dental

Digital technology for restorative, cosmetic, and corrective dentistry has changed significantly over the years, allowing patients to receive modern dental solutions for their traditional dental problems. With the critical need for accuracy and precision in the scope of diagnosis and further treatment planning, digital intraoral scanners have been seeing massive popularity, alongside stand-alone equipment for computer-assisted design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Whether you are new to digital dentistry or looking for a fresh approach to treatment planning, according to the FDI World Dental Federation, adding an intraoral scanner to your practice will let you design and manufacture a “custom dental device, or a patient-specific dental device from an industrialized product, with the aid of a computer.”

What are intraoral scanners?

Intraoral optic scanners (IOS) are devices used to capture direct optic impressions by producing accurate and realistic images of the teeth and surrounding structures. They readily recreate the tooth’s anatomy and the dental appliance’s tridimensional position. Digital tooth maps can be created to provide an accurate color analysis for determining the shade and custom characteristics of cosmetic restorations.

The process of impression-taking is relevant for a number of dental cosmetic and restorative procedures and acts as a blueprint for the fabrication of respective appliances and devices. A dental impression is a negative imprint of the oral structures used in the fabrication of restorative prosthetics and orthodontic appliances for the recuperation of deficient or damaged tissues and the restoration of oral functions. However, with the problems accompanying conventional alginate impressions, a digital-analog comes in handy.

The current intraoral optic scanners are sufficiently accurate to capture impressions with much precision and detail and replicate the bone structure and tissue placements inside the mouth. Digital data of the oral tissues when displayed on the monitor can allow for endless modifications for superior fit and stability without having to take impressions of the patient’s mouth over and over again.

Popular manufacturers of intraoral scanners of 2019 include 3Shape TRIOS, 3M True Definition, Sirona Omnicam, Dental Wings DWOS, Medit i500, iTero, and CareStream.

Where are intraoral scanners used?

• Prosthodontic procedures: They are used for fabricating inlays/onlays, copings, and frameworks, single crowns and fixed partial dentures on both natural teeth and implants.

• Cosmetic procedures: They can be used for smile design and makeovers, and to fabricate posts and cores, removable partial prostheses, and obturators.

• Implantology procedures: Intraoral optic scanners can be integrated into implant dentistry for guided surgery and for the fabrication of custom abutments or screw-retained crowns and surgical guides for accurate placement of the roots of implants.

• Orthodontic procedures: In orthodontics, intraoral scanners are used for digital storage and on-demand model production in 3D printers, digital impressions, and 3D aligner treatment plans. They are effectively used in the fabrication of restorations, crowns, and surface coverage appliances used for aligning malaligned or crooked teeth (aligners and custom-made devices).

• Diagnostic purpose: They play a significant role in the diagnosis of specific dental ailments and aid in the customization of appropriate treatment plans for them. This ensures that the patient receives treatment sooner.

How do intraoral scanners work?

Similar to other 3D-scanners, they work by projecting a light source (laser, or more recently, structured light) onto the object to be scanned (in this case, dental arches and prepared teeth). Various name brands now have altered technology to create intraoral scanners that work for special dental conditions and are relative to the field of clinical use.

For example, the CEREC system makes use of the CEREC OmniCams to perfectly recreate the dental impression of the mouth. Since surfaces with uneven light dispersion can reduce the accuracy of the scans, these systems make use of opaque powder coating of titanium oxide to prevent such problems with scanning. One of the latest innovations of CEREC scanners called the CEREC ACBluecam uses LED blue diode as its light source.

The need for powder and opacification is typical of first-generation intraoral scanners (IOS). The more recently introduced devices can detect optical impressions without the use of powder. Technically, a scanner that works without opacification by powder is preferrable for clinicians and patients alike.

Differences between Intraoral scanning and Classic impression

1. The mode of operation

Conventional impressions accurately represent and replicate the oral environment for the fabrication of orthodontic and prosthodontic appliances.

• Dental materials like alginate and elastomers are mixed into a putty-like consistency and loaded onto trays (the fit of which coincides with the alveolar ridges).
• Following the insertion of these trays into the patient’s mouth, the patient is expected to apply normal biting force on the dental trays.
• An impression is successfully created and a die stone or dental plaster material is poured on the impressions to create a 3D representation of the oral structures. These impressions act as guides to create onto them custom-fit dental appliances.

Digital technology now offers a new easier approach to recreate 3D models that best depict the oral environment. An intraoral scanner comes with a disposable tip that can be used for individual patients.

• The scanners are simply glided over the alveolar crests and a full-color 3D model image of the oral structures is generated and can be visualized on the monitor in real-time. This allows for effective treatment planning and creating accurate dental appliances.
• After applying relevant modifications, the 3D data can be sent to the fabrication plant or milling unit to build the final dental prostheses and is handed over to the patients.

2. Precision and accuracy

Intraoral scanners work by digital technology that articulate and relay even minute details of the oral structures and can realistically replicate the entire oral habitat and all of its minuscule lines and ridges. This ensures that they convey flawless precision and accuracy which can be utilized to recreate the closest replication of the internal structures for the fabrication of a prosthesis. Accuracy is one of the key benefits of intraoral scanners that promote its use.

Traditional impression-making involves an unacceptable extent of leeway for errors and may not be as easy to perform as would be an intraoral scanner. While classic alginate impressions are excellent at recreating the details of oral structures, they may not be as reliable as intraoral scanners as they can miss microscopic nooks and crannies which may be vital in the adherence and fit of the final prosthesis which would be based on the initial impression taken.

3. Room for errors

The use of dual-arch trays in the conventional impression techniques poses numerous risks for potential laboratory errors such as shrinkage, irregular thickness, or detachment of the impression material and distortion of the impression. Human errors during physical impression-taking are inevitable and repetition would be inconvenient for the patients. Additional problems are dimensional changes caused by the expansion of the dental stone. Studies have reported that a mean deviation of about 10µm occurs when taking impressions and fabricating a cast, although considered negligible.

Although digital scanning eliminates the errors caused by humans and dental materials, technology-related errors are more evident with intraoral scanners. Since intraoral scanners lack fixed references and the first image acts as the reference scan body, even minor tampering with this impression can cause overlap images. Despite minor technical errors which are quite rare, intraoral scanners assist in the fabrication of crisp and well-fabricated dental prostheses with accurate fit.

4. Time-efficiency

Working with an optical intraoral scanner takes only a few minutes to operate and finalize the 3D model of the impression, significantly reducing the chair time, in turn reducing cost overturns. This enables the dentist to see many patients at a certain period of time to generate a digital workflow that is much more reliable and practical in performance. In cases where the digital data has not turned out as expected, another optical impression can be taken with much ease and speed.

With conventional impressions, there is a delay and wait for the impression material to dry, and takes more time to pour the impressions with dental material. Not only do patients need to wait and schedule another appointment for the finished impression, but it is also messy to take the impression.

5. Patient satisfaction

Traditional impressions cause inconveniences because they are unpleasant-tasting, bulky, and consist of cumbersome trays that make the patient experience unpleasant and disappointing. Furthermore, patients with poor gag reflexes can be easily triggered with the trays that impinge on the read-ends of their mouths and induces strong gagging sensations. With intraoral scanning, these inconveniences are eliminated. Not only is rear molar scanning easy with the intraoral scanners due to its slim design, but they also show the 3D model of the impression on the monitor that lets the patient visualize their treatment and be more involved with the procedure.

The takeaway

This cutting-edge technology used in intraoral scanners comes with a multitude of benefits that create opportunities and employs great patient and dentist satisfaction. With a strong learning curve associated with the IOS technology, dentists and patients can stay motivated and invested in the treatment.

Dentistry is a substantially progressive and ever-stimulating industry that knows no boundaries. It continues to create and innovate new and advanced techniques to expand its outreach to patients in need. In March, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommended a radical hold off of all routine dental procedures that were categorized under elective, until further advised. As states begin allowing dentists to slowly resume physical treatment, most of the dental practices still remain on a standstill since elective dentistry continues to be low on the dental procedure totem pole. While dentists struggle to keep their practices running, perplexed by the changing dynamics of the situation, it is important to ensure sustainability.

In the midst of a crisis, your employees are looking at you to guide them. True leaders lead. We are here to help you lead your practice successfully through this global crisis without losing your ground and compromising the trust of your team.

1. Align your expectations and focus on what you can control

As you struggle to find a direction of focus, just breathe. In such an eminent crisis, it is inevitable that you run out of the right answers and solutions for your practice and your employees. Your staff will rely on you to deliver a sense of meaning. Address the unknown and make sure you align your expectations and realities logistically.

It is going to take time and patience to rebuild and operate like the old times while efficiently overcoming this phase. You will need to understand that you cannot control your circumstances, but you can control what you do about them. Make sure your entire staff is on the same page in order to conquer this battle together.

2. Plan out your future endeavors for your practice

“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.” While it is important to acknowledge that you may not have all the right answers served to you on a platter, you will need to turn your focus on discipline and planning. Teams do best when they have a good leader to give them the opportunity to contribute and encourage their activities. Micromanaging your team’s activities is not going to get you anywhere. Look at the big picture and learn to balance a symbiotic dentist-staff relationship.

Calibrate with your team by researching available dental content, segregating the achievable and non-achievable goals, and setting out a unanimous vision to create an ideal dental care system that would benefit you and your patients. Discuss your five-year plans for the business by strategically planning the future of you and your company. It is important to not lose focus and vision when compounding various dental practice ideologies and policies. You are all in this together, make the most out of this experience by listening and learning.

3. Stay connected with your existing patients throughout

Telehealth has been seeing a steep uprise in the recent past and has been able to assist many dental practices to adopt and benefit from this virtual health care system. Teledentistry is the use of communication platforms and technological methodologies to deliver quality healthcare across geographic locations. Set up your teledentistry services on your website as soon as possible to be able to provide extensive services and extracurricular learning for your patients. During the lockdown, patients are unable to access easy dental care for the safety of the masses. Patients are understandably going to be overwhelmed and worried about their dental health and you need to be there for them. What’s great about teledentistry is that you can connect with your patients 24/7 without interruptions.

Real-time interactive consultations via audio or videoconferencing or store-and-forward stationary media forms can be provided to your patients at various locations. This data sharing is extremely valuable to the patients especially to those in need of specialist consultation. They can access quality healthcare all from the comfort of their own homes.

4. Engage in remote dental practice training

Dental staff training is a vast and multi-jointed management program that is crucial for all dental practices. However, owing to its time-consuming nature and magnitude, most dental practices would normally not be able to execute such an extensive program. Since most dental programs are now online and you have more time on your hands, you can take various dental courses that help you conduct remote staff training with little to no hiccups, also while safeguarding the health of the collective.

Educational course materials like webinars, conferences, corporate sessions, and other hands-on workshops are available to assist you in productively leading your practice into success. Objective subjects like treatment planning and case presentation, insurance billing and collections, and clinical charting can be your training resources. Staff training on paperless patient records and continuing care management are also valuable for dental practice during the pandemic.

5. Market your practice

There will not be a better time to invest in some dental marketing strategies than now. Creative blog-writing is avoided by most dentists to feature on their websites because they are time-consuming. However, an SEO optimized blog is one of the leading ways you can drive traffic to your website and make your dental practice attract more dental patients. Indulge in some creative content writing, or have your staff get on forums and popular dental directories to look for topics that are trending at the moment. You can also find time in creating engaging infographics and videos of common dental queries or facts that your patients may enjoy watching. Long story short, make a social media empire.

You can also make time to reach out to digital marketing agencies that can help you advertise your dental practice to attract more prospective patients into your practice. Some studies suggest that dentists miss out on almost 80% of their patients because they do not market their practice in a smart way. Remarketing campaigns can help bring new patients into your practice. Get online!

While the coronavirus hangs over the future like a ‘specter’, the government suggests a reclusive lifestyle to best curb the “bug” and minimize the community spread. You can take full advantage of this downtime to convert your losses into amazing successes. You must be pragmatic with your expectations and goals and drive your employees in the right direction. Work as a team and you will get through this with flying colors.

In view of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the dynamics of mundane ‘normality’ has shifted. These are unprecedented times and according to numerous studies this continually-evolving mass mayhem may have given rise to a ‘new normal’ for the healthcare system, especially the dental industry to operate. A patient’s access to basic oral healthcare was initially thought to have been compromised owing to the current global climate that encourages dental practices to remain closed for elective dental procedures in order to minimize physical contact between dental practitioners and patients and manufacture a reformed process of infection control and condemned safety. This remote dental function, however, inspired most dental practices to begin offering teledentistry services to help the patients access their prerogative rights of dental care.

What is teledentistry?

“Teledentistry” is a new intuitive process of using information-based technologies and communication modulations, including interactive audio and video systems to deliver a proprietary model of virtual dental care to people separated by different geographic terrains. It is a concept that enables dentists to incorporate telemedicine into their dental care systems and communicate with patients located in underserved or remote areas via remote consultations and advanced monitoring facilities. Dentists are also able to establish a vantage point for better quality services by collaborating and discussing with other specialists across the board.

Telehealth is not a specific service, but a means of delivering medical, health, and education services. It is a reflection of a wider chain of care in the ever-changing dental landscape- a value-added service for patients and dentists alike. In support of this treatment concept, Parks Associates reports that 60% of the U.S. households with broadband access “are interested in remote care that would take place online or by telephone.” Teledentistry is changing the way dentists access patients.

Evidence in favor of teledentistry

The original concept of teledentistry was developed as part of the blueprint for dental informatics, states the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Evidence from a military project of the U.S. Army (U.S. Army’s Total Dental Access Project in 1994) that was incorporated with a high-tech integrated teledentistry service demonstrated that teledentistry reduced patient care costs significantly. Worldwide, this concept has been adopted to reinforce better dental services in an environment of social and economic downfall.

The results of the Tel-e-dent study of older adults living in 8 nursing homes in Germany and France was quoted in the article ‘Accuracy of teledentistry for diagnosing dental pathology using direct examination as a gold standard’. Teledentistry and clinical examination were simultaneously conducted for 7 days. The results detected that teledentistry was faster by 12 minutes as compared to the face-to-face exams and the assessment of dental pathology was accurately represented.

How can dentists benefit from teledentistry?

Teledentistry allows for dentists to increase their accessibility to patients and specialists while shortening appointment time and patient cost. Previous accounts and reports have shown the wide array of benefits offered by this archaic concept.

According to the American Teledentistry Association (ATDA), teledentistry allows to:

• Improve the patient’s dental hygiene practices

Visits to dental offices have seen a steady decline since 2003. By using telehealth services to connect the providers with their patients, this online portal is able to effectively improve the oral health and hygiene of the patients with great convenience.

• Be a more innovative solution for mainstream dental healthcare

Telehealth has been implemented in rapidly increasing hospitals and clinics with a 52% of hospitals utilizing teledentistry services in 2013. This figure continues to increase over the years with its gaining popularity and awareness.

• Connect with the patients according to their convenience

Recent studies on the use of telehealth services have provided data of about 70% of patients being comfortable in communicating with their dentists via text, call, or video call services. What’s more, 76% of patients prioritize access to dental care over the need for face-to-face interactions with their dentists.

• Improve access to patients

Approximately 20% of Americans live in rural areas where access to dentists become virtually impossible unless they are willing to travel for a long time. Teledentistry eliminates the need to travel long distances.

• Reduce the time spent by employees

Teledentistry reduces the time taken for your dental staff to assess every patient. In fact, appointments can take hours out of an employee’s work day. Teledentistry helps eliminate this wastage.

• Provide the same level of care as in-office visits but at a cheaper price

Research indicates that the quality of care provided through teledentistry is not compromised as compared to in-office services. Furthermore, it is cheaper for the patient to invest in telehealth than contacting a dentist for treatment, face-to-face.

• Keep a steady growth going

Utilization of telehealth services was indicated at 250,000 patients in 2013. An estimated of 3.2 million patients began using these services in 2018.

How to set up your teledentistry services?

Before you start researching on the right kind of service provider to associate with, you need to be aware of the regulatory policies concerning teledentistry. COVID-19 prompted many telecommunication modalities such as Zoom, Skype, and other third-party tools to ease the burden of hospitals and keep as many non-emergency cases away from the ER. These services are, however, hypo-productive for your practice in the long-run.

According to ADA Policy on Teledentistry, teledentistry technologies will be licensed in the state where the patient receives services as otherwise authorized by the state’s dental board. Your practice will also have to be compliant with the HIPAA guidelines to initiate teledentistry services. In order to set up teledentistry services for your practice, you need to be updated on the ever-changing information on virtual consultations and evaluation mandates, recommendations and guidelines that are being issued by your state. Check for your state dental boards and insurance companies on what you can and cannot implement on the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) site.

A potential long-term closure plan for your dental office, in light of the current situation, means you will have to begin setting up your teledentistry services immediately.

1. Choose the right platform (appropriate software) that enables you to form a comprehensive package for your patients and provide them with an end-to-end quality solution.
2. Advertise your teledentistry services to your patients. You can try email broadcasts to inform them of your newly opened service.
3. Schedule an appointment (when you will be available) and allow it to seamlessly integrate into your schedule. This may be limited by your provider and service. This option sends reminders to your patients of the booked appointment.
4. Have a team member triage the patient first. Whether it is a new patient or an old, recurring one, make sure one of your dental staff gathers all their information (medical reports), updates their medical insurance, history, and method of payment.
5. Once all the necessary information has been gathered, you can schedule an appointment with the patient. Connect by way of high-resolution video platform or by chat or audio calls.
6. If medications are to be prescribed, recommend them to the patient. In case you need to bring in the patient for a manual examination, call in for an appointment.

Teledentistry allows you to connect with your patient through this difficult time and assure them that you are always available. The ADA recognizes that patients would be best served when telecommunication technology can be leveraged to support dental care. The ADA offers dental offices to navigate and resolve issues related to coding and billing for virtual oral care on their site. Click here to learn more: COVID-19 Coding and Billing Interim Guidance: Virtual Visits.

You may have provided premium dental services to your patients and are eagerly awaiting for a positive feedback that will help you attract more patients to your dental office. While relying on referrals from your patients to expand your business is a smart move, it is usually not enough. To help you build a million-dollar dental practice in this competitive industry, you will need modern customer acquiring approaches than merely relying on referrals. 

You will have to keep assessing your current marketing strategies, picking out the weak and outdated plans. Focus on finding newer ways to strengthen ties with your existing patients to help you reach those potential new patients.

Dental patient marketing is a highly competitive industry. You must have seen a sporadic rise and fall in the number of new patients coming in. It is natural to point the finger at one factor or another that may be influencing the growth, stagnation, or failure of your business. However, your most significant failure could have been an ineffective dental online marketing strategy. People, both young and old, are on their laptops and smartphones all the time. Not many people ask for a referral from friends or family anymore when they want to see a doctor. They rely on your BBB and Google reviews. They check if you have a website and if it looks professional or not. Not have a good site could be your biggest failure.

Take a look at the seven most modern and effective dental marketing strategies that can help you market your dental practice and attract more patients:

1. Build a modern looking website to target new patients

Your website is like a salesperson working for you 24/7. Your website is not an expense but an investment. Building a website from scratch alone cannot help you gain customers. You need to make sure your website generates sufficient web traffic that can help target prospective patients. If you start to rank on the first page of Google Search, you will see an exponential rise in the number of patients coming in. 

Your education, affiliations and even those minor achievements may not matter to you much today, but they influence your patients, even if they do not understand what they exactly are. 

One of the best resolutions for driving traffic to your website is registering for a free “Google My Business” listing. An optimized “Google My Business” listing will send lot more visits than an unregistered one! Build proper rapport with patients by posting consistently on social media, including relevant hashtags, targeting long-tail keywords, and get listed on free directories online to bring accelerated traffic to your website!

2. Focus on local SEO

During dental emergencies, patients look for dentists by merely searching “Dentists near me” on Google. If your dental clinic isn’t ranked near the top of Google’s search results, patients may not look to you as a prospective dental service they want to get treatment from.

Generate a higher optimization for your business by implementing on-page SEO. This means you would have to show off some marketing strategies and rank higher on Google by updating website headers, speed, content, and more.

What you do on your website to make a page attractive is called “on-page” SEO. Next, you will have to splash out a bit for maintaining your monthly SEO that includes off-page tactics like building backlinks for your website, build content for guest posting, and getting relevant links and content on your social media. Each link from a reputable website is a vote/endorsement for your website in the eyes of Google.

Have you heard about PPC ( Pay per click). Those are sponsored listings above the natural search results. Google charges you for those premium listings and they are not cheap. Keep a sensible monthly budget for those, for example, select somewhere between $50 to $250 a month on average. You can increase or decrease your advertising budget based on results.

Keep your website’s speed, up-time, security, and user-friendliness in check and under close vigilance. Please do install an SSL on your website. The higher your practice ranks on the Google search page, the better the patient traffic you receive in your clinic. That means a better ROI!

3. Be patient. Effective search engine marketing takes time

Complete SEO optimization and implementation can take about six months to a year. Google cannot rank your newly built website just because it is well optimized. It can take six months to one year before you see any meaningful traction. Once it does, it keeps getting better.

4. Build a community on social media

Most dentists underestimate the power of social media for their business presence. Social media is an excellent way to reach out to your older and potential new patients and help you build and strengthen relationships. An important tip on how to make a social media presence is by posting relevant content more often. Every post you do on a social platform, you are essentially pinging your patients, reminding them of you and any dental problems they may be having. 

Begin by creating simple dental infographics that are easy to read, enjoyable, and can potentially influence patients. You can also create videos highlighting your patients, staff, or general procedures to make them engaging and informative. People want a dentist they can trust, so any video testimonials and reviews can work wonders for your practice. Another great way of connecting with your prospects is by displaying “before” and “after” graphics of your dental procedures. This simple method can convince new consumers to come and visit you.

5. Get patients to leave reviews.

The consumer sentiment gets influenced by the online star ratings of a business, whether it is an overall recommendation, how clean your office is, the friendliness of your staff, or even when they made an appointment. Studies suggest that about 90% of all patients rely on other client reviews left by other patients to assess the quality of a dental practice. 

Note: Patient reviews can make or break your dental practice. Make sure you make an excellent first impression on your patients so that they can leave good feedback that would greatly help your business. 

You will be able to gather insights about your audience through reviews to help you make decisions to deliver what your patients would like to see. You can also run creative seasonal campaigns or friendly competitions to encourage patients to leave positive reviews about your clinic. Also, do not hide public patient testimonials that do not positively attest to your services. A happy customer is a key to many new customers. Put your best foot forward!

6. Begin remarketing campaigns to the right patients

Remarketing is a smart practice of reaching out to consumers you have already provided services to and trying to get them to take a specific action in your favor. Remarketing targets patients with who you have had a previous relationship with and with potential patients who checked out your website but did not convert.

Facebook Ads is one of the best platforms to initiate remarketing campaigns, thereby allowing you to retarget your patients based on specific activity on your website. Facebook’s “Custom Audiences” is an exceptionally valuable feature that lets you track an audience who has interacted with your dental content in the past. A few ways of dental marketing through Facebook remarketing feature is by creating custom audiences off of users who have watched your on-platform videos, seen your lead ad, or who engaged with your events (like online webinars).

7. Focus on effective blogging, add one article a week or a month

A site that is not updated loses its Google rankings eventually. Information presented in an article changes after every few years, so have you updated it? 

Many dentists miss out on creating relatable and educational content for their patients because it can be pretty time-consuming. However, what they do not know is that blogging can be a positive reinforcement for building traffic onto your business. Here’s how. A patient looks for a particular dental concern online. If they find a blog post that effectively conveys and remedies their exact dental trouble, they begin to explore more. This generates more clicks to your website. Do not overlook this step.

I know, this may have overwhelmed you a bit. But if you hire a good SEO/Wordpress developer, all this will be a piece of cake. This entire exercise above should not cost you over $2500 in the first year. By next year-end, your website should ideally generate multiple times business than the money you have put in it.

Handling a full-fledged clinic alongside an extensive and well-thought-out marketing tactic can take a toll on your focus and will ultimately serve a blow to your business. Until and unless a solid full-proof marketing strategy is incorporated, your dental practice will continue to serve a small or absent patient base. No one can become successful at the drop of a hat. You learn through your mistakes and can always improve. Never stop growing!