Teledentistry recently saw a major upsurge because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While on lockdown, patients across the globe relied on teledentistry appointments to maintain their regular dental cleanings and checkups. Teledentistry allowed people and continues to allow people to access timely and affordable dental care without driving to the dental clinic. This is a great way to access dental care from the comfort of your own home.
Teledentistry can include virtual consultations with dentists using video calls. The dentist can also use virtual tools to monitor your oral health, run tests, and offer more affordable dental care solutions. Teledentistry, and telehealth in general, represents a broader shift towards increasing access to dental and health care using technological innovations. These days, most aspects of our lives, including banking and work, can be handled online — and now dental care can also be handled online.
What Are The Benefits of Teledentistry?
It’s commonly established that patients must go for regular dental cleanings once every six months to maintain optimal oral health. That’s because the average patient takes approximately six months to develop a volume of plaque and tartar that can threaten their oral health, leading to cavities and gingivitis. However, most patients avoid dental cleanings and checkups until they experience toothaches or signs of gingivitis.
People avoid dental cleanings and checkups because they appear to be non-essential and inconvenient. The prospect of taking time out of your schedule for a dental cleaning, even if it’s covered by insurance, isn’t pleasant. However, teledentistry allows you to access dental care and check-ups from the comfort of your home. If the dentist identifies problems necessitating dental care, they can inform you over the call, so you don’t need to visit the dental clinic.
Teledentistry has made routine dental checkups more accessible and convenient for people, thus improving overall dental hygiene.
- More Affordable Dental Care
Teledentistry has proven to be more affordable for patients. That’s because teledentistry appointments are generally less expensive, and they save the patient considerable time and effort because of reduced travel times. Since teledentistry is more affordable for patients, they are more likely to manage dental health and oral hygiene.
- Suitable for Modern Patients
Studies have shown that a vast majority of patients prefer online communications. Over 70% of all patients are more comfortable communicating with healthcare providers over text, emails, or video calls, and 76% prioritize easy dental access over in-person communications. Furthermore, most people these days are conversant in online forms of communication, so teledentistry is ideally suited for modern patients.
Over 20% of Americans live in rural regions without access to dental clinics and medical centers in close proximity. Teledentistry allows patients to access dental care and checkups online, so they don’t need to travel long distances for healthcare. Furthermore, teledentistry allows dentists to meet patients from beyond their immediate cities, bringing quality dental care to the masses, which, in turn, improves overall health.
One of the major concerns people have about teledentistry is if it can be trusted. Can the dentist truly examine the patient’s teeth over a video call? However, studies have shown that teledentistry appointments have the same success rates as in-office dental appointments. As such, you don’t need to worry about weaker standards of dental care.