Monday, April 20, 2020
Today, COVID-19 continues to impact key communities. In the spring, the novel coronavirus hit everyone hard, closing dental offices, except for emergencies, for several months. We thought that would be over by now. It is not.
While some experts have called for another round of closings and re-openings, some individual offices are closing after finding out a recent patient or staff member reported symptoms or tested positive. Some cities are going back to Phase I of the “Reopening of America" because of the status of COVID-19. The virus has its own timetable, not yours.
Whatever the COVID-19 “new normal” has in store, your patients still need you. And in case you haven’t noticed already, you need them, too.
You may want to be better prepared for any Federal or state executive order for re-closing and re-opening cycles that impact your office. This could be for COVID-19 spikes in your community or any future syndemics of flu plus COVID-19 this fall. For example, there may be additional instances in the future when you may not be able to provide either elective procedures or hygiene services. Are you prepared?
As in the first wave of COVID-19 closings, you can still perform dental triage and emergency care in Phase I. In other words, you can be there for your patients when they need you the most. This is also when you need to live up to your brand messaging that says, “We at Smiley Smiles Dentistry treat our patients like family….”
The ER is no Place for a Dental Emergency
If your patients have a dental emergency during a mandated shutdown and your phone message says, ”Sorry, we’re closed until further notice," and they are forced to go to the emergency room, your brand message is toast. Who wants to go to an emergency room flooded with COVID-19 patients? Even if you provide an emergency phone number to call, phone triage has its limitations, is not secure and is not HIPAA compliant. An alternative is available. You can be there for them.
A much better option is teledentistry-enabled triage. This makes it possible for your patients to use their smartphones to participate in a live or recorded consultation with their trusted dentist, who can determine if they should come to the office immediately or if treatment can be postponed for a few weeks. In the case of a painful emergency, dentists can prescribe painkillers and antibiotics over the phone, which can hold patients over until they are able to come to the office.
By the way, the only thing an ER can do for your patients in a dental emergency—after a long wait, exorbitant costs of up to $800 dollars and paperwork—is prescribe the same medications, sending them home without treating the underlying cause of pain and discomfort, with the extra worry about contracting COVID-19 in the ER waiting room.
Did I mention that seeking relief in the ER during the coronavirus pandemic may increase your patients’ risk of contracting COVID-19? This is especially risky for patients who are medically compromised with diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, or any other pre-existing condition.
Certainly, you’ve been to an emergency room either as a patient or as someone’s emotional support. How do you think your patients would prefer getting a consultation and script? ER room or smartphone check-in?
Your Patients Already Know About Teledentistry
They don’t live in a bubble. They’ve heard about the basic principles of teledentistry via ad campaigns sponsored by direct-to-consumer clear aligner companies. They are also hearing a lot about telemedicine being a viable method for conducting medical triage during the 24-7 news cycle. Hmmm, why not dentistry?
The point is, you won’t have to work too hard to convince your patients to use teledentistry for a remote consultation—you just have to have the capability. In fact, they will probably appreciate the fact your practice is so well prepared to handle their dental emergency. You know what else? They’ll probably tell their friends!
Your Competition is Armed with Teledentistry
If you’ve been paying attention to dental industry news, you may have noticed that hardly a day goes by without a DSO announcing it has implemented a teledentistry platform to help stay connected to patients and to conduct dental emergency triage when necessary.
Another competitive threat is teledentistry companies that have an in-house network of providers. It’s possible a patient who is seeking relief from dental pain or simply needs to know if a chipped tooth requires emergency treatment will contact one of these companies and be referred to another dentist. All they have to do is Google “dental emergencies.” Do you want your patients entered into another dentist’s database? I didn’t think so!
In both cases, your competitive threats are merely filling a vacuum of consumer need. That vacuum does not have to exist on your watch and in your community. You simply have to level the playing field with your own teledentistry platform.
Teledentistry is Your Best Response to COVID-19
When you equip your practice with teledentistry, you’ll be able to conduct live video conferences with your patients. This capability will add a level of precision to your triage session—especially when patients send you a photo or video of their mouth from their smartphone. No, this is not as accurate as an intraoral camera, but it’s far better than a phone conversation.
Moreover, when your patients know you have a teledentistry option at the ready for their emergencies, it will mean much more to them than a post on your Facebook page saying, “We’re in this together… but we’re closed.”
It’s Not That Complicated!
Unless of course, you try to piece a teledentistry system together yourself. Why do that, when you can buy a teledentistry solution off-the-rack so to speak. For example, the MouthWatch TeleDent platform is a complete, cloud-based solution that is HIPAA-compliant and easy to implement. What’s more, despite its multi-faceted functionality and versatility, it is very affordable.
Teledentistry Beyond COVID-19
This is not technology that you’ll forget about until the next epidemic or natural disaster. Using teledentistry for dental triage is just the tip of the iceberg. Here are just a few of teledentistry’ s everyday benefits:
- Improved workflows
- Added convenience for patients and clinicians
- Collaboration with off-site care providers
- Closed-loop referrals and video specialist consultations
- Expanded hygiene hours
- Remote exams and patient monitoring
- Mitigating risk for immune compromised patients during annual cold and flu season
Teledentistry's virtual triage capabilities always will be useful because dental emergencies always happen. However, once we return to “dentistry as usual,” without a cycle of openings and closings, your COVID-19 response investment in teledentistry will pay off in multiple, continuous ways. You may wonder how you managed without it before the pandemic. Don’t you want to anticipate your patients' needs and provide what they need when they need it?
Michael Ventriello is the owner of Ventriello Communications LLC and specializes in developing strategic marketing and public relations programs for game-changing dental companies. He is currently a consultant for MouthWatch, LLC, a leader in innovative teledentistry solutions. Michael is a frequent contributor to dental industry trade journals. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow Michael on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.