Orthosnap is committed to making treatment as easy as possible – for patients and dental professionals alike! That is why we have proudly partnered with Dental Monitoring to provide remote patient monitoring (RPM).
In a work-from-home age, remote monitoring brings orthodontic care into the modern era. Read on to learn more about this technology and how it can help increase your clinical success.
What is remote patient monitoring?
Remote monitoring uses AI technology so that you can make virtual observations of patient progress. Once you have created your patient’s treatment plan, you can set up a protocol template with over 130 observations.
Patients simply use their smartphones, plus the DentalMonitoring ScanBoxPRO device, to take pictures of their teeth. They can do this literally anywhere. Then they can send the images to you through the patient app.
The program automatically organizes, crops, and analyzes the images for you, sending appropriate instructions to your patients. You can also use the app to provide more personalized instructions and send annotated images.
RPM checks progress and tells patients when to switch to their next aligner tray. At the same time, the platform can look for cracked aligners, improper fit, and poor hygiene.
What are the benefits of remote patient monitoring?
RPM offers numerous advantages for you and your patients.
- Greater convenience: Remote monitoring can reduce appointments by 40 to 60%. You will spend far less time in the evenings and weekends dealing with routine concerns.
- More accurate treatment: With remote monitoring, treatment moves along according to actual progress, not a predetermined calendar. As a result, this technology can reduce refinements by up to 90%.
- Improved patient relationships: When patients receive immediate, personalized feedback, it increases their level of trust in their healthcare provider. Moreover, real patients who use remote monitoring report that it is “really fun,” “intuitive,” and that it “feels like a game.”
- Better patient compliance: With greater trust and enjoyment, patients are much more likely to follow protocol. This can decrease treatment time and increase treatment success rate.
How can I get started with remote monitoring?
If you are already an Orthosnap customer, you automatically qualify for RPM. When you are considering remote monitoring for a new patient, first call Orthosnap’s treatment planning team to discuss your options.
When you are ready to begin, we will create a Dental Monitoring account for you. When you visit www.dental-monitoring.org, you will be able to log on to your dashboard. There, you will find one tab for your patients and one tab with notifications.
Before you begin, you may find it helpful to download the Dental Monitoring app and create a test patient account. This will allow you to see the platform from your patient’s point of view and check patient progress anywhere, at any time, from your mobile device.
How do I get my patients enrolled?
For more efficient care, enroll your patients in remote monitoring prior to their office visit. Once they receive their welcome email, they can set up their password, which they will use to log on to their account.
Enrolling a new patient is quite simple! Once you have logged on, go to the patient tab and click +NewPatient. Fill out their personal and contact information. Be sure to check the box that says, “Send the activation email now.”
What should I tell my patients to expect?
Once registered, your patients will receive a welcome email. Following the links provided, they will need to download the Dental Monitoring app and click the provided activation link.
Patients should take their scans on the last day that they are scheduled to wear each aligner. To scan their teeth, they should stand in front of a mirror and open the Dental Monitoring app. After removing their aligners, they should insert their phones and the cheek retractor tubes into the provided phone support. Once they have the cheek retractor in their mouths, their teeth should be completely visible on the phone screen and in the mirror. It is easy to adjust the phone’s position in the phone support.
The app will provide audio instructions as patients take images of their teeth. Patients will scan their full dental arches. After taking scans of their teeth without the aligners, they will reinsert their appliances and take another set of images. Once they have double-checked and validated all pictures, patients can send them directly to you via the app.
The RPM team will review the images and send appropriate instructions. If patients receive a “GO,” they should switch to the next aligner. If they receive a “NO-GO,” they should follow the additional directions.
Answering Patient Concerns
We get it. Patients can sometimes be apprehensive about going remote with their orthodontic care. But once they adjust, most people find that RPM makes treatment much simpler and less stressful.
When introducing the concept of remote patient monitoring, assure them that it does not take the place of in-person treatment. It simply lessens the number of visits they need to make for simple checkups. It can also be helpful to explain that the Dental Monitoring app actually makes direct communication easier and faster.
Plus, most patients are delighted when they find out how intuitive the app really is. We recommend that you have your patients take practice scans in the office before they take them at home. They can also find tutorial videos on their Dental Monitoring profile. Seeing the AI in action often reassures patients and even gets them excited about this state-of-the-art mode of dental care!
Learn More or Get Started Today!
Ready to take your orthodontic practice to the next level? Contact us to learn more about RPM and how you can incorporate it into your treatment.
Call us today at (516) 506-7606. You can also visit our Help Center for answers to common questions.