to no board, so that the person deciding what the software does is someone who has to use it in a dental practice

EDMOND, Okla., September 8, 2026: AiroDental, the dental artificial intelligence company built by a practicing dentist for dental practices, today announced that it has raised $0 in outside funding.

The round, which closed on schedule, included no venture capital, no private equity, no angel investors, no debt and no board seats. Founder Deren Flesher, DDS retains 100 percent ownership of the company.

“We wanted to announce it the way every other dental software company announces its funding, because the number is the point,” Flesher said. “Capital should serve the mission. The mission shouldn’t serve the capital. Our financing strategy is part of our product strategy.”

AiroDental makes Laine, an AI platform that answers a dental practice’s phones around the clock, books appointments directly into the practice management system, and handles patient texting, forms and recall. Its second product, Saige, gives the dental team one place for procedures, training and daily tasks. Laine went live first in Flesher’s own office, Royal Oak Family Dental in Edmond, before it was sold to anyone else, and is now in use at dental practices in multiple states.

Who gets to decide

Flesher, who has owned and practiced in his own Oklahoma City-area office for over a decade, said the decision to stay independent is about product decisions rather than money.

“Every software company answers to someone,” he said. “If the company took venture money, the roadmap answers to a fund with a timeline. If it was bought by private equity, the roadmap answers to the next sale. Those are legitimate ways to build a company, and plenty of excellent ones are built that way. I just want the person who decides what Laine does next to be a dentist who has to live with it on a Tuesday morning when the phones are ringing and two people are out sick. Right now that person is me.”

In practice, Flesher said, independence shows up in ordinary decisions: pricing published on the website, a month-to-month agreement with no onboarding fee, features built because a treatment coordinator asked for them, and the freedom to say no to features that would look good in an investor update but add work at the front desk.

A second dental company, built differently

This is Flesher’s second dental technology company. In 2018 he co-founded Modento, a patient-communication platform that was acquired by Dental Intelligence in 2021 and remains in wide use across the profession. He is a coach with the Dental Success Institute and was named to the Incisal Edge 40 Under 40.

“I’ve built and sold a dental software company. I know how the incentives work once the capital is in,” Flesher said. “This time I wanted to find out what happens when they aren’t.”

AiroDental is funded by Flesher and by revenue from the practices that pay for it. The company employs a small team, and Flesher describes his own title as “chief everything officer.”

What the product does

Laine Voice answers inbound calls, handles patient questions in more than 90 languages, and puts the appointment on the schedule during the call. Laine Online Scheduling lets patients book on the practice’s website using the office’s real scheduling rules. Laine Engagement handles patient texting, forms, consents, reminders and recall. Laine writes directly into Open Dental, Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend and CareStack through AiroConnect, AiroDental’s own integration, rather than through third-party middleware.

“Laine has really helped take some of the workload off of our front desk team, especially when it comes to scheduling,” said Jenn Kenison, Front Lead at Mint Dental Care in Centerton, Arkansas. “It is so nice to have a system that can get patients scheduled even on the weekends and after hours, when we would have no other way to get them on the schedule. This has freed up our front office team to work on other tasks and allowed us to focus more on patient care.”

Laine Voice is $499 per month for 500 calls. Laine Online Scheduling is $199 per month. The Laine Complete bundle is $799 per month. Saige has a free version, with paid tiers for offices that want more. There is no long-term agreement and no onboarding fee.

By the numbers

Total outside funding raised: $0. Outside investors: 0. Board seats: 0. Debt: $0. Owners: 1, a practicing dentist. Languages Laine speaks: more than 90. Long-term agreements required: 0.

About AiroDental

AiroDental builds artificial intelligence for dental practices. Founded in 2025 by Deren Flesher, DDS, a practicing dentist and practice owner in the Oklahoma City area who previously co-founded Modento (acquired by Dental Intelligence in 2021), the company is 100 percent founder-funded and founder-owned. Laine, its patient-facing platform, answers calls, books appointments directly into the practice management system, and handles patient communication. Saige supports the dental team with knowledge, procedures and training. Month to month, no long-term agreement, no onboarding fee. Learn more at airodental.com.

Media contact

Deren Flesher, DDS Founder, AiroDental [email protected] (405) 808-1638

Press photo: available on request at the address above.