Dental Monitoring
Reinventing Dentistry with AI-Driven Remote Solutions

In the past decade, Amazon, Netflix and other tech giants have transformed consumer behavior, setting a standard that offers not only quality products, but also a convenient and exceptional user experience. Along with the growing demand for remote services in entertainment and e-commerce, consumers expect equally convenient services in all aspects of their lives, including health and dental care. Remote care alleviates the inconvenience of having to travel to the doctor or dentist unnecessarily. Dental Monitoring, the first AI-powered remote dental treatment platform enables dentists to manage their patients’ care from afar. “We are driven by the public’s demand for convenience,” explains Mark van Weelde, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing at Dental Monitoring.

To illustrate the importance of remote dental care, van Weelde uses the example of an orthodontic patient, who, after acquiring braces, generally does not visit the doctor for eight to twelve weeks. A lot of things, both major and minor, can happen during this period: patients may not be compliant with the maintenance of their braces, or perhaps an orthodontic bracket may become loose. Without any virtual or remote check-ins, a doctor is not able to monitor or treat a patient. Dental Monitoring’s platform helps dental professionals stay on top of and treat issues remotely, asking the patients to visit the clinic only if and when necessary.

Dental Monitoring’s HIPAA-compliant platform is cloud-based and AI-driven and it consists of three integrated software tools: a smartphone application for patients, a tooth-movement tracking algorithm, and an online dashboard where doctors track patient updates. Using the mobile application and a mobile device’s camera, the patient takes “intraoral images,” or photos of their mouth from different angles, at intervals determined by their doctor.

These images are securely uploaded to cloud servers where AI analyzes and compiles them, highlighting any detected anomalies. The AI, with highly evolved capabilities, such as visual detection and 3D volumetric positioning of the teeth, can detect around 180 different clinical situations. The analyzed images are sent to the doctor’s web-based dashboard so that the doctor can assess them and develop treatment plans accordingly.

“It’s easy to see how the AI-powered system saves time for doctors, time they would otherwise have spent manually analyzing large volumes of dental imaging,” explains van Weelde. “We are first in the world to develop an AI technology for dental practices.” Based on real use cases and feedback from doctors, “this kind ofAI-powered setup helps reduce the number of appointments in orthodontic treatment by around 40% and the treatment time by up to 27%, leading to an increase in profits for the dentist anda decrease in treatment cost,” adds van Weelde.

Today, Dental Monitoring has one of the world’s largest databases of dentalimages which they are leveraging to deliver even more innovative products that further simplify and improve remote dental care. One such product is SmileMate, whereby a prospective patient can take images of their teeth and receive a remote assessment of detected dental issues from the doctor. Vision, another Dental Monitoring product, creates photo-realistic simulations based on the doctor’s treatment plan to show the patient what their teeth would look like during and post-treatment.

While Dental Monitoring started with tools for orthodontic care, the company has been widening its scope to meet demands for broader dental care solutions, with basic oral hygiene monitoring as a priority. In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, more patients are opting to consult their doctors remotely rather than through in-person visits, and Dental Monitoring provides a wide variety of remote treatment solutions. “Practices are looking for new solutions to provide their patients with more convenience and to increase their own efficiency,” explains van Weelde. “Our products like SmileMate can be used across the board in general dental practices. Our platforms truly bring the key to a virtual practice, where patients can be offered an A to Z remote care, whatever their concern is or, wherever they are,” affirms van Weelde.