Dentistry and the Internet, a Look at the Future

Thomas K. Hedge D.D.S., F.A.C.E.
Dental Economics
June 1999

Whether we like it or not, the Internet is changing how dentistry is practiced. And we've only seen the tip of the iceberg. E mail is beginning to replace U.S. Postal Service mail (called 'snail mail' on the Internet). You can find investment information and conduct real-time trades on the Internet. Just about every dental vendor has an Internet site. And patients are bypassing the more traditional Yellow Pages listings and personal referrals, and location. The internet empowers the consumer to access information about a dental practice that is impossible to gather through any other means.

A consumer can meet the doctor. A photograph of the doctor and his or her family accompanying a biography is a great way to introduce patients to the person that they will be maintaining their smile. As the internet pipeline increases in size (increased bandwidth), patients will be able to view a full motion video of the doctor welcoming them and explaining his or her philosophy of practice. Increased bandwidth will also allow self directed video office tours.

Currently, dental practice internet sites include a wealth of information. New patients can download patient registration forms, health history forms, and a map to the office. Special services such as televisions on the ceilings, Nintendo 64 in the children's play area, gourmet coffee's in the refreshment center, information on long term financing of treatment, and extended hours can be highlighted. Before and after photographs of cosmetic miracles can be viewed. The content of this information is virtually limitless.

The near future holds even greater promise with respect to the internet and it's impact on dentistry. Consumers will log on to sites where they will be directed to dentists in their geographic area. This will replace the Yellow Pages as a directory because of the unlimited content and ability to be updated in real time versus once a year. These same sites will also offer diagnostic information to consumers about specific procedures and educational material about these procedures. The consumer will then be directed to a dentist in their area that offers the procedure of interest.

Dentists will be able to order supplies online at the lowest available price. Sites will exist that have a listing of every dental supply item and the current offering price by every dental supply company in the world. These sites will allow one stop shopping for supply orders at savings of approximately 20% under current catalog prices. The profit margin on dental supplies is now around 40%. There is no reason to have a dental supply representative to take your order for a commodity item at a 20% premium. The argument that I typically hear is that this relationship is critical when equipment breaks down. If you are a "good" customer, the supply company will have someone out to your office immediately to fix the problem. Dental supply company's have two separate profit centers, one for selling supplies and the other to sell and repair equipment. I doubt that the equipment and repair manager will turn down a prospective client. Atypical dental practice at $400,00 per year in dentistry will have a supply budget of six per cent, or $24,000 per year. Twenty per cent of this amounts to almost $5000 per year in savings.

Dentists will be better able to research their purchases through forums that will record comments about equipment and supply purchases and performance. These comments will be up to the minute with respect to timeliness. Currently, this type of forum does not exist in dentistry in one consolidated site. This will change as major players enter the market. The only place for this type of information is now in the dental journals and in small internet sites that do not have critical mass to be effective. The dental journals cannot publish all of the feedback that they receive because of volume and conflicts of interest with advertisers.

Continuing education will be revolutionized by the internet. Instead of flying hundreds of doctors and, at times, staff to out of town locations to attend seminars, doctors and staff will participate in online courses. Lecturers will speak online in real time with participants able to ask questions via the internet. The cost of C.E. will decrease dramatically allowing doctors to learn with increased frequency increasing the quality of care.

Wasted time using the telephone will be decreased dramatically. Currently, if you have a question for a specialist, you call and speak with the receptionist and are put on hold while she checks to see if the doctor can come to the phone. She returns to tell you that the doctor is in surgery and will return your call. When the call is returned, you are usually unavailable. Phone tag is a huge waste of time. Why not just send an E mail with an attached X-ray. The specialist can return an answer when they are free and you can read it when you are free.

Although we started with the tip of the ice berg, these future possibilities only represent the ability to use another small piece of a behemoth that lies below the surface. Other possibilities include laboratory communication, direct access for patients of account and appointment information, etc. Let's embrace this technological miracle to make us better, more efficient, and more profitable dentists.