Whether you’re a dentist hoping to get some new equipment for your practice or a dental hygienist staying on top of the industry, there’s a lot of exciting new products on the market. Here are some of the products to look out for in 2021.
1. Smart Devices
Let’s face it, most of your patients are now going to have smart devices in their homes. Some will be less tech-savvy than others, but some of your patients might be receptive to cool new innovations like smart toothbrushes.
Smart brushes essentially walk you through your tooth brushing routine, ensuring a thorough and effective brushing each time. As a dentist or hygienist, you might be worried that these devices will put you out of a job. However, these smart devices can’t improve each individual’s brushing technique, so you’ll still have plenty of teeth to clean.
2. Artificial Intelligence
Most dental practices already use software to help them make decisions about best practices. Using artificial intelligence will take that software to the next level. Dentists will be able to quickly and accurately find the best possible approach for individual patients based on their personal data.
Unnecessary treatments or ineffective approaches will be a thing of the past. Everything from better tooth cleaning with a dental RDH hygienist handpiece to detection of oral cancer cells can be done through matching learning and artificial intelligence.
3. Telehealth
Telehealth has become a massive trend in the last year, with many patients opting to see their doctors over a Zoom call. Obviously, you can’t provide teeth cleaning over the internet, but a lot of the consultations that used to be done in the dentist’s chair can be.
Patients can easily send pictures or show problem areas and describe the issue to their dentist for a quick answer. The dentist can decide from there whether the patient needs to come in for a personal consultation. This is a great solution for elderly or disabled patients who may not always have the ability to make it for in-person appointments.
4. Virtual Reality
A fun new trend in most industries is the use of virtual reality tech to train new employees. While dentists and hygienists of the past used to crowd behind a surgeon to observe an operation, they can now watch and even perform their own operations from the safety of a virtual reality headset.
Having the best new thing isn’t just a fun way for dentists to pass the time, it’s also the best way to attract new patients and offer them the best care possible. Technology has the power to transform any industry, and dentistry is no exception.
