Teledentistry Can Improve Access to Oral Care For Underserved Children
(Photo : Daniel Frank via Pexels)

Medical care is easily accessible in many places. However, some individuals in other locations worldwide struggle with finding solutions to common illnesses, misdiagnoses, and misinterpretation of ailments. This is one of the reasons why there is a need for Teledentistry. 

Teledentistry uses public platforms, basic information technology, and other communication platforms for dental health consultancy. It enables dentists to reach out to people who cannot go over far distances to make appointments, especially in places where dentists are unavailable. Due to the rising need for dentists worldwide, some doctors like the local Manhattan dentist Dr. Sidhu Newgate have dedicated themselves to remote dental consulting services to people far and wide through teledentistry. 

What is the Importance of Teledentistry?

Listed below are some reasons why teledentistry is essential, especially for children in remote areas. 

  1. In a zone where there is an outbreak of epidemic or pandemics, and there is the risk of people who visit being infected, teledentistry helps reach out to people who need the services of a dentist. 

  2. If a patient cannot be moved from his location to the dentist's office, the dentist can offer dental problems via video call. 

  3. It helps dentists all over the world to share information. 

  4. It makes it easy for people to get access to oral care at a reduced cost. 

  5. In rural areas where there is a shortage or no dentist, it helps locals get the proper treatment they need. 

  6. It bridges the gap in oral health care availability between rural and urban areas. 

  7. It helps dentists to quickly treat patients with mild oral health problems via teledentistry while attending to others with significant issues in their offices. This also helps to reduce congestion. 

  8. It saves time by preventing unnecessary trips to the dentist's office for a problem that could be treated through simple means. 

  9. It helps individuals who have phobias, for medical institutions get treatments from their homes. 

How teledentistry works

 With the right communication technology, teledentistry becomes easy even in the most backward places. If a person has a problem, he or she takes a picture or video of the tooth or teeth, shares it with the dentist. The dentist then studies it, determines the cause of the problem, and proffers a solution to the issue in question. 

Also, there are often scheduled gatherings where the dentist addresses crowds from remote locations, educating them about their oral health. 

Teledentistry; Improving access to oral health care for the underserved. 

Underserved communities have limited access to socio-economic facilities, health care, good roads, good communication, and a transportation system. The individuals who live in these communities often suffer from poverty and abuse. They are also often uninsured, come from disadvantaged families, and low income or no-income earners. 

In order words, compared to the rest of the world, their standard of living is next to nothing. Among the population of the underserved, children are more affected by health problems. 

Teledentistry aims to bring oral health awareness and treatment to these children in as many places as possible. Health workers are often dispatched to places like this to set up the basic technology and communication facilities. With the aid of the public awareness system, dentists can observe problems, give diagnoses, and offer solutions. 

Using this means, children are also educated on the proper way to brush their teeth, the advantages of flossing, and the importance of making healthy choices concerning the food they eat. In situations where misdiagnoses are made, like removing a tooth that could have been treated or ignoring the signs of a decaying tooth, Teledentistry helps stop the diagnoses while offering a way to prevent and treat dental caries and periodontal diseases. 

Where to find teledentists

Although many dental clinics and dental doctors are engaging in teledentistry, there are specific dental clinics that offer good dental care consultancy. A few of them include;

  1. Live dental provides individuals access to excellent and affordable dental care, any day, any time. 

  2. Dental chat provides easy to afford dental help, insurance plans, and a platform for users to ask questions and get answers for free. 

  3. Tooth pic is an educational platform that educates users on proper oral health care. They have a variety of resources users can directly get access to. 

  4. The TeleDentists help patients connect to doctors around them to receive comprehensive and extensive care. 

  5. The Smilist Dental offers dental care to patients on and off-site at affordable prices with good doctor-to-patient services. 

Conclusion 

With teledentistry on the rise, more and more organizations have taken it upon themselves to provide care to people everywhere. Companies have also incorporated the teledentistry plan, bringing health care to their workers at the tap of a button. It is, little by little, bringing the world together and making it a better place for people to live in. 

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