There are many smartphone applications that are becoming available on a daily basis for both work and entertainment, including some specifically designed for dentists, and OrthoPhoto is one of them. Here is why all orthodontists and dentists who offer braces and Invisalign should download the app from the Apple Store or on Google Play.

OrthoPhoto Was Created By A Dentist For Dentists

Dr. Kathy Nguyen, a practicing dentist in Houston, has longed for an easier way for dentists to track their patients’ braces progress and maintain their dental records. She would often tell her husband that she wished there was some kind of mobile application for dentists that could capture, organize, and store the clinical images they take throughout a patient’s braces or Invisalign treatment for easy dental record-keeping. 

Dr. Nguyen, her husband, and his business partner envisioned, designed, and developed OrthoPhoto as a way to enable dentists and orthodontists all over the United States to save time and focus on more important things. OrthoPhoto has since improved the workflow at Dr. Nguyen’s office, and it’s their ultimate dream for orthodontists and other dentists who offer braces to experience the same.

OrthoPhoto Helps Dentists Save Time And Improve Their Quality Of Life, As Well As Their Patients’

Prior to OrthoPhoto, busy dentists and orthodontists had to upload countless photos, crop them, put them in a slideshow format, and send them via email to later be stored in their patients’ files. On average, a single patient may take 15 minutes or more, so multiple patients quickly amount to extra work after-hours and less time with loved ones. 

As a mobile app for dentists and orthodontists, OrthoPhoto has streamlined the tedious process of capturing and organizing braces progress images. Rather than relying on an expensive camera for dental photography–which may or may not produce good quality images–and spending 15+ minutes per patient, dentists can take their clinical images right on the application and rely on OrthoPhoto to do the rest! Now, patients spend less time at the office so they can get back to their daily lives, and dentists and orthodontists can leave work at a reasonable time so they can be with their loved ones, which is extremely important to Dr. Nguyen as a working mother of young children.

Thanks to OrthoPhoto App, dentists can have it all–they can dedicate time to providing better-quality care to their patients while also going home early enough to spend time with loved ones and make more memories.

Dental photography is a crucial component of dentistry that aids in marketing and record-keeping. Here are different cameras used by dentists and orthodontists when photographing their dental braces patients and how they compare to OrthoPhoto App for iOS.

Recommended Cameras for Dentists and Orthodontists 

There are a few different cameras used by dentists and orthodontists when they want to track their patients’ braces progress. The two most common dental cameras are as follows:

DSLR Cameras for Dental Photography

DSLR’s, such as those by Canon or Nikon, take beautiful pictures, as well as HD video. Newer cameras even shoot video in 4K, which is excellent for testimonials that you can then upload to your website and social media. Combine a DSLR with a macro (close-up) lens and you will take great photos of your patient’s teeth. This makes DSLR cameras ideal because they work for marketing purposes and record-keeping purposes. There is a downside though. They are on the pricey side and tend to offer too many features that go beyond a dentist’s needs, so it may not be worth the extra money.

Point-And-Shoot Cameras for Dentists to Take Clinical Orthodontic Images

Point-and-shoot cameras offer just enough for dentists to get the most use out of them, and they are far simpler than a DSLR because, as their name suggests, all you need to do is point it and shoot the picture. The trade-off with these is that the photos may not be the best quality, so even though it works really well for dental and orthodontic record-keeping, it may not be ideal for marketing purposes.

OrthoPhoto App Smartphone Camera for Braces Progress Images

OrthoPhoto has successfully automated the time-consuming process of capturing and sorting progress images for dental braces patients, affordably. With a typical camera, dentists have to take the photos, upload them, manually crop and organize them into a file, and then place them into a patient’s file. A single patient may take 15-30+ minutes, so dentists often spend a lot of time after-hours getting this necessary task done. With the mobile application, however, dentists can take photos right on their smartphone camera, and today’s smartphones have astounding camera capabilities that keep getting better, so this is great for marketing your practice!

The mobile app automatically places the braces progress photos into a templated document with the correct crop, size, and order and then places them in a specific patient’s file. This significantly cuts down the time it takes to organize braces photos so dentists and orthodontists can dedicate their energy to other aspects of their job. 

Dental photography for patient records doesn't have to be a long process. Spend less time maintaining records and more time with loved ones with OrthoPhoto App for iOS.

As dental practices open up, it’s time to assess just how efficient yours is. Are there any blind spots that need to be addressed and improved upon? Here are some signs you have room to improve upon your current level of efficiency. 

Does Your Dental Practice Embrace Mobile And Tablet Technology?

When it comes to improving your workflow and the patient experience, there are multiple apps for dentists. OrthoPhoto App is a HIPAA compliant orthodontic application created by Dr. Kathy Nguyen for iOS. It allows dentists and orthodontists to take clinical images of their patients’ orthodontic braces progress and automatically saves the records.

Through OrthoPhoto, dentists and orthodontists take pictures of their patients’ dental braces progress throughout their treatment. The application automatically places the images into a templated file, which you can save and export with ease for dental record-keeping. Dentists and orthodontists no longer need to dedicate extra hours after the office is closed to handle a mountain of patient records.

Do Your Patients Wait Longer Than 10 Minutes Before They Are Called In For Their Appointment?

On average, dental and orthodontic patients wait about 8 minutes before they are taken to the chair at which they will be treated. Let’s face it, dentist appointments can be a dread for many, and patients need to go back to school or work after their appointment, so the less time they spend waiting, the better. If your patients have to wait longer than 8-10 minutes, it’s time to make some changes. We recommend gathering as much information about patients as possible before their scheduled appointment. Have your front desk staff ask if any patient information has changed. If it has, then it’s a great idea to only give patients the paperwork that needs updating. If none of their info has changed, then it’s much easier to ensure they get called back in time. 

Another method of improvement is to automatically provide patient paperwork through an online portal or via email or text a few days prior to their appointment. Also consider putting a late-patient and/or no-show policy in place. 

Is Your Staff Scrambling For Files?

Speaking of providing online paperwork, consider transforming your dental or orthodontic practice into a completely paperless one. There is plenty of practice management software out there on the market that is easy to use, and software is becoming increasingly cloud-based these days. Rather than relying on stuffy filing cabinets or drawers–which also need to be regularly sorted through by hand–spend less time tracking down documents and more time providing exceptional dental treatment. 

Going the paperless route will certainly take some time, but making daily progress works wonders. Before you know it, your office will be eco-friendly, digital, and efficient.

Efficiency Can Always Be Improved Upon

There is always room for improvement, so if you realize your practice could benefit from the aforementioned updates and your braces patients can be happier with some updates, now is the perfect time to implement them so you can practice better dentistry and create a better patient experience.

As states and cities begin to reopen amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, you as a dentist, along with your office manager, are likely determining the best plan of action to welcome back your staff and patients in such a way that is safe and efficient. Or, perhaps you’re considering closing again as cases rise in the U.S. and want to take this time to develop a better plan for the future. Look no further–here is our COVID-19 reopening action plan. 

A Safe and Welcoming Waiting Area

Your dentist office’s waiting area needs to be welcoming and comfortable, especially with the shift caused by COVID. You must ensure that you’re regularly sanitizing your entire practice without disrupting your patients. We recommend the following:

• Take patient temperature upon arrival
• Have patients fill out any necessary paperwork prior to arrival
• Install a plexiglass system to serve as boundaries between your staff and your patients
• Only allow a few people in at a time so your waiting room is never at full capacity. This helps enforce social distancing.
• Remove childrens' toys, books, and magazines from circulation 
• Sanitize and disinfect chairs, tables, and other frequently touched surfaces

Implementing Technology For Smoother Check-In and Patient Visits

Part of being a modern dentist with a modern practice has to do with implementing certain technologies that improve the overall patient experience and the team’s efficiency. Here are some ideas that may help as you reopen your dental practice for braces appointments, cleanings, and other treatments.

Dental Practice Management Software

If before the pandemic your team was having a hard time remaining efficient and organized with record-keeping and billing, then reopening in our current conditions may only make it more challenging. 

This is the perfect time to invest in a management software that allows you to digitize all patient documents and every process your team follows to run the practice. Doing so will help make your team all the more efficient.

Mobile Capabilities

We have to rethink how we welcome and treat patients while practicing social distancing. We recommend setting up the following:

• A mobile check-in system so hygienists know when patients are ready, ensuring patients can go straight to the dental chair when called upon and spend less time in the waiting room
• Download OrthoPhoto App if you treat patients with dental braces. OrthoPhoto speeds up the process of taking your patient’s clinical images and braces progress photos so they don’t need to stay any longer than they should. The app also automatically sorts through the photos and places them in a predetermined template that then goes to the patient’s file. This reduces the time you spend after-hours on dental photography work so that you can, instead, focus on sanitizing and disinfecting at the end of the day.

Most of All: Remain Patient and Take Precautions

Although it’s good that we are able to reopen our practices, we aren’t out of the woods yet. As you prepare to reopen, continue to enforce social distancing and download the necessary technology, whether it be OrthoPhoto for braces progress photos or practice management software. We will soon adjust to this new way of operating, which will ultimately make our staff and patients feel safer for it.