Orthotown May 2023 - 33

By incorporating DentalMonitoring into the workflow
of his orthodontic practice, Dr. Bill Dischinger has
more time to spend with his family (pictured right)
without worrying about missing production time.
if the challenge isn't going away
anytime soon. Dischinger points
to an unintended benefit of new
technology: " For us, DentalMonitoring
has become another team
member. " And, far from being
threatened by the introduction of
artificial intelligence, Dischinger
says his staff loves what DentalMonitoring
can do for the practice.
" That's what keeps them from
seeing 110 patients a day, " he says.
" Instead, we're going to see only 70
patients a day, and we're going to
finish work on time and go home. "
Improving the staff experience
has been a hugely beneficial
unintended consequence of the
new workflow. While orthodontic
staff can sometimes resist change,
Dischinger says his team believes
using remote monitoring has made
work easier and more fun.
Dynamic scheduling involves
change-but good change
Before the COVID-19 pandemic,
Dischinger spent 15 days a month
at his practice, running six chairs;
today, he's at 11 doctor days a
month running 3½ chairs. But
instead of slowing down, he's
enjoying the freedom gained from
using DentalMonitoring. " The new
schedule has been a blessing in
my life, " he says. He gets to spend
more time with patients who do
come into the office, for example,
and he no longer spends nights
and weekends working on clear
aligner approvals. He can leave his
work at work, where it belongs!
For many orthodontists and
their team members, the biggest
shift for a practice that switches to
remote monitoring is the transition
to dynamic scheduling, Dischinger
says. " My front office was initially
alarmed: 'Wait, we're not going to
schedule an appointment before
the patient leaves?' "
Shifting an orthodontic office
to dynamic scheduling is a huge
step-and not a simple one to
make, because it involves a
change in perspective as well as
in how the doctor and team memMAY
2023 | 33 | ORTHOTOWN.COM
bers do things. The concern about
how patients will interact with a
practice that doesn't automatically
schedule follow-up appointments
is a reasonable one; a practice
needs to implement the technology
fully into its workflows and
communicate with patients and
parents that this approach actually
involves more, not less, interaction
during treatment.
And if a patient isn't submitting
their scans as scheduled, a team
member will need to address that
directly with in-app communication.
But Dischinger says he's another
member of the committed dynamic
schedule team. " The proof is there.
Our team wouldn't go back now. "
Today, Dischinger has a lot more
freedom because of the way he's
set up his practice, and he can
spend that time with people he
cares about most. He says the only
downside to bringing remote monitoring
into his practice was that he
wasn't able to do it sooner.
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Orthotown May 2023

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