Peter Bailey discusses the importance of embracing a digital workflow and how to lean into innovation to future-proof your practice, improve the patient experience and streamline efficiencies.
With such a huge lens being placed on AI and the future of how we work as a society, it’s natural for there to be some concern and potentially scepticism.
However, the opportunity that it presents within dentistry is not to be ignored. There are ways to embrace AI and digitisation within the dental sector that can streamline efficiencies, improve and enhance the patient journey and crucially, free up more clinical hours so that we can eventually increase our capacity to see a greater number of patients.
The key to embracing digital dentistry is to take a holistic approach. We operate in such a complex ecosystem of interactions, with each one being impacted by digital transformation in some way – whether it’s the patient booking an appointment, the NHS liaising with the practice, or the practice working with labs, suppliers, or support teams – the need to not only embrace, but to elevate the digital solutions available to us has never been clearer.
At mydentist, we’re learning more about the ever-evolving digital landscape and are consistently blown away by how much we can achieve by facing into it. Whether through AI, voice-based note taking, online booking systems, IOS (intraoral scanning) scanning or partnering with digital-focused platforms to offer our clinicians and colleagues enhanced learning and development opportunities.
Intraoral scanners
One of the most established aspects of the digital workflow in mydentist practices has been the enhanced use of intraoral scanners. At mydentist, we work closely with our suppliers in order to continuously progress our technology to create new (or modify existing) patient experiences and improve clinical workflows.
The constant aim is to improve collaboration and efficiency along the way, particularly between clinicians, colleagues, suppliers and patients. This is an area we’ve been heavily focused on, implementing intraoral scanners across our network of 500+ practices.
Not only have intraoral scanners improved the experience our patients have when visiting their dentist, but they have also improved the experience that clinicians practicing within our network have. This allows them to increase their efficiency and crucially improving them with more clinical time and freedom, so that they can focus on delivering the dentistry that they want to with the improved predictability that a digital workflow provides.
Over the next three years, we’re committed to installing further scanners to support the ever-growing patient demand for elective treatments such as clear aligners, dental implants and other restorative treatments – working to install a minimum of two scanners in every practice.
Long-term, we have a vision to adopt a fully clinical digital workflow, scanning every single patient who comes into our practices and being fully impression-free by the end of 2027. Together, we’ll enhance our skills, improve patient outcomes and remain at the forefront of dental innovation.
As clinicians improve their skills with IOS and become confident using the scanner, there is significant potential to improve efficiency and productivity as we move towards a clinical digital workflow. These improvements are achieved by a reduction in the number of appointments needed. On average, two fewer appointments are required for a partial denture as an example.
Embracing technology
With over 650 TRIOS Intraoral scanners in practices across mydentist and another 100 yet to be rolled out, this number means that, per dentist, we have over twice the number of scanners as the market average – supporting our vision to be the leading provider of digital dentistry in the UK. Intraoral scanners also present a great opportunity for clinicians to have a more engaging conversation with their patients which improves patients education, treatment plan acceptance and supports increasing their earnings.
When it comes to embracing technology and leaning into a digital future, there are ample opportunities for all of us working within dentistry, and the advancements being made within AI in general (particularly in the radiography space), teeth monitoring and scanning are astounding.
In an ever-growing and changing digital landscape, I encourage anyone working within dentistry to ensure that you’re facing into the changes and advancements being made, but it’s important to ensure that you’re implementing guardrails and entering into digitisation with peripheral vision and an awareness of the technology you’re implementing.
This could be through adopting pilots before jumping into long-term agreements, seeking legal advice around data protection, or ensuring that you have dedicated team members who can drive the day-to-day use of the technology forward to make sure it’s rigorously tested and monitored.
Through taking these steps, I’m confident that digital dentistry can provide us all with enhanced learning, development, and opportunity to increase clinical hours and income. Most importantly, I’m confident that by leaning into new technology and digital innovations, we can provide our patients with an improved experience and, ultimately, realise our goal of improving accessibility – helping the nation smile one scan at a time.
This article is sponsored by mydentist.
