What Is Virtual Dental Care?

Virtual dental care is the use of technology to treat dental patients and minimize the need to go to the dental office in person. There are many reasons someone may not be able to make it into the dental office, ranging from lack of time, sickness, living far away, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Making dentistry more accessible by allowing patients to book virtual consultations and other virtual appointments either in tandem with in-person appointments or on their own has changed the game of dentistry.
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Dentistry

It’s no secret that everything has changed since the COVID-19 virus swept across the planet. The entire world went into various lockdowns, put restrictions in place on gatherings, required face masks, and required us to stay a good distance apart from each other.

As a response to the need for access to dental care, while COVID-19 restrictions were in place, teledentistry became popularly implemented into dental practices all over the place. It allowed dentists to speak to patients about their potential dental problems, offer tips and advice for manageable dental issues through an online video call.

Even for more serious dental emergencies, virtual dental care has been used for initial consultations or to check on progress after procedures have been performed. 

What Is Teledentistry?

Teledentistry has been defined as a virtual dental visit through the use of technology, usually through video calls that allow patients to easily speak to their dentist remotely and communicate their oral health concerns.

Virtual visits allow the patient to communicate the problems they are experiencing without having to visit their dentist in person. If the dentist has solutions or tips for the patient to try before moving onto a more invasive procedure, then this can be done without having to book an in-person appointment.

The transmission of important documents such as radiographs, teeth impressions, and photographs can now be relayed electronically. A dentist can prescribe medicine to a patient remotely by sending an electronic prescription.

You should ensure that you have a stable internet connection, preferably a webcam or phone camera so you can send pictures of your teeth, and any other software that your regular dentist office uses for virtual dental appointments.
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How to Book a Virtual Consult

Have a dental concern but can’t make it out to the office in person? That’s what teledentistry is for! At Consultants in Dental Aesthetics, we offer simple, easy-to-follow virtual consultations. All you need to do is fill out your information, upload a close-up selfie of your smile, and communicate your concerns. 
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Dr. Michael Landry will respond by sending a customized video addressing your concerns and offering recommendations or subsequent appointments. Some of these follow-up appointments may need to be in-person depending on the severity of the problem. Schedule a virtual consultation with Consultants in Dental Aesthetics today.