Australasian Dentist Magazine Sept-Oct 2021

Category 28 Australasian Dentist n ws Q How do you adapt your practice to today’s patient expectations? A Today’s patients are very different from those of the past, most of all they want convenience. This means treatment in as few office visits as possible to achieve a superior result. This is why direct to consumer orthodontic models exist. Today’s patients still want exceptional results, but they do not realise consistently great results only can occur when there is doctor driven diagnosis, quality records, and when treatment is regularly monitored. Our office offers superior treatment with very few in-office visits because of AI and the DentalMonitoring systems. We are growing exponentially as a result. The outcomes are beyond what I could have expected. Q What is DentalMonitoring? A DentalMonitoring (DM) is an AI-powered, app driven system that allows me to do preliminary diagnosis and to provide prospective patients possible results (SmileMate), and remote monitoring of treatment progress (DentalMonitoring). Patients in treatment send me intraoral scans taken with their smartphones from wherever they are, and the AI engine takes it from there. I can assess needs, progress of treatment, and importantly I can efficiently communicate with patients and prospective patients, something never possible. DM’s sophisticated AI is based on more than How AI technology has reshaped my patients’ experience Interview with Dr Terry Sellke “AI-driven technology makes my practice more efficient, more profitable, improved our quality and my patients are delighted” half a billion patient photographs. The accuracy is proven in clinical studies and the ever-expanding database allows even more sophisticated diagnosis going forward. My team is empowered, and everyone knows their role in this digital care pathway. The result is better care in less time. I only see my patients in the practice when needed. Our digital workflow works equally well for brackets or aligners. Compared to pre-DM cases we achieve superior results in fewer office days, with fewer team members, and a higher profit/case. Indeed, the medical model HAS come to orthodontics. Q What are the benefits for your patients? A First and foremost is the convenience of fewer visits for busy parents and patients. But importantly, the improved communications systems lead to far better compliance. This is why we can treat patients in fewer months with better results than in the past. Q Can you quantify the benefits of using DentalMonitoring for your practice? A We have beenusingDentalMonitoring in our practice since August 2016. I saw the benefits and the value proposition. We went “all in”. As an early adopter we developed with DM systems for communications, data analysis, improved scanning, and much more. Our records show that in the last year involving a pa­ tient sample of over 1,000 that treatment time has been reduced by 3.6 months, and treatment was provided in 54% fewer doctor visits (bracket cases as well as aligner cases). This is all with improved treatment outcomes. This is win, win, win. On top of that, my patients are thrilled to come in less often... who would have thought? Q What is the next step in optimising your practice efficiency? A I have taught business principles that apply to orthodontics for decades. A key fact is the key to the future involves 3 things: delegation, technology, and systems. DentalMonitoring is the greatest disrupter to the traditional orthodontic model of my entire career. That said, practitioners need to embrace the change and all the tremendous possibilities that come from DM. In 2016 there was only remote monitoring of care through DentalMonitoring. Now there is also SmileMate.Who knowswhat other aspects of the medical model DentalMonitoring will add to their mix. u Learn more about DentalMonitoring at www.dental-monitoring.com Dr Terry Sellke