TeleDent

TeleDent, developed by MouthWatch, is a teledentistry platform designed to facilitate dental care through telecommunications and allied technologies. This solution caters to dental professionals and organizations of all sizes, including dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental therapists, dental educators, public health programs, and group practices or Dental Service Organizations (DSOs).

Key Features

Teledentistry Regulations Vary Across 50 States: According to the vendor, teledentistry regulations differ across all 50 states in the United States, encompassing aspects such as scope of practice, supervision, reimbursement parity, and requirements for synchronous and asynchronous teledentistry.

Use Cases of Teledentistry: The vendor claims that teledentistry finds applications in private practice, group practice or DSO, public health programs, dental education, medical-dental integration, and crisis response, serving diverse settings such as schools, nursing homes, and pediatric offices.

Patient-Facing Services of a Teledentistry Solution: According to the vendor, patients expect a teledentistry solution to offer services such as secure messaging with their dental practice, online virtual consultations, and the ability to share concerns and images from their phones.

Patient Portals & Teledentistry: The vendor states that patient portals are essential for a teledentistry solution, providing a secure online clinical space for patients to access their PHI, engage in messaging and video meetings, and view visual treatment plans.

Preparing a Space for Teledentistry Video Appointments: The vendor suggests that setting up a dedicated space for teledentistry video appointments is crucial, ensuring privacy, avoiding distractions, maintaining appropriate lighting, and establishing trust through proper camera positioning.

Synchronous Teledentistry: Real-time Care: According to the vendor, synchronous teledentistry enables live 2-way communication, facilitating real-time evaluation, consultation, collaboration, and decision-making between patients and dental professionals.

Asynchronous Teledentistry: An Efficient Alternative: The vendor claims that asynchronous teledentistry streamlines treatment planning and collaboration by allowing patients to send images and descriptions for evaluation before a video consultation, enhancing flexibility and efficiency.

Using D9995 & D9996 CDT Teledentistry Codes: According to the vendor, teledentistry codes D9995 and D9996 are used in conjunction with other procedure codes to report synchronous and asynchronous teledentistry services, subject to state-specific policies and regulations.

Questions to Ask Teledentistry Solution Vendors: Dentists are advised to inquire about the software's dental focus, duration of development, patient-facing services, seamless transition between messaging and live communication modes, and the creation of consolidated patient communication records.

Important Teledentistry Features for a Group or Practice to Consider: According to the vendor, dental groups and practices should consider features such as integration with existing workflows, HIPAA compliance, multi-provider participation, scalability, asynchronous teledentistry support, collaboration capabilities, and billing and reporting features.