Thursday, September 24, 2020
To say the past six months have been challenging for dentistry would be an understatement. First, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommended that dentists nationwide postpone elective procedures. Then, dental offices gradually reopened with a new set of stringent infection control guidelines.
Yet, despite putting these safeguards in place, many patients are still hesitant to return to the dental office. And news reports predicting a double-whammy of the flu and COVID-19 this autumn certainly aren’t helping matters.
What’s more, waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine to be developed, approved and distributed—even if administered by dentists—offers no iron-clad guarantee for a return to pre-COVID-19 normalcy.
There is, however, an affordable and easy-to-implement solution that will enable you to effectively adapt to the current market conditions while also better preparing you for whatever changes await on the horizon.
Think of it this way. If the next six to 12 months are going to be a “corona coaster” ride, don’t you want the wheels of your practice to stay on the track despite the climbs and drops that lie ahead?
One way to keep your wheel-side down is to implement a teledentistry platform such as TeleDent™ by MouthWatch, which includes a robust, mobile-device friendly patient portal as a standard feature.
The Benefits of a Patient Portal
In a nutshell, a patient portal enables you to offer patients virtual consultations while also giving you the ability to archive and share diagnostic information without requiring an office visit. This is not only safer but more convenient as well.
Will your patients use a patient portal? For many, the answer is yes because they’re already using portals for physicians and hospitals. TeleDent provides dentists with portal capability that rivals that of large hospital systems. Here’s how:
- Virtual Consultations. TeleDent-equipped dental practices can now use secure live video to provide personalized virtual patient consultations or more in-depth screenings.
- Two-Way Messaging. Quick, convenient and secure two-way patient messaging via smartphone, computer or other devices can be used to help screen and triage patients before they schedule an office visit.
- Cloud Collaboration. TeleDent now uses cloud-based exam and patient data sharing to reduce intra-office travel. Team members can easily communicate with other providers within the team or external specialists.
- Teledentistry-Powered Cameras. TeleDent combines browser-based software with an intraoral camera to enable essential or non-dental team members within your group to send diagnostic images and patient data to remote care providers for evaluation.
- Home Diagnostics and Monitoring. Patients can use their smartphones to enable remote clinical evaluation, with images and videos shared through the patient portal. This can be especially important for medically compromised patients and for those who may be at high risk of treatment failure.
Adjusting to the New Normal
Patient portals can make it easier for you and your patients to adapt to the reality initiated by COVID-19, while also helping to prepare you for what’s next. Teledentistry has the potential to protect your patients, your team and your bottom line.
Brant Herman is the CEO and Founder of MouthWatch, LLC (mouthwatch.com), a leader in innovative teledentistry solutions, digital case presentation tools and intraoral imaging devices. The company is dedicated to finding new ways to constantly improve the dental health experience for both patient and provider. Contact Brant at [email protected]. To find out more about how DSOs can keep the dentist in teledentistry, click here.