Teledentistry - Benefits

The advent of the COVID 19 pandemic has made us realize the importance of our health, now more than ever perhaps due to the lack of good, accessible healthcare institutions is paramount to our health. Not many people know the importance of telemedicine. Telemedicine has always played an important role in diagnostics remotely, especially in locations that are hard to access.

During these perilous times, telemedicine could play an in bridging gaps in Complete Dental care.

What is teledentistry?

Teledentistry is the combination of telecommunication with dentistry. It is a technique that is now at the pinnacle of interest in dental consulting. It is of two types, synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (not simultaneous). In this COVID era, it helps dentists to stay connected with patients while practicing social distancing. It also helps in providing dental care, consultation, education, awareness among the masses and, next step actions.

Types of equipment used:

In teledentistry, some specialized pieces of equipment are present. A simple setup might be a laptop or tablet computer with an intraoral camera.

But there are a plethora of devices utilized. It includes an intraoral camera, an extraoral camera, a digital radiography system, a portable dental radiograph system, laser, and fluorescence caries detection devices.

Need :

Many dentists contact dental practice consultants for expert opinion on the application of teledentistry. There have been immense technological innovations in the field of medicine. With these advances, we make use of telecommunication technology, digital diagnostic imaging services, computing devices, and software systems(for analysis and follow-up). These advances also helped in the management of dental patients. Management of patients in remote areas away from oral-care centers or qualified dentists is also made easier with teledentistry.

Advantages :

There is a disparity in oral health care in rural and urban populations and teledentistry can level the difference. It also helps remove socioeconomic distinctions in patients. It improves specialty care and plays a significant role in letting specialists consult with dental patients. It lowers the overall cost of dentistry and thus makes it more accessible for patients. Also, it aids in integrating dentistry with a broader health care system, thus promoting oral care and changing the misconception that oral health is somehow separate from general health.

Implementation of Teledentistry

There is a necessity for guidance in the implementation of teledentistry. Complete Dental Consulting provides you with dental consulting necessary for you to attain success in implementing teledentistry. According to the HIPAA (the act of 1996), teledentistry is compliant with all current medical norms.

One of the main attractions besides the stated advantages is the marketing scope and the reach it gives for everyone's practice. The utilization of teledentistry also helps the practices support both emergency and non-emergency care.

At CDC, there are specialized Dental Marketing Consultants for dentists who tailor to your needs and help in setting up teledentistry to suit your practice. It also helps in Compliance requirements for teledentistry and helps the dentist to meet them. CDC also helps in security risk analysis, structuring Business Associate Agreements, dental practice coaching, aids in training members, and providing updates on security awareness.