Ed Calvert, marketing director at DentalMonitoring UKI, explains how remote patient examination improves clinical outcomes.
In many NHS orthodontic practices, long waiting lists have become the norm. Schedules fill up months in advance, urgent appointments are difficult to arrange, and clinical teams often feel they are working to their capacity without gaining meaningful efficiency.
This was the situation faced by specialist orthodontist Dr Monica Reinach. With a waiting list spanning 14 weeks, even small changes to calendar appointments could cause major disruption.
After introducing Dental Monitoring (DM) across her NHS patient base, Dr Reinach reports a dramatic change.
“I feel like since I started ED, I’m actually more in control of the treatment. I feel like I’ve seen every patient before their visit,” she said.
By remotely monitoring the patient’s progress between appointments, he is able to intervene earlier, adjust prescriptions in real time and ensure that in-person appointments are only used when clinically necessary.
From 14 weeks to four weeks
The impact on patient access was clear and measurable.
Dr Reinach said: “I’ve reduced my waiting time or booking list from 14 weeks to four, which has made it much more flexible. We were able to accommodate patients who had arm failures or had to cancel appointments. All this has made us much more efficient and able to run our calendars in a much better way.’
For many practices, emergency appointments and cancellations create unpredictable pressure. In this case, regained control of the diary has provided space for both planned and reactive care.
Stronger collaboration, clearer clinical direction
A key change in clinical workflow was the interaction between Dr Reinach and her orthodontic therapists.
Previously, therapists often saw patients weeks after their treatment plan was reviewed, meaning that guidelines were sometimes out of date by the time they were implemented.
“Where previously there would be two visits between me seeing the patient and the therapist seeing them, the prescription when they saw the patient was 12 weeks. Now it will be much more up-to-date — it wouldn’t be more than three or four weeks.”
DM also supports same-day decision-making: “Even on that particular day, if there are questions, the therapist can always call me and I can look at my screen quickly and just say, yes, go ahead or no, I think we need to make a change.”
For therapists, the change was transformative.
Sue, an orthodontic therapist at the practice, reflects: “The biggest change in my role was that communicating with the orthodontist was so much nicer, so much easier.
“Before the patient comes in, I know exactly what’s going on and I can take from what I see in DentalMonitoring – what I need to fix, what I need to correct.”
Her initial reaction to remote monitoring was one that many clinicians can identify with: “At first, when I heard about DentalMonitoring, I was dead against it. I thought, there’s no way I’m leaving my job for an AI company.”
But the experience completely changed her perspective: “Once Monica put it into practice, it was absolutely amazing. Not only do I have more security in my work, I have become more efficient, more professional in my work, knowing exactly what I have to do.’
Better experience for patients and families
The benefits are not limited to clinicians.
Danielle, whose daughter Roxy is undergoing treatment, describes improved accessibility and convenience: “It broke Roxy’s brace. I messaged through the app and got a reply right away and an appointment. This saved the phone calls, especially where we live because our reception is terrible. It saves so much time and just fits our lifestyle.’
Roxy herself highlighted the engagement: “It’s nice to see the stages – from the first time it’s taken to months later and you actually see the teeth move.”
Control, confidence and competence
DM has not replaced clinical judgment, it has extended it. By increasing the frequency and quality of reviews, Monica created more capacity, more flexibility and more confidence in clinical decision-making, without adding appointments or staff.
The result is a calmer calendar, clearer collaboration and more convenient care.
See the workflow in action
Want to find out exactly how Dr Monica Reinach reduced her appointment backlog from 14 weeks to four? Sign up to Practice the visit waiting list observe the system in real time and talk to the clinical team.
Follow: @DentalMonitoring_UKI
This article is sponsored by DentalMonitoring UKI.
