The Future of Dentistry: Pros and Cons of Teledentistry


Teledentistry has brought about a profound change in the way people access dental care by making it more accessible and convenient for the general public. During the ongoing pandemic, Teledentistry has proved invaluable for orthodontic and cosmetic treatments. With the many benefits of this virtual treatment, there are a few downsides too. We have gotten together with the cosmetic and family dentistry specialists at Advanced Dental Center to share with you some pros and cons of Teledentistry.

Pros of Teledentistry

During the pandemic, when many people couldn't leave the safety of their homes, Teledentistry came in handy. Let's go through the many benefits of this virtual treatment to ensure that it stays around for a long time.

Easy Access to Dental Care

Homebound people with an injury or certain health conditions have a hard time accessing dental care services. For such people, it's physically impossible to visit a dental care facility. Then there are those who cannot visit a dentist without their guardians. For all such people, Teledentistry is an answer to their troubles.

Safety for Patients & Dentists Alike

With Teledentistry, both the dentist and the patients remain safe as there's zero risk of disease transmission since they don't physically meet up.

Affordability for Both Patients & Dentists

A dental facility must be sterile, so it takes a lot of physical labor and monetary resources to keep it safe, germ-free, and disinfected all the time. Dentists spend a lot of money on sterile gloves, masks, disinfectants, shields, paper products, etc. With Teledentistry, dentists consult online, thereby reducing the time and effort spent on each patient in a physical dental care facility. These cost savings are also passed on to the patients.

Time Savings

With dental appointments just a click away, patients no longer have to worry about being late for the appointment or the office.

Cons of Teledentistry

A few disadvantages of this virtual treatment are as follows.

Confidentiality & Boundaries

Sending and receiving patient information, tests details, and lab reports via the internet lacks the level of confidentiality that you get with one-to-one dental consultations in the dental care facility. Online consultations usually cross state and national borders, so there's a high chance of their getting intercepted, posing a threat to both the patient and the dentist. Make sure you're using a safe internet connection to avoid data breaches.

 

Technological Issues

Inaccurate or distorted data transmission can have a serious impact on the clinical outcomes of a patient's condition or treatment procedure. During online transmission, data can get lost, replaced, or even distorted. Because of this, a dentist can end up hurting their patient through a wrong diagnosis. It's important to cross-check all data shared and assessed to eliminate chances of error.

Best Teledentistry Center in Germantown

Teledentistry is now your current reality rather than the future. At Advanced Dental Center, we understand its importance, and that's why we have introduced this virtual treatment for all our patients in Maryland. Get in touch with us to learn more about how we can help you out through our Teledentistry services.

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