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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are only leaving the house when it’s absolutely necessary. With that in mind, you might be wondering whether seeing your dentist in person counts as a necessity. As it turns out, there are some cases where you only need to see your dentist through the phone or a video call. This is known as teledentistry. Believe it or not, a majority of patients actually prefer teledentistry to seeing their dentists in person. Keep reading to learn a few reasons why.
Improved Patient Hygiene
Even though dental offices are among the cleanest and safest places you could be, there’s always the risk of catching germs from someone else, usually outside the office or in the waiting room. Teledentistry eliminates that. Since you don’t have to leave your house to talk to your dentist, you aren’t putting yourself at risk by exposing yourself to outside pathogens.
Often More Affordable
Typically, teledentistry can save you money. For one, you save money on gas that you would normally use to drive to the dentist’s office. Professional staff are also shared, and fewer in-person appointments are needed, saving you money in that way.
Align with Patients’ Modern Communication Needs
Recent research on the use of telemedicine have shown that more than 70 percent of patients are comfortable communicating with their healthcare provider over text, email, phone, or video chat instead of an in-person meeting. For many of them, access to proper care or medication is more important than seeing their doctor or dentist face-to-face.
Reduce Time Taken Off Work
Teledentistry drastically cuts down the amount of time that you have to take off work in order to receive dental care. Whereas with physical appointments you have to commute to and from the office and spend time in the waiting room, with teledentistry you only have to take enough time off to see the doctor.
Teledentistry offers all sorts of benefits when compared to visiting your dentist in person. In some cases, face-to-face contact is necessary, but oftentimes, all you need to do is have a conversation with your dentist, and that can easily be done with a phone or computer. Ask your dentist whether they offer teledentistry options and whether that would be a good choice for you.
About the Author
Dr. William Poe is a 1988 graduate of the University of Southern California Dental School. He has achieved Fellowship status in the International College of Cranio-Mandibular Orthopedics and a Masters in Orthodontics from the Straight Wires Seminar for Orthodontics. His practice offers teledentistry options in some cases. To find out if you qualify, visit Dr. Poe’s website.