Pearl

Second Opinion is the real-time pathology detection engine inside this X-ray reading software. It reads bitewing, periapical, and panoramic images the moment they're captured and marks up to 18 findings, from incipient caries and millimeter bone loss to calculus and impacted teeth. Pearl reports over 95% accuracy on its own models and cites a published study where operator diagnostic accuracy rose from 82% to 98% with the software in use. Findings land inside the imaging system you already work in, so nobody has to open a second program mid-exam.

CBCT scans hold a lot of information that most dentists only partly review, simply because stepping through hundreds of slices takes time. Second Opinion 3D segments key anatomy automatically, including the inferior alveolar canal, maxillary sinus, nasal space, airway, mandible, and individual teeth, then color-codes it. Radiograph reading in 3D goes further: pathology detection for the TMJ, carotid artery calcifications, and sinus radiopacities is cleared in Canada only for now, and the scan can be exported in 2D formats for radiologist referrals.

The overlays are built to be shown, not just read. Each finding comes with a colored outline, a percentage of the tooth affected, and a view that separates enamel, dentin, and pulp involvement. Comparison mode puts an earlier scan next to a current one so a patient can see disease progressing. Exportable health reports carry the annotated images home, which matters when someone leaves the chair and needs to explain the treatment plan to a spouse.

Practice Intelligence is the operational half of the platform. It builds smart call lists, sorts patients by urgency or treatment type, runs automated chart audits, and gives each clinician a daily huddle view of scheduled and unscheduled needs. The company says practices save more than 20 hours a week on insurance work, largely because Precheck verifies benefits directly instead of through portals and phone calls.

Bad X-rays cause bad AI output, so Pearl added a check before analysis. Imagecheck flags underexposure, cone cuts, and positioning errors at capture time, which gives the operator a chance to retake the image while the patient is still seated. That saves a second appointment for a scan that was never going to pass a claim review.

Pearl runs inside the tools practices already use rather than as a separate destination. The company lists more than 40 imaging and practice management partners, including DEXIS, Carestream, Romexis, Sidexis, Apteryx XVWeb, SOTA Cloud, Open Dental, Eaglesoft, Curve, and Dentally. There's also a standalone web app at secondopinion.hellopearl.com for practices whose system isn't on the list.

Caries overlays measure how deep decay has traveled through enamel and dentin toward the pulp, and the results line up with standard ADA caries categories. The output states how far along the lesion is, which changes whether the plan is watchful waiting, a filling, or a crown.