95% of patients feel they get better care when their dentist uses advanced technology solutions*. In fact, two-thirds are willing to switch practices to one equipped with the latest digital tools. And, out of 100 patients who have not visited a dentist in the past two years, 40 admit that having the latest digital tools is an argument that could convince them to visit a dental office.
These telling numbers show just how much patients are influenced by digital tools, and trust these devices to make caregivers more accessible, diagnoses and treatment plans more understandable.
Digital technology facilitates access to oral health care
The first digital tools that facilitate prevention and access to care are appointment scheduling software. In addition to relieving dental assistants of a large part of this time-consuming task, these platforms such as Doctolib simplify access to the practice for the patient, who can find a free consultation slot near his or her home, 24/7.
In addition, reminder options help limit bunnies: various sources claim that online appointment scheduling reduces the number of missed appointments by 30 to 75%.
Digital apps encourage oral health monitoring
In addition to these tools that facilitate access to care (and practice management), there are a growing number of apps or connected objects that optimize oral hygiene and deliver effective, targeted prevention messages. In addition to apps that encourage children to brush daily and properly, there are high-end electric toothbrushes with a timer and, via a smartphone app, a brushing quality indicator (too short or not, too hard or not).
The development of remote consultation and self-diagnosis applications in the coming years will continue to improve access to care and patient awareness of their oral health.
The pedagogical virtues of new technologies in the treatment room
From intra-oral cameras to 3D impression software, digital tools are revolutionizing patient care overall: they improve the patient experience and optimize the performance of certain curative treatments, such as crowns or inlay-onlay.
If panoramic X-rays have been used for years to reassure the patient by showing him what is actually happening in his mouth, this black and white visual support is, for the layman, essentially made up of shadowed areas that are difficult to interpret. And, sometimes, the explanations of the dental surgeon can seem rather vague and technical.
This reading of panoramic radiographs, a key moment in the consultation and the patient's experience, is now greatly facilitated by the most advanced digital tools. The artificial intelligence ofAllisone, for example, allows the practitioner to highlight the elements on the X-ray thanks to a color code. The software facilitates patient understanding and simplifies chairside teaching. Thanks to this clear vision of the state of his mouth on a familiar digital interface (the screen), the patient is reassured and, above all, informed in a complete, adapted, transparent and playful way.
Post-consultation communication to build patient loyalty
Thanks to new technologies, the influence and experience with your dentist is no longer limited to the time of the office consultation. Sending e-mails summarizing the diagnosis and treatment plan has several advantages: it consolidates the practitioner-patient relationship, builds patient loyalty and promotes good oral health care in the short, medium and long term.
Of course, all this additional work brought by new technologies is time-consuming: practitioners and assistants rarely have, between two consultations or at the end of the day, the time necessary to send this type of message. This is where the most advanced technologies come into play: the SaaS software fromAllisone (accessible at any time from any terminal connected to the Internet) allows you to automate this crucial and time-consuming task. In just a few clicks, you can create your treatment plan in Allisone and the solution takes care of communicating to your patient all the elements he/she needs to make the decision to follow your indications, to transmit a request for coverage to his/her health insurance company and to plan his/her next appointments with you. To learn more about our artificial intelligence and how it can improve your patient understanding, request a demo at allisone.ai.
Overall, and even if this may seem paradoxical to the most digital-averse practitioners, new technologies make dental practice more human. And patients are more inclined to be concerned about their oral health.
*Source: 2020 Digital Dentistry Difference study
