Leveraging Technology to Improve Care

Technology in the Dental Industry is Ever-Changing

FOR EVERY CONFERENCE or trade show you attend, there are countless vendors claiming to have the next best technology or solution for a problem facing a dental office. To continue and grow as a leading Dental Support Organization, we are always evaluating these technologies to determine if they would be a good fit. Of course, every technology cannot and should not be implemented. Some may not pan out with a significant benefit and trying every new technology would cause undue stress on our teams in the offices.

In 2022, DCA invested significantly in technology for our allied practices. We did this after thorough review of benefits and after piloting in a small number of offices to

James Nick Chief Revenue Officer Ally Since 2018

test. In reviewing each potential this technology, we have a simple “test” that we evaluate. It needs to be a win-winwin for us to implement.

• First, we need a win for our team members and dental professionals. Every new technology is first vetted to determine how it will make the jobs of our team members better. Some may help improve interactions with patients, while others may allow tasks to be more efficient.

• Secondly, we need a win for patients. If a potential technology does not improve the patient experience or help provides improve care, it is not worthwhile for us to consider spending resources on.

• Lastly, we need a win for DCA, and if we’ve passed the first two tests, this should be easy. The benefit to DCA could be many different ways, but ultimately will result in either improved care for patients or a workplace that more dental professionals want to be a part of. Either way, it’s a win for DCA.

As we went through 2022, you probably saw some new technologies and as we move to 2023, you will see more deployed. I hope you see value in each of these. A quick rundown of some exciting developments from 2022 or coming in 2023:

u Hygiene Guided-Biofilm Therapy

Using a machine developed by EMS, many DCA hygienists are now using a machine that eliminates the need for many conventional hygiene techniques. This makes the patient experience better in that it’s more comfortable and quicker. This makes the hygienist experience better in that it is much more ergonomic way to treat patients.

u Overjet Artificial Intelligence

At just over 100 offices, Overjet was implemented in 2022 with favorable feedback from our teams on the ability to aid in diagnosis as well as educate patients on the diagnosis and benefit of treatment. Over time we will have this more fully integrated into our practice management systems so it’s even easier to use and we can track progress over time.

u Weave Phone System

The Weave system was implemented across offices to help offices improve patient communications with a more advanced phone system that recognizes patients when calling and allows more methods to communicate. As we work toward more integration, we expect further improvements in 2023 to help patients and practices communicate.

u Care Credit Patient Financing

As we look to 2023, we are working with Care Credit on additional offerings that may allow more patients to be eligible for financing to help them complete needed treatment in our offices.

u DentRite

With a discount membership plan that help patients complete treatment and come back regularly, DentRite has proved valuable to many of our practices. Recently, we introduced a streamlined application for DentRite where patients can apply from their phone simply by scanning a QR code.