The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the demand and use of telehealth services. The Tele-Dentists have the team and infrastructure in place to respond to the tremendous spike in demand. During the recent lockdown, relief has been provided to well over 2,500 patients. Each of them had their reason to seek teledentistry support. The established telehealth/ telemedicine providers have seen a massive increase in patients. This is mainly as President Trump and Vice President Pence have extolled telemedicine’s benefits in their daily briefings and announced relaxed regulation and expanded Medicare benefits.
What is Teledenitstry all about?
Teledentistry falls under telehealth, which is a broad concept within professional healthcare delivery. Essentially, telehealth aims to provide patients with a broad range of solutions that they can receive from a distance. Some of the methods of delivering health solutions remotely are video conference calls, telephones, tablets, etc. It allows for the gathering and exchange of informative data with a dental professional. This data can support the delivery of dental care, diagnoses, consultations, and treatment. Dental information can also be transferred to a dental professional who may have more expertise in a particular area.
A tele-dental visit can take place virtually anywhere. For example, it could be in the form of a video conference between a dentist and a patient to discuss an urgent matter. This can help people avoid unnecessary hospital visits and can save seats at dental practices. Because it allows quick and easy consultations, more and more dental procedures are starting to offer these virtual services.
Benefits of Teledentistry
Benefits for Patients
During an emergency, a patient can immediately contact a dentist, even staying at a remote place. This connection helps the dentist find out the problem more accurately, suggest medicine, and save you time, money, and a tricky trip to a hospital or dental clinic. Thus, there is a lesser need for travel and a reduction in waiting times in dental practices. The cost of teledentistry is also lower while still providing quality care. In addition to this, you and your family can see a dentist on factors that don’t merely include the practice’s distance. This makes it easy to get a second opinion from a dental expert who might be far away from you geographically. Some emergency dentists are available at any hour, which is hugely beneficial for the patient.
- Patients in rural areas might postpone or delay dental treatment, or those without proper access to a dentist.
- Dental hygienists who provide offsite dental care or check-ups can gather data for proper diagnosis and follow-up care procedures.
- Specialists’ conversations are streamlined for more seamless referrals and needed follow-up appointments. Proper documentation and imaging are readily available in a single, secure, smoothly accessible digital region.
- Connections with a new patient health history affiliated with pediatricians, physicians, and skilled nursing facilities are enhanced.
- DSO clinical leaders have a renewed ability to deliver necessary clinical leadership and management to supported dentists.
- Quality control and production systems can be broadened via remote access.
- Virtual communications can immediately connect multiple partner practices, group practices, or solo provider practices for better training and case evaluations.
- For some, dentistry is postponed due to a lack of convenience. Others in more rural areas are isolated from dental service providers.
- Teledentistry can narrow the oral health care gaps for those in specific urban locations or rural areas to under-served communities.
- Teledentistry can offer necessary oral health care to those underresourced in urban and rural areas to socio-economically deprived communities.
- Teledentistry can connect specialist expertise and services with a broader number of patients requiring specialized treatment.
- Teledentistry can reduce the total care costs associated with primarily onsite dentistry.
- Teledentistry further promotes the oral-systemic health connection leading to improved overall health for more patients.
Benefits For Dentists
- As patients do not need to come into the practice as often, there will be reduced chair times. Your consultations can be virtual, and, thus, you can treat more patients per day.
- After surgeries, the patient need not come in for check-ups; he/she can be connected electronically.
- Patients can get second opinions through teledentistry – and so can dentists. If you require a second opinion from an expert, you can quickly consult with one digitally.
- Another benefit to dentists is that you can connect with patients from far off locations, which increases your reach and number of patients.
When implemented correctly, teledentistry could be a complete game-changer. It can give dental access to people who wouldn’t otherwise have it. With its many benefits, for dentists and patients alike, teledentistry is on the rise and becoming more popular in the dental field. Implants Pro Center© is always here for a consultation at your convenience. You can know more about dental implants and our treatment approaches by booking an appointment with us. At Implants Pro Center©, we receive all the primary dental and medical PPO insurances and also Medicare, thereby reducing your anxiety about the expense of various dental implant treatments. We have a much experienced and caring team for your life-long care, maintenance, and dental assistance. Implants Pro Center© is also furnished with modern technologies like CT-Scan, Intravenous Sedation, Platelet Rich Fibrin, etc. to provide you nothing less than the best services ever!