Gone are the days when it was essential to visit a dentist’s office to receive quality dental health services. With the effects of Covid-19, our industry has innovated to provide the same level of care and customer service to our patients under an unprecedented set of restrictions.
Remote monitoring is our answer to not letting restrictions get in the way of taking care of your oral health. There are many benefits of remote monitoring for both you, the patient, and us, the dentists.
In dentistry, we strongly believe that preventative care is far better than restorative care, which is why we urge you take good care of your dental health in between your check-ups with us every six months.
Remote monitoring, either through Teledentistry or by using the Smilo.ai app on your smart phone, encourages you to improve your oral health self-care habits. This includes a regular oral hygiene routine and self-examination to ensure your teeth are healthy and clean.
A good self-examination can be done with a torch, a mirror and clean fingers. You can even use a disposable ice cream stick to help you. To keep check on how healthy your mouth is, here are some things you should self-examine:
- Teeth: Look for yellow film/deposits on the teeth to evaluate how effective your cleaning routine is.
- Gums: Look for swollen, reddish or bleeding gums.
- Tongue: Examine the top, floor and sides of the tongue, as this is the most common place for cancers to develop.
You can ask your dentist for advice on what else to examine and how.
The average person sees their dentist once every six months. Smilo.ai opens up a line of communication between you and your dentist to keep up with your dental health more regularly.
Remote monitoring makes it easy for you to stay in touch with your dentist so that you can get dental health advice at the click of a button.
This can also help with early intervention on dental issues – especially considering an Australian study showed that there were more than 67,000 preventable hospitalisations in 2015-16.
Remote monitoring allows for patients to receive the same quality dental health services in the comfort of their own home. It saves them time when travelling to and from appointments and when waiting for appointments.
Remote monitoring also introduces patients to a “virtual dentist.” This means that patients can also receive dental health advice at a time that is convenient for them, rather than waiting for their dentist.
Smilo.ai provides an oral health rating when patients upload photos of their teeth and gums, to detect any signs of tooth decay or gum disease.
The app also acts as a smile assistant, which allows patients to consider dental work without visiting a practice. This removes the inconvenience of travelling just for a consultation.
One concern that patients often have about visiting the dentist is the costs involved. Patients should receive high quality dental health services when they need it, not just when they can afford it.
Another benefit of remote monitoring is that it is a much more cost-effective option than visiting the practice.
Did you know that 1 in 6 Australian adults admit to having a common fear of visiting the dentist?
Another of the many benefits of using Smilo.ai for remote monitoring is that it reduces the nervousness and phobia by giving control back into your own hands.
To begin monitoring your dental health remotely, check out Smilo.ai – your Oral Healthcare Assistant – designed by our very own Dr. Padma Gadiyar. Smilo.ai can be easily downloaded to your smartphone.
If you require a Teledentistry appointment with one of our trusted dentists, give us a call on (07) 3355 7936 or visit our website.