Sora 2 just dropped and dental practices are about to get very creative

Another AI tool launches and everyone loses their minds. But Sora 2 actually deserves some of the hype. Released on September 30, 2025, this isn't just an incremental update. OpenAI calls it the "GPT-3.5 moment for video," meaning it's the first time AI video generation actually seems to be working properly.

Within 24 hours of launch, Sora became the most popular app in Apple's App Store Photo and Video category. That's not because dental practices were early adopters. It's because the internet immediately discovered they could create whatever absurd scenario they could imagine in video form.

But underneath all the chaos, there's a tool that could genuinely transform how practices create social media content. The question is whether you're ready for what that actually means.

What makes Sora 2 different from every other "revolutionary" AI tool

Unlike previous video generation models that would "morph objects and deform reality" to make prompts work, Sora 2 actually understands physics. If a basketball player misses a shot in a Sora 2 video, the ball bounces off the backboard like it should. Previous models would just teleport the ball into the hoop because that's what the prompt asked for.

For dental practices, this means you can generate realistic videos of:

• Patient scenarios with natural movement and physics
• Procedure explainer animations that don't look like a fever dream
• Educational content that maintains visual consistency
• Creative scenarios that were previously impossible or prohibitively expensive

The model also generates synchronized dialogue and sound effects, which is a massive leap from the original Sora released in February 2024. So your AI-generated content can actually sound natural instead of like a robot reading phonebook entries.

Real dental practices are already testing this

Let me show you what's actually possible right now. Here are a few examples that perfectly illustrate both the potential and the absurdity of this technology for dental marketing.

Example 1: The straightforward educational approach

This video shows preventive dentistry content showing the importance of mouth guards. Clean, professional, informative. Exactly the kind of content dental practices need but rarely create because hiring a videographer and coordinating schedules is expensive and time-consuming. This video was generated in minutes from a text prompt.

This is the sensible use case. Content that requires no special equipment, no production crew, no models or actors. Just describe what you want, and it appears. For practices trying to maintain consistent content marketing, this is genuinely useful.

Example 2: The "Why would you even ..." approach

This video shows a dentist jumping out of an airplane talking about flossing. Because apparently someone decided that explaining proper oral hygiene required skydiving. And here's the thing: Sora 2 made it look completely believable, albeit the rope-sized dental floss. The physics of freefall, the wind effects, the synchronized audio over the rush of air. It all works.

Is this useful? Debatable. Is it attention-grabbing? Absolutely. Will it make your practice memorable? Probably.

Here is another example of sedation dentistry for dental anxiety:

Now combine the following caption and you have the perfect SEO-strong sedation dentistry post:

A nervous patient experiences compassionate care through sedation dentistry with nitrous oxide, easing their dental anxiety in a calm, zen-like atmosphere. At Compassionate Dental, in San Diego, CA, we specialize in helping anxious patients feel relaxed and confident with gentle, understanding treatment designed for comfort every step of the way.

The barrier between "what would be cool" and "what we can actually create" just disappeared. Every ridiculous idea your team has ever had for social media content is now technically achievable. Whether you should create it is a different question entirely.

How dental practices could actually use this

Let's get practical, because I know you're not here for the tech philosophy. Here are real applications that won't immediately destroy your practice's professional reputation:

Educational content that doesn't require a film crew

Want to show how a root canal works without horrifying patients? Generate a clean, animated explanation. Need to demonstrate proper brushing technique? Create a 10-second loop that doesn't require hiring a videographer, finding a model, and spending half your marketing budget on production.

The reality is that video content performs better than static images. Everyone knows this. But most dental practices don't create video content because it's expensive and time-consuming. Sora 2 removes those barriers, at least theoretically.

Social media content at scale

Videos generated in Sora 2 can be shared in a TikTok-style feed within the app, and users can create short videos from simple text prompts. This means you could theoretically generate a month's worth of social content in an afternoon.

Dental fun facts? Generated. Quick hygiene tips? Generated. Patient education series? You get the idea. Whether this creates genuine engagement or just adds to the mountain of AI-generated content flooding social media remains to be seen.

Creative scenarios that build brand personality

Remember that dentist jumping out of a plane to talk about flossing? That's the kind of creative content that would cost thousands to produce traditionally. With Sora 2, it's just a text prompt away.

For practices trying to build a personality-driven brand on social media, this opens up possibilities that didn't exist before. You can test creative concepts without significant investment. You can create memorable content that stands out from the endless stream of generic dental office photos.

The question is whether AI-generated creative content has the same impact as authentic, real-world footage. Nobody knows yet because this technology is literally days old.

The "cameo" feature that's actually kind of wild

Here's how the cameo feature works: you record a quick video and audio sample of yourself (just a few seconds of your face and voice), Sora processes it, and then you can insert your likeness into any AI-generated scenario. That skydiving dentist talking about flossing? A real dentist could have recorded themselves in their office, and Sora superimposed their face and voice onto that freefall scenario.

The technology quickly scans your facial features and voice patterns, then seamlessly integrates them into generated videos with surprisingly realistic results. You control who can use your cameo, you get notifications when someone wants to feature you, and you can revoke access or delete videos at any time.

For dental practices, this opens up some genuinely interesting possibilities:

What this actually means for your content strategy

With this technology everyone suddenly has access to professional-looking content. Your competitive advantage from having better video content just evaporated. When every practice can generate slick educational videos and creative content in minutes, the differentiator becomes strategy and authenticity, not production quality.

The practices that succeed won't be the ones that generate the most AI videos. They'll be the ones that use this technology strategically to support genuine patient relationships. This is similar to how AI receptionists like Annie evolved. Early adopters got attention for using AI. Now it's just expected functionality. The same thing will happen with AI video generation.

The Sora 2 copyright problem

Here's where things got a little messy: OpenAI's original approach let users generate videos featuring any copyrighted character unless rights holders specifically opted out. Within 72 hours of launch, after predictable backlash, they shifted to requiring opt-in permission instead. But the internet is already flooded with AI-generated Disney characters, South Park episodes, and every other piece of intellectual property you can imagine.

Disney and Universal are suing AI image creator Midjourney for similar issues, and the legal framework is being written through lawsuits, not legislation. For dental practices, the message is clear: if you're thinking about generating content with recognizable characters for marketing, you're potentially exposing yourself to legal action. The AI is moving faster than the courts can establish precedent, and your practice doesn't want to be the test case.

The bottom line for dental practices

AI video generation could genuinely make social media marketing easier for dental practices. No more coordinating schedules with videographers, no more production budgets that make you wince, no more choosing between creating content and actually practicing dentistry. You could generate educational videos during lunch breaks, test creative concepts without financial risk, and maintain consistent social media presence without hiring a full marketing team.

That's the future Sora 2 is selling, and honestly, it's compelling. But we're not there yet. The copyright mess needs resolution, the access needs to expand beyond invite-only iOS users, and the legal framework needs to catch up with the technology. The practices that will benefit most won't be the ones rushing to generate AI videos today - they'll be the ones watching this space, understanding the capabilities and limitations, and ready to implement strategically when the dust settles. Because when this technology matures and the guardrails are clear, it really could transform how dental practices approach content creation.

Editor's note: This article originally appeared in The Bottom Line with Dental Economics, the newsletter that will elevate your inbox with practical and innovative practice management and clinical content from experts across the field. Subscribe here.