What Patients Ask About Teledentistry

what patients ask about teledentistry - Digital Doc

What Patients Ask About Teledentistry

What Patients Typically Asks Dentist About Teledentistry

What Patients Ask About Teledentistry

Today, more than ever before, the need for teledentistry services has grown tremendously. So, what do patients ask about teledentistry as you integrate it into your office? In this article, we’re sharing how dental offices are making a smooth transition into teledentistry.

How Do Patients Search for Teledentistry?

Our research at Digital Doc indicates that not many patients will enter the word “teledentistry” as a search term when looking for a modern dental office.

Rather, patients are more likely to use the words virtual, online, or telehealth together. For example, a patient may search for “online dentist” or “virtual dental care.”

As you implement teledentistry, keep those words patients are likely to use in mind to communicate with them in a language they understand.

Do You Offer Teledentistry Services?

You must make it easy for existing and prospective patients to know that you offer teledentistry services. For example, the emails that you send to patients should have a sentence or paragraph highlighting the fact that you offer teledentistry. The same message should also be conveyed on your website. It wouldn’t hurt to promote your online service on social media platforms. 

Once patients know that you offer these services, they can take the next step of contacting you to access those services.

What Do I Do to Get Started?

After patients know that you offer teledentistry services, they’ll want to know how to get started.

Make the next steps as easy as possible. For example, provide a form that patients can complete or include a call-to-action asking them to call and book a virtual appointment. Dr. Beth Herko, a New Providence dentist, agrees that the easier you make it, the better. 

what patients ask about teledentistry - Digital Doc

Can I Use My Phone to Send an Image or Message You About My Concerns?

There are synchronous and asynchronous ways to offer teledentistry services. Synchronous methods are those in which the dental office and the patients use the same system to interact. For example, the Smile Virtual platform allows cosmetic dentists to conduct virtual smile consultations. The patient registers on the platform and uses it to interact with the dentist.

Asynchronous methods refer to those methods in which the dental office isn’t necessarily using the same platform or communication system as the patient. For instance, a patient can take a photo using their phone and then email it to the dental office.

Each option (synchronous and asynchronous) has its pros and cons, and you must let your patients know how you prefer to work when delivering teledentistry services.

How Do I Access My Data After a Virtual Consultation?

If the platform you use allows you to create a portal that patients can access, share it with your patients. Explain how they can access that portal and where they can share data. 

If such a system isn’t available, provide alternatives. For instance, how will they receive the video containing your recommended procedures for fixing a cosmetic problem?

Ultimately, set up the teledentistry system or platform with the patient in mind. When done right, patients will only come to the office after all the preliminary steps have been completed. If you would like to learn how to implement digital technology like intraoral cameras to boost your ability to offer teledentistry services, contact Digital Doc today

Cost-Effectiveness of Handheld X-Rays

cost-effectiveness of handheld x-rays - Digital Doc

Cost Effectiveness of Handheld X-Rays

Cost-Effectiveness of Handheld X-Rays at Digital Doc

Any decision to purchase new dental equipment for your office will require strong justification. A lot of time and money can are on the line when you invest in your business, but there’s no need to worry. Our dental technology experts at Digital Doc offer free virtual demonstrations so you can make an informed decision. If you’re on the fence about purchasing our x-ray system, read below to learn about the true cost-effectiveness of handheld x-rays.

Ensures Patient Security and Comfort

Patients today are much more demanding of their healthcare providers. Having to move patients from their dental chair to a dental x-ray room detracts from patient comfort. New patients may even be taken back by the lack of modern technology. 

However, when you have a portable dental x-ray device, the need to move patients is eliminated. Patients can remain comfortable while the bedside x-ray device is used to get the necessary radiographic imagery needed.

Space Economy

A discussion about the cost-effectiveness of portable dental x-ray devices is incomplete until the limited amount of space they require is considered. Traditional x-ray equipment is so bulky that a lot of space has to be dedicated to it.

Rather than occupy an entire room as the traditional radiology equipment does, the XTG handheld x-ray device is so compact that one would hardly notice that another device from Digital Doc has been added to the operatory.

The space saved can be used for anything you want. You can even transform it into another operatory or use it for additional storage. 

cost-effectiveness of handheld x-rays - Digital Doc

High Diagnostic Efficacy

Handheld dental x-ray devices make it easier to arrive at the right diagnosis the first time. Additionally, patients will be able to start treatment much sooner.

Getting high-quality x-ray images the first time means that the dental practice will not waste time on retaking x-ray images. So, the operating costs of the office will remain manageable.

Dr. Kristina Neda, a dentist in Georgetown, KY, agrees that dental offices with modern dental technology have a higher case acceptance. Patients feel confident in their decision to start treatment when they’re shown how urgent the problem is. Handheld x-rays allow you to do just that. 

As you can see, portable dental X-Ray systems offer both clinical and cost-effectiveness benefits when compared to traditional x-ray devices. If you are looking to upgrade your x-ray system, contact Digital Doc, and we will happily help. 

How Autofocusing Intraoral Cameras Work

Digital Doc - Autofocusing Intraoral Camera

How Autofocusing Intraoral Cameras Work

Everything You Need to Know About How Autofocusing Intraoral Cameras Work

Technology is advancing at a massive rate in all industries. You may be wondering whether it is really necessary for you to upgrade your current dental cameras to the IRIS X80 Liquid Lens Autofocus Intraoral Dental Camera. Here is a brief overview of how autofocusing cameras work and why so many doctors are upgrading to the IRIS X80.

The Challenges of Taking Great Intraoral Images

It can be quite difficult to capture high-quality images of the oral cavity. Luckily, dental technology continues to improve. Here are some of the challenges doctors often face when using a cheap intraoral camera.

Insufficient Lighting. The oral cavity is a rather small space, which makes good lighting minimal. Without proper lighting, you won’t be able to capture high-quality photos, properly diagnose patients, and increase case acceptance. 

Insufficient Contrast Between Backgrounds and Objects. For a clear image to be taken, there needs to be sufficient contrast between the primary subject, such as a decayed tooth, and the background (the roof of your mouth, for example). This lack of contrast means that the person taking the images has to do a lot more work (by focusing the lens of the camera multiple times, for example) in order to capture the right image.

Moving Subjects. Patients normally try to remain still when you or a hygienist is trying to take intraoral images, but some movements are unavoidable, and these can compromise the quality of the images captured. Flinching or even breathing can trigger movements that make it even more difficult. Without an autofocusing dental camera, you’ll spend more time trying to find the perfect image.

Digital Doc - Autofocusing Intraoral Camera

How Autofocus Intraoral Cameras Address Those Challenges

Using Digital Doc’s intraoral cameras is truly a game-changer. 

The IRIS X80 dental camera has active and passive sensors that detect how much more light is needed for a clear image to be captured. Those sensors communicate with other camera components. These include the LED light array, to automatically tweak the lighting to the desired level. In this way, the challenges associated with insufficient light are minimized by the autofocus intraoral camera.

The autofocus dental camera also automatically determines whether the lens needs to move closer or further away from the subject. Once again, the IRIS camera does this work, so you don’t have to.

The beauty of the IRIS intraoral cameras is that it performs just how you need it to.

Why You Need These Sophisticated Cameras

For decades, dentists have always struggled to make patients see things from their perspective. With an IRIS X80 Autofocus Intraoral Dental Camera at your office, you will be able to show patients in real-time exactly what you’re seeing. Cracked teeth, tartar, and gum disease are much easier to show patients with the X80 intraoral camera.

Armed with those images, you will no longer struggle to explain a defect that needs to be addressed. Instead, the patient will see the importance of treatment.

Dr. David Moghadam, an Easton, PA dentist, agrees that intraoral cameras are well worth the investment. Digital Doc’s autofocusing dental cameras not only allow you to show patients the problem, but it allows your hygiene team to take quality photos in half the time. This extra time can be spent building rapport with patients.

As you can see, dental technology has come a long way. If you’re interested in learning more about autofocusing intraoral cameras or want to learn about other Digital Doc products, contact Digital Doc today to schedule a virtual demo. 

IRIS X80 Camera & LUM Demonstration

X80 Camera and LUM Demonstration

IRIS X80 Camera and LUM Demonstration

Product Features: IRIS X80 Camera and LUM Demonstration

On its own, the IRIS X80 intraoral camera is a powerful diagnostic tool in the hands of dentists and other dental health professionals.

The camera effortlessly transitions from larger images (of the entire bite) to images of smaller areas (a single tooth). This ease of use means that productivity will be improved since the camera will be used a lot more times than if it was difficult to use (in which case professionals would skip using it).

Additionally, there’s no degradation of the image when using the camera with the sheath on. The coloring of the images is correct both for the tooth and for the gums. These clear images allow you to share a view of the patient’s mouth with them. Consequently, the patient will be in a position to understand better your treatment plan. They will also understand the urgency of starting treatment before more dental issues can arise out of this treatable condition. Dr. O’Grady, a dentist in Denver, CO, adds that his patients absolutely love being able to see what the doctors seeing. It makes communicating that much easier. 

Why Use a Dental Camera Cover

You can use the IRIS X80 with or without a camera cover, but there’re 3 good reasons to use a camera cover:

  1. Patients feel more comfortable having this single-use disposable surface making contact with their oral structures.
  2. Patients never get to taste the disinfectants or cleaning products used on the camera.
  3. The sheath dramatically cuts down the fogging of the camera while it’s in use.
X80 Camera and LUM Demonstration

The IRIS X80 Autofocus Dental Camera Works Even Better With the LUM

The LUM is a sub-enamel illuminator that quickly and easily attaches to the Digital Doc dental camera. You simply slip it over the dental camera on the side with the tip (not the side where you hold the camera).

This combination of the X80 camera and the LUM Sub-enamel illumination device takes the diagnostic powers of the X80 to a whole new level. The LUM doesn’t require any extra software if you want to use it with your X80 camera.

The LUM allows you to get x-ray like images of the teeth without exposing your patients to any ionizing radiation. 

It allows you to clearly show fractures, caries, and different abstractions and defects in the teeth. This saves doctors from taking time to use dental probes and then x-rays in an attempt to get a clear understanding of the magnitude and progression of defects.

Benefits of the LuM

By placing the LuM on the camera and viewing a defect of concern, such as a black spot on a tooth, you are able to move the camera around and see the shape and depth of the spot.

The LUM can also allow you to see how caries are spreading in a tooth. This wouldn’t have been possible without the sub-enamel illumination device since you would only see spots on the surface of the tooth. The detailed x-ray like images can be documented in the patient’s file. These stored images can then be referred to during subsequent dental visits, but the most important thing is that the patient can see exactly what you see and how you are planning to help them.

The LUM can also help to detect and document interproximal caries. As described earlier, you can move the camera around in different directions in order to view caries from different angles and also show the patient what you are seeing.

The LUM’s usefulness isn’t only restricted to molars and premolars. It can be used on any tooth. For example, the LUM can help you to see how deep fractures on front teeth are, and you can document these defects as well as show the patient what you see.

Take a look for yourself and see the combination of the X80 and LUM in action below:

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfF6Q3S46ro

Understanding Liquid Lens Autofocus Technology

Liquid Lens Autofocus Technology - Digital Doc

Understanding Liquid Lens Autofocus Technology

Everything You Need to Know About Liquid Lens Autofocus Technology

You may have heard about the IRIS X80 Liquid Lens Auto Focus Intraoral Camera, the latest addition to the Digital Doc family. You may be wondering why the current emphasis on liquid lens technology. In this article, you’ll learn what liquid lens technology is and how it works to deliver superior images at your dental office.

How Liquid Lens Technology Works

The liquid lens technology uses an electrowetting process to achieve the best autofocus capabilities possible. The process of shaping the oil drop is continuous, can be reversed, and all this happens quickly regardless of whether you would like to capture the image of a small or a large object. This is the primary reason why you can quickly shift from taking an image of a patient’s full smile and, in the next second, capture an image of just one arch.

Another key feature that you should know about liquid lenses is that they don’t contain any moving parts. This brings a huge benefit to dentists and staff at dental practices. The absence of moving parts makes intraoral cameras with a liquid lens more resistant to the adverse effects of vibrations and shocks.

Liquid Lenses Deliver Superior Autofocus

High-quality images can only be captured by your dental cameras if you have precise control of the focus of the device. A liquid lens camera delivers superior autofocus by making the subject of the image sharp while leaving the objects in the background to be blurry.

This capability explains why liquid lens technology has found its way into diverse aspects of other industries. The applications include:

  • Industrial data capture
  • Digital photography
  • Biometric data collection
  • Barcode reading

As you can see, liquid lenses are extremely valuable in settings that require capturing images of different objects whose distance from the camera keeps varying.

Liquid Lens Autofocus Technology - Digital Doc

Why You Should Start Using Liquid Lens Technology

Liquid lenses, such as the ones found in the IRIS X80 Intraoral Camera, bring flexibility to your dental practice. This flexibility is especially important if your practice is busy, and you frequently take different kinds of intraoral images.

If you still use traditional lens systems, you will notice that you spend a lot of time adjusting the focus manually in order to capture images of oral structures that differ in size. Dr. Ben Kacos, a dentist in Shreveport, LA can attest to the importance of having the best dental technology around. He says it saves you time and money.  The time you spend adjusting the focus for those different images would have been better used by seeing other patients and increasing the bottom line of the practice.

Retakes are also minimized when you use an intraoral camera with liquid lens technology. This is because you will always capture crystal-clear images on the first try.

Liquid lens technology has taken the world by storm, and our Digital Doc team is glad to be among the forerunners in bringing this technology into the world of dental imaging. You no longer have to struggle with your dental camera, thanks to the IRIS X80 by Digital Doc. Contact us today and schedule a virtual demo. You will see for yourself how the X80 is the best dental camera on the market. 

Generating Revenue

Generating Revenue - Digital Doc

Generating Revenue

Generating Revenue in Your Dental Practice

Offices are opening back up, and it is time to start generating REVENUE. A good way to start is by setting a number of image expectations for Hygiene. We call it 12 images in 2 minutes. Showing patients the treatment they need vs. telling them will make an immediate difference. Would you agree that we as consumers buy emotionally? Is it also true that we live in an HD world where everything we watch and connect with is shown in HD?

If both statements are true, then why save money on the most important piece of technology connected to the patients’ ability to say yes to treatment? Cathy Jameson has tracked revenue increase for 30 years with the right number of intraoral cameras in the practice. 30% increase every time. What is the minimum number of dental cameras to see that 30% increase? A camera per chair or at a minimum a camera per provider (2 doctors and 2 hygienists) then 4 cameras. 

 

Generating Revenue - Digital Doc

Ask Your Dental Patients

For the fun of it, have Mary at the front ask the next 100 patients that come into your practice, 2 questions: 

  1. What kind of cell phone do you have?
  2. How big of a TV do you watch at home, 55″, 65″?

Track it, then ask yourself if it is time to upgrade the size of the TV in your Operatory and show them HD images like they get from their cell phone. If you look at your patients through a different lens, as a CONSUMER, then the mindset changes on how we connect with them. 

Does HD really matter?

Click the video to hear what a fellow dentist has to say on this:

Schedule a live demo, and we can walk you through the 12 images in 2 minutes.

Here is to increasing revenue now,

Brett Wilson

One Question to Improve Case Acceptance

One question to improve case acceptance - Digital Doc

One Question To Improve Case Acceptance

Ask This One Question To Improve Case Acceptance

Are you telling the patients what they need? When is the last time you enjoyed being “told” what to do? If you focus on what your patients want and how they make purchasing decisions you both get what you want. 

You enter the room for the exam with the patient. Your Hygienist or Assistant does an amazing hand-off finishing with asking “John, did I leave anything out?” She has already notified you that the patient is a D on the DISC scale (highly recommend taking your tea through this training. Tony Robbins has a free DISC assessment online. You will be able to speak to a patient in the language they speak, in the way they speak it. Talk about changing the patient dynamic. Not to mention your team dynamic and your personal life. More on this in another blog. 

You proceed with what you have found, but instead of offering solutions to everything you have found you simply stop and ask ” John, based on what we have covered, what solutions are you interested in hearing based on the concerns I have converted.” Stop, pause, and stay quiet until they speak. It may be uncomfortable but if you have a D in the chair, they will tell you immediately. An S will take a while longer so get comfortable with the silence. This is about what “they” want. Remember, throwing all the solutions to the patient before they have given you permission is a finger in the ear moment waiting to happen. You lose them.

One question to improve case acceptance - Digital Doc

If patients can’t see images of what you are talking about you have lost them. Watch this video below and hear the line “it is hard for me to put a picture in your brain.” All of these doctors have a dental camera in every operator and are in the 1% of dental office collections in North America.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFv4Ev2f6VQ

Purchasing Decisions

Purchasing Decisions - Digital Doc

Purchasing Decisions

Purchasing Decisions With Sully Sullivan

Do you focus on how much you can “save” when purchasing a product for your dental practice or how much it costs you by not having it? 

When we are faced with purchasing decisions of any kind, it comes down to the value. Do we value the product enough to pay for it? If someone told you to buy Bitcoin now and it would provide a guaranteed 30% increase in your investment, would you do it? Does $10,000 sound high for one Bitcoin? It does, but if my return is 30%, that amount is a no brainer.

Purchasing Decisions - Digital Doc

Opportunity Cost

A dentist friend of mine calls it “opportunity cost.” How much am I going to miss by not having it or not using it? This was the first I had heard of this from a dentist. He collected 7M last year with two doctors. If you got a screaming deal on your digital x-ray system, but you couldn’t see to diagnose treatment, then you lose more money in the first week than you did by saving 5k on the sensor. You can save on certain products, but be careful going cheap on what actually produces income in the practice. 

If you saved $15,000 on buying equipment for your dental office, but that costs you $15,000 in treatment acceptance in the first 30 days, does $15,000 sound like a lot of money? I am guilty. I save some money on a dune buggy for the kids. It was manufactured overseas and it broke within the first week of having it. I called a few repair centers, and they would not repair it since I did not purchase through them. Guilty. Lesson learned. Should have paid triple the price, and the kids would still have one that worked and someone local who would fix it when it breaks. It will break, just a matter of time.

Click here to see what Sully Sullivan DDS has to say on this subject:

Inside Teledentistry with Brett Wilson

Teledentistry - Digital Doc

Inside Teledentistry with Brett Wilson

What Does the Future Look Like in Dentistry? Inside This With Brett Wilson

What does the future like in dentistry? You have heard of Teledentistry, but most likely thought you don’t run a mobile clinic, or you don’t have hygienists going to school, so it does not apply to you. What if it could save you time and money in your day to day operations? A few things to consider (as always, check with your state board as ten states or so are not allowing teledentistry):

1. Check Fewer Hygiene Patients

Have your hygienist ask each recall patient if they would like to see the doctor, or they can be dismissed early.

What to do Next?

1. Patient chooses a check as usual.

2. Patient opts for a Telecare session recorded and sent to the patient.

  1. You review images taken from your intraoral camera, x-rays, and LuM transillumination.
  2. Record an exam on Zoom
  3. Send this exam to your patient.
  4. Bill out codes D0140 and Teledentistry code D9996 teledentistry, forwarded to the dentist for review.

3. Patient opts for Telecare live session.

  • Schedule Zoom meeting with the patient
  • Share your screen with them so they can view their chart.
  • Have IO camera images, x-rays and LuM transillumination photos up to discuss findings with the patient
  • Bill out codes D0140 and Teledentistry code D9996 teledentistry real-time.
  • Include a narrative of fewer than 80 characters
Teledentistry - Digital Doc

What if half your recall patients choose Telecare?

  1. Complete procedures by not having to leave your operatory
  2. Save $ on not changing out of PPE.
  3. Could you save time on hygiene appointments and see more to catch up on patients that were not seen during COVID?

As we adjust to the new normal, consider Teledentistry. Poll your patients and see how they react. A great first step,

Stay tuned on more information regarding Telecare.

Be Well,

Brett Wilson

Increasing Doctor’s Revenue

increasing doctors revenue - Digital doc

Increasing Doctor's Revenue

Increasing Doctor's Revenue: Tips From Digital Doc

Our job in dental sales is to bring value to the dental practice, to grow your revenue. The question is, where are intraoral cameras on your list of importance? No matter how long you’ve been in the dental industry, where do you place intraoral cameras on your priority list? I know you have a lot of things being marketed to you. Big ticket items like CAD/CAM systems, digital dental impression systems, extra rooms for equipment, etc. what would grow the doctor’s revenue more than anything else in the dental industry? It is the best intraoral cameras on the market.

We’ve seen a 10-30% increase in revenue in a dental practice with the adoption of intraoral cameras, but it’s the right number of cameras that does it. You see, most reps believe (and they are correct) every dental practice needs an intraoral camera, and that is the problem; having just one camera.

That single camera may be placed in a drawer where another person can’t trace it or the person with the keys to that drawer isn’t around, so someone who wants to use that camera can’t access it. Dental practices don’t have enough intraoral cameras.

Why Intraoral Cameras

So, why focus on intraoral cameras? It leads to everything else. If your practice sees a 10-30% increase in revenue because you suggested intraoral cameras and it’s the right number. So, what is the right number? Well, a camera on every single chair would be ideal. The most successful dentists have a camera on every chair.

At a minimum, have a camera per provider. For example, if the practice has two doctors and two hygienists, that would mean having four intraoral cameras. This isn’t because we are trying to sell more cameras to your dental practice, but it is what they need to see a double-digit increase in revenue. So when they achieve that, and we have a spreadsheet that shows monthly savings and incremental growth in revenue. 

increasing doctors revenue - Digital doc

Practice Growth

When we talk about incremental growth, and in this particular example it is a $1 million practice having 10% organic growth in its business. A million-dollar business growing at 10% sees an increase by $100,000, and yet the fixed costs don’t change. However, your variable costs change. These variable costs include supplies and lab costs. 

So we factor the variable costs in at 20%. That’s pretty reasonable, wouldn’t you agree? So take 20% off of $100,000 and that leaves $80,000. We’ve also factored in the cost of the equipment. That leaves $60,000 that the doctor is going to put in his or her pocket. What’s that money going to be used for? They are free to spend it on anything else that they believe is important on their priority list. For example, the digital impression system.

Oftentimes, we place the cart before the horse. We are talking about these big ticket items but we aren’t talking about giving dental practices a solution of how they can pay for those items. This approach of acquiring intraoral cameras provides a real way through which dental practices can pay for those systems, and it makes sense. It’s not a general analogy of “Oh Doc, just do an extra crown a week and you will pay for it.” That doesn’t relate to them. That doesn’t take into account their business or understanding where they are coming from in terms of how they run their business and the overhead they have. 

Why Digital Doc

Why should you meet with Digital Doc? Why should you sit down with one of our territory managers? This is why. You want to grow your business by double digits? Grow their business by double digits, and it will follow. Zig Ziglar said it best; if you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want. So if you are focused on the business growth of their practices, the supplies come, the technology comes. That’s what we are focused on, it’s growing businesses. And we know the intraoral cameras are going to follow. Questions about our Digital Doc products? Contact us today to schedule a virtual demo with your local rep or visit our Digital Doc YouTube channel