Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1472872
28 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW // VOL. 2022 NO. 2 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP COVID-19. COVID-19 forced doctors and staff members to reevaluate their ex- isting systems and be flexible in their du- ties. One substantial change was that we started screening and following up with patients remotely. We also bolstered our already stringent infection control protocols. These efforts helped dentists have lower transmission rates than the general public, even though our profes- sion has us in front of unmasked patients for extended periods of time. Lessons learned from COVID-19 will help us miti- gate the effect of the next flu season and whatever is to come. Flavia Lamberghini, DDS. Apple Dental Care (Chicago): COVID-19 has had a tre- mendous impact on dentistry. Its effect can be seen at multiple levels, from the infection control protocols that every of- fice has updated and reviewed in detail, to workforce shortages that we needed to adapt. We are also very aware of the urgency of treatments, where trauma and infection need to be treated right away [and] others can be deferred. Ma- terials such as silver diamine fluoride has become routine to treat carious sen- sitive teeth on children that will receive care later or while they wait for treatment under general anesthesia. Teledentist- ry was rarely used before the pandem- ic [and] is now a helpful tool for triage or follow up. Rajdeep Randhawa, DDS. Innovative Dentistry (Colts Neck, N.J.): COVID-19 will influence both the clinical and busi- ness aspects of dentistry, more so the business of dentistry differentiating the small independent participating pro- viders who are highly dependent on the insurance companies for their patients, and the DSOs who are aggressively fishing in the same pond for both insur- ance and private patients. The insurance companies will over a period of time squeeze the small participating provid- ers so much with decreasing compen- sation, while the cost and risk of doing business has increased substantially due to COVID-19. Staff shortages and burnout are not go- ing to improve soon and may aggravate in the future. The DSOs know how to play this game differently, so they have used COVID-19 as an opportunity to ex- pand substantially and do have massive expansion plans to increase their market penetration even further with the help of private equity and other investors jump- ing into the dental profession, while den- tal organizations claiming to represent the profession are taking a long nap, to- tally oblivious to the corporate and pri- vate equity takeover. n The technology saving dentistry, according to 3 dentists By Ariana Portalatin W ith the dental industry facing several challenges that were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, many are focusing on creating solutions to improve practice, enhance patient experience and decrease complications. Technological advancements are one of the top trends saving dentistry, according to three dentists. Here, the dentists share with Becker's how technology is moving the industry forward: Brandon James, DMD. Mortenson Family Dental (Louisville, Ky.): The number one trend saving dentistry is technology and the move toward digital, whether it be X-rays, digital scanning or dig- ital treatment planning. These make for better diagnosis, better treatment being rendered and better patient experience. Other trends saving dentistry are implants and the ability for gen- eral dentists to confidently place and restore them. This makes implants more accessible to more patients and provides the best treatment to replace missing teeth. Cyrus Lee, DMD. Dental Director of Care Delivery at Permanente Dental Associates (Portland, Ore.): Two trends of note in dentist- ry are efforts around improving the patient experience and more specifically, increasing convenience to customers. Continued efforts with socializing patient reviews and making more transparent the patient experience (online and social media) are giving patients more tools to help them choose where they want to receive their dental care. Additionally, technology such as online appointing (web and app-based), chatbots or other online tools for advice, triage and scheduling continue to shift dentistry to a more consumer-driven approach around convenience. This increased access to information for the consumer is similar to what's happened across other industries. Bradley Dykstra, DDS. CEO of MI Smiles Dental (Hudsonville, Mich.): A few areas are contributing to this. Anything to streamline processes and/or reduce the need for human interaction – anything that can be automated should be. These all remove busywork and allow more time to personally in- teract with the patients on items that need human involvement. 1. Improved technology: a few of many • Online forms • Self-scheduling • Text to pay • Virtual visits • Voice-activated charting • Cloud-based software – easy to scale • Chat bots • Older technology – digital scanning and intraoral cameras 2. Artificial intelligence • Preliminary caries diagnosis from radiographs • Preliminary hard tissue and bone level charting from radiographs • Auto insurance verification • Analyzing phone calls for correct follow-up n