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Technological advancements always make their way to, if not originate in, advancements in medicine. The increased use of smartphones and related software applications have created a new era in clinical data exchange among patients and clinicians.
Before technology allowed for alternatives, practically every step of a patient’s care journey required an in-person visit. That meant time away from home or work for the patient, and clinical resource use for the practitioner—chair time, staffed hours, missed appointments and the like.
But in the same way a cell phone freed us from operators and living room wall jacks to communicate, remote care tears down boundaries. Patients are able to easily update their care providers on treatments without disrupting their schedule. Orthodontists and dental professionals can eliminate the guesswork (sometimes blind faith of adherence) between in-person visits, all while keeping their patients on track.
Technical advances in dental care have documented how early diagnosis, preventive treatments and early intervention can prevent or reduce the progress of most oral diseases. With that in mind, companies like DentalMonitoring have expanded upon this concept by using the power of artificial intelligence, complex databases and a multitude of remote monitoring solutions to help not only practices to be in contact with their patients, but increase efficiency of the offices, staff and associated third parties.
One such application, SmileMate, allows for remote assessments through a patient’s smartphone and DentalMonitoring’s industry-leading artificial intelligence diagnostics. Once the report is automatically generated, dental professionals can then request the best course of action for their patient before ever needing them to step in office.
SmileMate virtually takes new patient leads straight to the end of their treatment, showing an ultra-realistic smile simulation. AI-generated reports, featuring the ability to explain and indicate 19 oral conditions and 57 observations, are then tailored specifically to the dental professional’s needs and sent to the patient to show them how to get their smile in reality.
And in the same way SmileMate can attract patients to receiving treatment, remote care has the ability to become an effective tool for solving complex dental problems. While issues with orthodontic treatments, be it braces not following schedule or aligners losing efficacy, are still best treated in-person by orthodontists, the ability to monitor these issues in between visits can improve the success rate of treatment. Knowing what action needs to be taken for a patient before they arrive saves time for practices, and can relieve anxiety for patients.
Every technological advancement in recent history has made the world feel like an even smaller place. Though distances remain, be they physical or practical, maintaining contact has never been easier. Social media, the ubiquity of cell phones and increasingly-powerful data networks, all make reaching out easier than ever.
AI has the power to revolutionize the way patients and practitioners alike approach dental care. Whether it’s by delivering remote treatment for patients, enacting clinical and continued education for dental professionals of all stripes, technology has the power to make an industry once-complacent in tradition an agent of change. Thanks to the DentalMonitoring solution, dental professionals can maximize efficiency at every step of their patient’s journey and provide a trusted outlet for them to engage.
The benefits of remote care to the industry as a whole include:
- Improved access to care: Patients in rural areas, home-bound patients and the elderly may have trouble finding a dentist that is able to meet their needs. Remote care eliminates those barriers and gives these underserved patients access to a dental professional that may not have been possible before.
- Reduced cost: Seeing a patient remotely means the orthodontist or dental professional does not have to use up valuable gloves, mask, supplies and gowns, or take up chair time on patient needs that can be treated remotely. The DentalMonitoring solution allows consistent remote monitoring, freeing up resources for essential in-practice care.
- Easier adoption: Going to the dentist can cause anxiety in some patients. Patients being able to speak with a dentist in the comfort of their own home is a far more comfortable experience and may lessen the risk of oral health issues caused by neglected care.
- Improved oral hygiene education: One of the key advantages of remote care is the chance to educate patients on good oral hygiene practices. Teaching children to brush and floss, helping parents understand their child’s growth patterns, and giving advice about healthy diet choices can all be done utilizing remote care.
- Improved patient efficiency: Every year, Americans lose millions of work hours due to dental problems and appointments. Remote dental care cuts down on hours away from work, helps patients avoid lost income and fits more seamlessly into modern life .
- Improved practitioner’s efficiency: Many patients have minor dental problems that do not need face-to-face time with the dentist. If using remote dental care can address those problems, dentists would have far more time to treat patients whose needs they can treat only in a face-to-face visit. The use of modern technology and products, such as the DM Scanbox, allows patients to receive the care they need while saving resources for the practice.
As a pioneer in remote dental care, DentalMonitoring utilizes artificial intelligence to revolutionize the way orthodontists engage and convert new or existing patients, as well as monitor their orthodontic treatments. Dental professionals can detect 96 different oral observations with images taken with a smartphone, automated to save time for practices and lessen the chance for error. Application includes solutions for hygiene, gum disease, and tooth movement, the combination of which is reshaping the way patients now expect from their oral health providers.
See how DentalMonitoring is putting its industry-leading AI and remote care to use.
Visit www.dental-monitoring.com to learn how dental professionals are
creating virtual practices, monitoring orthodontic care and triaging
patients in a seamless experience.
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