Why we’re building Bonsai

I’m Jesse Gray, an orthodontist. My son, Zach, and I are building Bonsai around the work my team and I do every day in our practice.

I believe AI should free people up to do people things… not take away everyone’s job. I’d rather have my team connecting with patients and building relationships in our community than running reports, editing photos, or typing detailed chart notes.

That’s the future we’re working toward.

We’ve already built over a dozen AI-powered tools that are being used every day in my practice. And it seems like every day, something new becomes possible that makes our lives a little better. We can’t wait to get these tools into your hands so they can make your lives better too.

First up: Bonsai Imaging

Imaging started with a question: why are we still manually editing our orthodontic records in 2026?

But editing photos was only part of the problem.

During consults and chairside, I felt like I was fighting my imaging software. I wanted to compare before-and-after photos or X-rays, send an image somewhere, or pull up a patient’s pictures when I wasn’t in the office. These weren’t unusual requests. They were things I did all day, and they took more effort than they should.

That frustration is a big part of why we’re building Bonsai Imaging. Getting the photos organized is the first step. Working with them throughout the day should feel just as straightforward.

Your images, wherever you are

Bonsai Imaging gives you instant access to your images from anywhere, on any device. No setting up a VPN just to pull up a photo when you’re away from the office.

Less time editing photos

Give Bonsai Imaging your photos, duplicates and all, and it handles almost all of the sorting, rotating, flipping, and cropping we’ve been doing by hand for years. You can still fine-tune the details whenever you want.

In my office, we take 14 photos per patient… I know, it’s a lot. Bonsai has them sorted and ready for our consult in just under a minute. That used to take my team about 10 minutes of manual work.

Here’s a look at a Bloom being made, using some slightly creepy AI-generated facial photos and Zach’s intraoral photos.

And yes, we know you’re wondering about the price

How much will it cost? Will it integrate with my practice management software? And probably a few other questions… but mostly, how much will it cost?

The truth is, we’re still working on getting the ongoing costs of running Bonsai as low as possible. We’re all tired of high software subscriptions.

The model we’re working toward is a fair upfront price, followed by transparent charges for the support and computing resources you actually use.

We’ll also be able to convert and import your existing imaging database, so you can bring your records with you. We’ll share more about pricing, database migration, and integrations as those details come together.

We’re putting the finishing touches on Imaging now. If you’ve signed up for early access, I’ll keep you posted with occasional updates. If you haven’t, you can sign up below.

Sign up for early access →

Thanks for being here early.

Jesse