199 Connecting Through Teledentistry

Andrew and Michelle's trip to RDH Under One Roof actually allowed them to pack a bunch of RDHs (and a dentist!) under one roof to record this episode. The subject at hand is teledentistry, where technology allows dental professionals to examine and diagnose individuals who may not be able to make it to a clinic. And a big thanks to MouthWatch for helping to put this discussion together!   Carol Roszel, RDH, is the oral health director for Little City Foundation, an organization that works with intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals. Staci Stout is a hygienist and the owner of Dentacare and the corresponding Dentacare Foundation, which provide oral health care to schools, nursing homes and corporations. Elaine Mamola is the founder of Smiles By Delivery, which utilizes teledentistry as a means of providing homebound seniors and some veterans with proper care. Brittany Kinol is a dentist and the founder of Miracle Dental Associates, which helps underserved children in the Pittsburgh area.   In this episode, our guests explain how teledentistry makes their services much more accessible than they otherwise might have been, discuss some of the techniques and processes used to bring dentistry into the home, and explore how hygienists are absolutely essential to remote work.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: Interview starts: 6:51   - Our guests explain how they provide underserved populations with dental care and how teledentistry plays a major role in that.   - How hygienists are key players in making teledentistry happen.   - Some of the more unusual substitutes for denture relines Elaine has seen in her time.   - How technology expedites—and occasionally complicates—teledentistry work.   - Staci breaks down the difference between synchronous and asynchronous teledentistry.   - Carol explains how much information is needed to make a remote identification or diagnosis.   - Why Carol believes teledentistry is such a major advancement to the field.   - What are some of the legislative complications of teledentistry?   - Brittany shares her love for dental hygienists and why she sees them as a progressive force.   - Our guests advise listeners on how they can get started with teledentistry.     QUOTES:   "You're utilizing this dentist a lot better because he can be providing exams in multiple locations."   "Teledentistry really kind of closes those gaps and it makes the care much more efficient."   "Not only has [teledentistry] enhanced our treatment, but it has increased the number of people being seen."   "Teledentistry is truly one of the biggest advancements in dentistry in decades."   "You guys are just so smart and so progressive compared to dentists."   "Everybody can play happily in the sandbox if we're working together." LINKS:   Denticare homepage - https://www.denticare.dental/ Staci's email: [email protected]  Carol's email: [email protected]    Smiles By Delivery homepage - https://smilesbydelivery.com/ Elaine's email: [email protected]   Miracle Dental Care homepage - https://www.miracledentalcare.org/ Brittany's email: [email protected]    MouthWatch homepage - https://www.mouthwatch.com/   Thank you to Paradise Dental Technologies aka PDT for providing ce sponsorship for this episode!   Be sure to thank the sponsor for this episode by heading over to www.PDTDental.com and picking up a new instrument or telling them thank you in person at one of the conferences!   THIS EPISODE COUNTS FOR CE! - but read the disclaimer below as it might not count for your state. Go here to take the test and get CE credit!   A Tale of Two Hygienists homepage - https://ataleoftwohygienists.com/     AToTH on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aTaleOfTwoHygienists/     AToTH on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ataleoftwohygienists     AToTH on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/atoth/?originalSubdomain=ca