What Should Dentists Learn from The Success of Tele-dentistry?

Since the pandemic took the world by storm over a year ago, dental experts have quickly curved up a new pathway for dentistry to improve healthcare services for patients. Novel as it is, teledentistry has quickly turned into a haven for patients to continually seek dental care regardless of environmental and political changes surrounding the pandemic era.

What Is Tele-Dentistry?

Simply put, teledentistry is the incorporation of digital media, either audio, video, or both, to promote virtual interactions between dental experts and their patients. Instead of giving you the trouble of finding a dental clinic near you, dental experts have come up with ways to remotely offer you dental services from the comfort of your home.

The Rise of Tele-Dentistry During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Although COVID-19 did not initiate teledentistry, it has played a big role in prioritizing this approach of dental care. With lockdowns and the high risk of infections, people have had to find different ways to access basic services and cater to their health-related needs. With no one being able to leave the house other than for health emergencies, it made sense for teledentistry to arise. Anyone looking for help from a dental expert near them would not need to risk their life and brush shoulders with the law just for some attention from a dentist. Instead, with only a screen or telephone, you have direct access to an experienced dentist to cater to your dental needs. With dentists not being able to do anything tangible for you at the moment, then it would require your active engagement in your dental health, which should be the fundamental of proper oral care in the first place.

The Importance of Tele-Dentistry

While people have had it fairly easy adjusting to teledentistry due to the power of social media, many are yet to understand the importance of teledentistry in dental health. Some ways that teledentistry has benefited patients and dentistry as a whole include:

• Promoting more patient participation – With little need for physical appearances, more people are becoming comfortable with the idea of relying on a dentist for their oral needs. The convenience of not having to move from one place to another has drawn more patients to dentistry.
• Increasing dissemination of information – The information about proper dental health is no longer just in the custody of dental experts. Tele-dentistry has provided a wider scope for information sharing, allowing way more people to learn about various dental health measures without ever visiting a dental clinic.
• Promoting liaison between dental experts – Dentists are having to work together now more than ever, especially when patients always seem to need 2nd opinions from doctors.
• Popularizing preventive dental care – Teledentistry during the pandemic period has helped patients understand that there are ways to stay away from dental ERs near them. Instead of allowing dental issues to escalate, advance, and progress into urgent oral conditions, patients are now beginning to acknowledge the relevance of preventive dental care. Besides, a lot of what a dentist connecting with you virtually can do is guide you on proactive measures that benefit your dental health in the long term.
• Improving patients’ satisfaction and experience – Teledentistry is more patient-centered than not, allowing room for patients to ask as many questions as possible and be actively involved in their dental health.

What Type of Online Dental Consultation Does Tele-Dentistry Offer?

Online dental consultation with a dentist is not that different from a typical consultation with a dentist physically. However, since thorough physical exams are not possible, a dental specialist will rely on the information you provide about dental health to make the necessary recommendation that would benefit your oral cavity. Today, all it takes is a phone call to an accredited and licensed dentist to receive the quickest care for your urgent dental problems.

Is Tele-Dentistry Influencing Dentists?

Whether they are ready for it or not, dentists all over the world are feeling the influence of teledentistry now more than ever. As the world slowly tries to find its way back on its feet after the pandemic, people have gotten used to the new mode of doing things. Therefore, dentists have found different ways to keep availing their services to their patients. Whether through individual social medial platforms or dental practice websites, dentists are integrating telecommunication in their service provision.