What You Should Know About Remote Dentistry

Over the last few decades, telehealth has steadily grown. The pandemic accelerated the demand for telehealth services, as the shift remote and raising awareness of the importance of the benefits of home-based care, made people eager to use telehealth services. Dentists have not been helped behind by the emergence of telehealth, with many dentists paying telehealth visits to their patients. Telehealth is convenient for both parties and, at the time of Covid-19, is safer. Patients and dental professionals can share images and videos to get a better understanding of the dental situations, providers are supported with assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and triage.

When Should You Use Telehealth Services?

As we said in the introduction, demand for telehealth services exploded as a consequence of Covid-19. As in-person care became riskier, dentists and patients found that telehealth visits were an innovative way to ensure that healthcare delivery did not end with the pandemic.

Although dentists maintain the highest levels of safety and have some of the lowest incidences of Covid-19 among healthcare workers in America, telehealth services are still a viable option for people who prefer to be treated from home, or who need a great deal of scheduling flexibility from their dentist, or cannot afford more in-person dental care, or, do not have the healthcare access they need. Telehealth is not just about avoiding catching Covid-19.

Dentists are able to assess and monitor a range of dental conditions using telehealth, such as toothaches; general consultation; gum concerns; chipped or broken teeth; oral lesions; cavities; crooked teeth; overbite; and other dental issues.

There are things that need a comprehensive assessment and this will involve an in-person visit to the dentist. If this is the case, your dentist will ask you to make an appointment for an in-person consultation. This is likely to be the case if you have a severe toothache; have loose or missing teeth; have an abscess,; among other dental issues.

Further Consultation

Your dentist may then refer you to a specialist, such as a top prosthodontist, an endodontist, a periodontist, or another specialist. This referral will be based on your particular needs. If your dentist believes your condition poses an urgent risk to your health, you will be referred to an emergency ward for treatment.

Further Reasons to Use Telehealth

There are a number of benefits to using telehealth services. Firstly, telehealth services are a fast and convenient way of getting dental care. Scheduling an appointment is quick and easy compared to traditional methods. Secondly, telehealth services are markedly more affordable than traditional in-person options. Thirdly, telehealth services are much more accessible than in-person dental care. Many people do not have a dentist nearby or cannot get to a dentist because of some infirmity, or another challenge. People living in rural communities are especially challenged by the lack of dental care in their areas. Fourthly, telehealth services allow patients and dentists to share information more easily, prior to the scheduled appointment, allowing a dentist to get better prepared for the telehealth visit. Finally, telehealth allows a dentist to mimic a lot of the elements of interactions they would have with patients in person, so the loss of going digital is minimized.