Even though the mouth is a part of the body and integral to overall wellness, medical and dental care have existed worlds apart in practice, policy, education, and management for over 180 years. There has been no effective way, nor is it top of mind, for dentists and medical practitioners to share information even though it is vital for patient health. Without coordination between dentists and medical doctors, patients are left with the burden to not only understand, but manage and communicate the connection of their oral and systemic health between the silos of their care. On top of that, dental insurance is often separate from health insurance. As an ancillary or added benefit rather than an integrated part of total health, it is designed in a manner that leads to dental care being the second highest out-of-pocket expense for healthcare consumers, often causing patients to delay or skip dental care completely. That’s a big problem and not just for oral health. Missed dental encounters can be missed opportunities to improve health outcomes for patients with existing and chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or other health care needs such as pregnancy or cancer treatment support. But it doesn’t have to be this way. To bridge the divide between dental and medical, healthcare can reach further with a virtual-first care network to connect the mouth back to the body in communication and practice.
Patients are more likely to use services that are easy and cost-effective to access
While the pandemic hastened the rise of telemedicine, it was always the future of healthcare. That’s because telemedicine makes healthcare more equitable, more convenient, and more cost-effective, particularly in disparately impacted communities. Telemedicine is a vehicle that enhances the delivery of care. And in fact, telemedicine isn’t new. According to the CDC, Medicare recipients have been using telehealth in growing numbers since 2004. By 2019, researchers were already addressing issues, like the availability of broadband connectivity, that could prevent rural and low-income areas from having equal access to telemedicine services. By the end of 2020, Medicare and Medicaid patients had completed more than 52.7 million telehealth visits across all disciplines. And despite the waning of the pandemic, telehealth still accounted for up to 38% of doctor-patient visits in 2022.
Modernizing dental practices by adopting and applying the best practices of telehealth has already begun to effect change. In 2019, a survey found that 78% of patients, including rural, underserved, urban and working patients, would be willing to try virtual dental care if it were available. Today, an overwhelming 85% of patients report satisfaction with virtual dental care services. Adding a virtual-first care network will only maximize the value of virtual dental care, both for patients and providers.
Virtual dental care relieves unnecessary burdens that dental practices experience and improves patient satisfaction
More than 93% of dentists now expect teledentistry to lead to long-term dental practice changes, including the easing of burdens, like staffing shortages, which at present have reduced the dental practice labor force by more than 10%. Every appointment conducted via telehealth services for general exams, prescriptions, and ongoing supervision for post-operative care reduces the in-office clinical burden on staff and dentists, freeing up time for those services that must be performed in person. And while teledentistry is too often considered for just emergency services, all 50 states now reimburse for these services, and it has become an important complement to in-person services.
Between increased efficiencies in scheduling, office visits, and billing and payment, dentists who have adopted teledentistry are already seeing positive outcomes for both their practices and for their patients. A virtual-first care network takes it one step further by creating a wrap-around platform with a comprehensive approach to virtual dental care.
Virtual-first care gets ahead of concerns before they become problems
Virtual-first care is more than teledentistry. It’s a network that promotes coordinated care across all disciplines, starting with immediate access to care, referral to the right provider and following the patient through every step of their wellness journey.
Imagine Eileen, recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes by her primary care provider. Her diagnosis in that doctor’s office triggers an invitation to a consultation with a dentist in the virtual-first care network. She connects with a dentist for a virtual consultation, where she can discuss the diagnosis and how it will impact her oral health – and how proper dental care has been proven to improve outcomes for diabetic patients. From there, she learns more about her oral health and is referred to a local dentist for an appointment while continuing to receive support, education, and coaching about how to keep her mouth healthy while living with diabetes. And her primary care doctor? They also can see the circle of care is completed and her oral health is being addressed. This bridge connecting medical and dental previously would be shouldered by Eileen. Now, technology has eased that burden and improved her experience and health.
Eileen’s case is just one example of the power of a virtual-first care network, which can help medical providers and dentists coordinate care for the many chronic and serious conditions that impact the body and the mouth. For patients with diabetes, that’s managing not only blood sugar but the increased risk for cavities, plaque, tooth decay, and gum disease. And importantly, for those with serious periodontal disease, it’s oral health’s connection to inflammation in the heart’s vessels and infection in the heart valves. Coordinated care done right can make these connections early on and improve patient outcomes in every category.
The big idea: Although leveraging and adapting telehealth techniques for oral health has only quietly and slowly made its way into dental practices, telehealth can shape total patient wellness by improving the efficiency and convenience of accessing and receiving care. That’s why a virtual-first care network is imperative: to quickly engage patients who can benefit from coordinated care between dentists and medical providers, help them to access care quickly and efficiently, and stay with them through every step of their health journey. With a robust network focused on coordinated whole patient wellness, we can finally bridge the divide and connect the mouth back to the body.
Photo: Anatolii Shcherbatiuk, Getty Images
