FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, October 8, 1999
CONTACT:
Jann Ingmire [email protected] 312/440-2806
Richard Green
Hawaii Convention Center
808-791-8516
Fred Peterson [email protected]
Chicago Office
312-440-2806
Dentists Go High-Tech and Log On to the Future
HONOLULU -- The Internet is changing the way patients and dental offices communicate. Patients may soon be able to find out about the dentist before they ever go to see him or her by using the Internet, according to Robert M. Pick, D.D.S., one of the presenters at the American Dental Association's (ADA) Technology Day, October 8, at the Hawaii Convention Center. The pre-session all day course is held the day before the 140th Annual Scientific Session and Technical Exhibition opens at the Hawaii Convention Center, October 9-12.
Dr. Pick says some dental offices allow patients to schedule appointments or complete health histories or insurance forms all by e-mail. While he says just a few dentists are using these tools now, he predicts more and more will take advantage of the convenience of the Internet's electronic communication in the future.
Dr. Pick is one of the very few dentists in the country who is using the Internet for virtual video conferences. He will demonstrate a live consultation from Tech Day in
Hawaii with a dentist in Chicago by using his computer, a live digital camera and the Internet.
"With a patient in the dental chair, I can use this set-up to do a consultation, for example, on periodontal (gum) graft surgery," Dr. Pick explains. "The dentist in Chicago can send me digital photographs of images from the intra-oral camera and radiographs (x-rays) via the Internet. Then I can use computer imaging to create a before and after image to explain the grafting procedure directly to the patient and the referring dentist. The patient and the dentist will be able to see what the final results will look like before we ever do the surgery."
Dr. Pick says the virtual video conference can also be used for the patient to talk to the treatment coordinator to schedule an appointment with the specialist. "This is an incredible tool for us. It saves patients and dentists time because it eliminates playing phone tag where we keep leaving messages for each other, but never connect. And, believe it or not, it's relatively inexpensive," Dr. Pick adds. He says a dentist needs the right size and speed of computer, a high-speed Internet access, software that's a free download, and a digital camera. And he says this technology can be used by everyone from beginners to avid users of computers and the Internet.
"This is one of the most exciting advances in patient care and management," Dr. Pick says. "This truly is the virtual office for dentistry." Dr. Pick says one of the best resources on the Internet is ADA ONLINE, which provides a searchable data base for
patients looking for a dentist and valuable information for both consumers and dentists.
Dentists from around the world will learn how to incorporate and utilize the latest technology in their dental practices during Technology Day at the ADA's Annual Session. The pre-session all day course will feature demonstrations and hands-on experience with the latest dental technology from the experts.
To search for a dentist in your area or for more information on dental technology, visit ADA ONLINE at http://www.ada.org.
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