What's important in dental care this year? Your patients' perception of teledentistry

As dental professionals, the changes in our personal lives are enough to provide insight regarding the expectations of our customer dental patients. Currently, dental patients prefer to be treated as consumers because this is what they're used to. Every day people are targeted with constant advertisements, drip emails, and social campaigns. On social media we're inundated with trends, influencers, and brand ambassadors. Don't forget about the growth in companies like Uber, GrubHub, Airbnb, and Amazon that so many people have come to rely on. Change came in the blink of an eye. This means our industry is no longer a flat, or even dreaded, experience. It means people expect our messaging, services, and care to be provided through multiple dimensions and methods. No longer do we have to hold our breath and cross our fingers in anticipation of our next patient walking through the door. Our first patient encounter does not need to be in the clinical chair, taking up valuable op time. We no longer need to be the "tooth fixers." Instead, we can provide remote feedback and educational texts, \ideos, and apps to help our patients focus on prevention and understand the confusing oral health messages they receive.