What is Teledentistry and How is It Changing the Industry?

Teledentistry is a new form of professional dental service that offers care to patients wherever they are. Excited about virtual dental care trends? Here's some of what you should know.

Teledentistry Defined

Teledentistry is the provision of dental services via a virtual remote link; the practitioner is in one location and the patient is in another. They communicate with each other using a computer or mobile device and accompanying software.

How Teledentistry Works

While actual dental procedures and exams cannot be done virtually, many services can. For example, consultations are the most common form of virtual health appointment. 

There are two different ways that teledentistry can be achieved: via real-time video chat software or store-and-forward. The latter method requires a dental assistant to gather data, such as x-rays or other diagnostic tests, which is then sent to the dentist for later review.

Although imaging and other data can be reviewed during a virtual appointment, dentists are not able to perform diagnostic tests, exams, or other procedures that require the patient's physical presence. However, dentists can conduct procedure consultations, follow-up appointments after surgery, and remote specialist consultations online.

Benefits

There are a number of potential benefits to adopting virtual dental care in your office, including:

Increasing Community Access to Dental Care

Getting to the dentist can be challenging for many people, especially when they don't have good dental insurance. Teledentistry may allow practitioners to offer some services at a lower cost because the overhead cost to see the patient is reduced. This has the potential to open up access to dental services for many people in the community who were previously unable to obtain dental care. Virtual dentistry can also be helpful for patients who are housebound and have difficulty getting out for dental appointments, or who experience anxiety at the dentist's office.

Shortening the Number of Visits Needed for Certain Procedures

Some procedures, like complex restorations or cosmetic work, could require multiple visits. This can be taxing for the patient and reduce treatment acceptance rates for your dental practice. With teledentistry, you can meet with the patient online for consultations, updates and diagnostic test reviews, and other non-clinical appointments. Patients often enjoy the flexibility of being able to choose in-office or virtual appointments for some services, which can help boost patient satisfaction and retention rates.

Putting Your Practice on the Cutting Edge of Dental Technology

As technology grows, patients are looking for dentists who are up-to-date with the latest tools, equipment, and services. By employing teledentistry, you can show your community that your dental practice is dedicated to embracing forward-thinking progress. This can be especially effective when you combine teledentistry with other advanced technology in your practice, such as computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). The boost to your practice's reputation by adding teledentistry to your list of offered services might also help you attract top candidates for dental associates, hygienists, and assistant dentists.

Challenges

Like other forms of virtual health care, teledentistry is not without its caveats. These challenges may or may not outweigh the benefits for different practices:

Patient Privacy

Patient privacy can be more challenging for dental practices who offer virtual services because HIPAA still applies. Internet communications may put data at significant risk. This can be mitigated with good cybersecurity tools, however, the danger is never truly eliminated. Patient records must stay secure via appropriate email encryption and multi-factor authentication, and patients must acknowledge the risk of their data becoming compromised if they choose to engage in teledentistry services.

Cost

Establishing your practice as a teledentistry provider can be a significant investment depending on how technology-forward your practice already is. You may only need to invest in software and a webcam setup, or you may need to purchase new computers, mobile devices, and other equipment if you don't currently have hardware that will support teledentistry services. Employing an IT provider with HIPAA and virtual health experience to help secure your network can also be a significant startup expense. However, the long-term benefits of teledentistry outweigh its initial cost for many dental practices.

Practitioner Payment

Currently, no formal model of practitioner payment exists for teledentistry services. Many insurance companies will not cover virtual appointments leaving patients paying upfront for their consultation or follow up. Determining how much to charge for teledentistry services is going to be a trial-and-error experience, so it's important to keep close tabs on your profit and loss in this particular category. Once you determine how much you should be charging for virtual dental services, you can account for overhead costs and dentist payment.

Is Teledentistry Right for Your Dental Practice?

Telehealth is becoming more common than ever and to stay competitive in the field of dentistry, offering virtual dental appointments may be your next step. Teledentistry isn't necessarily right for every practice though. 

For some practitioners, the majority of their patient base may not be familiar with virtual health or may be confused by attending a virtual appointment. If your target audience is unlikely to respond well to the addition of teledentistry services to your practice, the cost may outweigh any benefit you stand to gain. Be sure to evaluate your patient personas, along with data from patient questionnaires or other sources, to determine if becoming a teledentistry provider is the smartest move for your dental practice.

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