There are ideas and innovations who’s time has come. Sustainability then becomes a priority from that point forward.
That’s among the positive challenges facing teledentistry in the post-pandemic era of dental care. The COVID-19 pandemic created new opportunity for teledentistry - though the technology has been around since the early 2010s.
Even so, a primary question remains.
Does teledentistry have long-haul capacity?
Virtual dental care fills a gap. Patients who became accustomed to digital solutions during COVID now recognize the longterm benefits of the online environment.
Teledentistry is capable for long-haul capacity. Its ability to augment in-person care gives providers another solution to accommodate patient preferences.
Following are some additional and important questions to ask and answer as you establish your virtual dental care environment.
Are you equipped to go-the-distance with teledentistry as a sustainable service?
Long-haul success with teledentistry requires adequate resources and awareness of the challenges you could face as you adopt and/or expand your virtual dental services.
Are you adequately equipped for teledentistry?
- A trained and resourced team
- An advanced electronic health record (EHR) system
- A solid online patient portal
- Operational protocols in place (e.g. call/communication management, scheduling, administration, insurance interface, etc)
Are you aware of and prepared to meet the challenges associated with long-haul teledentistry?
- Costs associated with upgrading your EHR system, your online patient portal, and related staff training.
- Monitoring your state’s requirements and reimbursement allowances for telehealth/teledentistry services.
- Meeting patient expectations around trust and loyalty in the virtual environment.
- Maintaining compliance for patient privacy and data security.
All things considered, the resource requirements and the challenges of virtual dentistry appear to be worth the potential benefits going forward.
”Teledentistry has been in the spotlight more this year as a tool to provide remote access during the pandemic, and it has a broader, more important role to play in the future of oral health.” [1]
Teledentistry and the future of oral health care
The list of teledentistry benefits run the gamut. You (as provider), your patients, your staff, and revenue stream each have a stake in the future of virtual dentistry.
Your beneficial share in teledentistry could include the following core factors.
Care access and continuity
Teledentistry provides an additional option for accessing oral health care. The limitations experienced for in-office visits during COVID-19 have prompted innovative patient solutions.
- Timely access to referral sources
- Prescription consults and renewals
- Clinical consults for triage or dental emergencies
- Convenient access during closures or after-hours
Think of the virtual dental environment as an extension of your office and your expertise. Untethered and unhindered patient access to care is possible with teledentistry.
Care efficiency
An initial teledentistry consultation can reduce the time investment for in-office appointments. Virtual solutions can help streamline your clinical workflows.
- Obtain patient health histories and essential data via a teledentistry visit prior to an in-office appointment.
- Maximize clinical team time and energy using teledentistry in advance of a scheduled in-person procedure.
- Improve the patient experience with preliminary virtual consultations that reduce a patient’s time in-office.
Understanding these fundamental teledentistry benefits can further prepare you to face any future implementation challenges. The virtual dental care environment stands to improve as patient needs help drive innovation.
Check out the following resources for practical guidance about implementing and/or upgrading your teledentistry services:
How to Implement Teledentistry in Your Dental Practice
What Are the Core Best Practices for Teledentistry Success?
Create your virtual dental care experience on a dedicated, secure, full-capacity teledentistry platform
Teledentix is an innovative, turn-key teledentistry solution created by Virtual Dental Care. The all-in-one platform will enable you to adapt teledentistry to your patient care and extend your services beyond the walls of your dental practice…and improve your patient care in the process.
- Teledentix provides an easy-to-use video conferencing tool that’s secure, HIPAA compliant, and specific to dentistry.
- Teledentix Basic is a perfect starting point. Begin with a free trial and then transition to a very low monthly fee. You and your patients can join unlimited video conferences including screen-share, file-share, video-share, and real-time chat communications.
LEARN MORE about the Teledentix platform.
[1] https://whatsnew.dentaquest.com/domains-in-action-successes-and-challenges-of-using-teledentistry/
