Safe, Effective, Convenient
Dr Amo Sohal shares his journey towards virtual digital dentistry
Co-owner of award-winning Broadway Dental Boutique in Crawley, 34-year-old cosmetic dentist with a special interest in teeth straightening Dr Amo Sohal explains why he had embraced virtual digital dentistry – even before the 2020 lockdown. Dr Sohal is an Invisalign 2nd tier Diamond Provider and an opinion leader and ambassador for Align Technology, Henry Schein, Philips, and Dental Monitoring.
When March 2020 hit dentistry across the UK, everything ground to a stop – or did it?
We [The dental practice] had already invested in virtual triage dentistry, a process I describe as ‘Safe, Effective, Convenient’, and which involves the patient using ScanBox technology where the patient uses their smartphone to take ‘selfies’ of their smile, thanks to which I can efficiently monitor their Invisalign treatment progress without any need for them to visit the surgery unless there is a real need. It’s not a gimmick, it’s easy to use, and it works with both iPhone and Android.
I must stress that this is not some form of DIY dentistry. Every treatment plan begins with a face-to-face examination, including an iTero intraoral scan, x-rays, and a ClinCheck assessment. But once treatment starts, I can remotely consider their treatment and make an educated decision when they should move on to the next set of aligners. I don’t simply tell them to change every week or every fortnight, this way their treatment is more precise and specifically tailored to their needs.
Because I monitor my patients’ progress on a weekly basis, something called the ‘Hawthorne Effect’ comes into play. This refers to a type of reactivity in which individuals modify an aspect of their behaviour because they know they are being observed. Put simply, thanks to the ScanBox helping me stay in regular contact, my patients are more compliant and there has been a massive improvement in treatment outcomes.
