Safety will always be on the minds of your patients. For good reason. Teledentistry delivers on that desire.
But as it’s settled in as an emerging norm, teledentistry is increasing its impact on the broader patient experience too.
The telehealth movement (including teledentistry) has gained ground since before 2010. Fast forward to 2019 and COVID-19 somewhat forced dentistry to adapt around more contactless patient care protocols - thus the growth of teledentistry services.
The surge continues.
Some providers are slow to adopt teledentistry but report data from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health reveals that patients are on-board.
They surveyed 111 patients and highlights indicate that patients were pleased with their teledentistry experience.
Key findings of the survey include:
Teledentistry adoption doesn’t trend away from in-person dental visits. It simply raises the bar on the overall patient experience.
Teledentistry is redefining patient “contact.” A virtual visit can have the same touch-points…but in a way that many are beginning to prefer.
It’s not so much about eliminating the personal connection. That’s a burden technology innovations must often bear.
Rather, teledentistry has enhanced an already emerging trend towards contactless patient solutions:
The contactless patient experience is a best of both worlds innovation.
The more you can do to guide the patient mindset in a dental-positive direction the better. Ease, simplicity, and convenience can help.
Consider the time involved in a standard in-office dental visit. Though necessary more often than not, also consider the convenience of a virtual (contactless) visit.
Convenience helps reduce the friction some feel about dental visits. The virtual dental home concept creates the perfect environment for renewing and retaining patient relationships.
Dental practice management tasks and workflows are intended to tighten team efficiency. Often, the opposite happens as administrative challenges delay or slow patient care.
Teledentistry brings automation to many of those time-consuming systems. This exceeds the perspective some have about virtual dental care being primarily a video communication tool.
It is that…but there’s more under-the-hood when you implement a dedicated platform in your dental practice or across your DSO.
Like you, patients are accustomed to the remote, mobile access provided by technology. It’s less of a “stretch” for them to also consider virtual access to healthcare services.
Teledentistry supports the virtual care evolution. On-demand, 24/7 care availability sends the message that you embrace innovation designed to improve care standards.
Online capabilities create new digital amenities patients can choose.
The virtual dental care environment is here to stay. Expect each innovation around teledentistry to enhance the patient experience.
Check out these resources for more insight into the growing movement towards teledentistry adoption and its positive impact on your patient relationships:
It’s Time for Teledentistry Adoption Inside and Outside the Pandemic Context
Why Teledentistry is a Here-to-Stay as a Sustainable Service
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.
LEARN MORE about the Teledentix platform.
[1] https://www.carequest.org/education/resource-library/patients-give-high-marks-their-teledentistry