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Game Changers: Will Remote Monitoring Usher in a New Era in Orthodontics? by Dr. Roger P. Levin

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Game Changers: Will Remote Monitoring Usher in a New Era in Orthodontics? Fig. 1

Will Remote Monitoring Usher in a New Era in Orthodontics?

by Dr. Roger P. Levin

Orthodontics, like many industries, has gone through massive technological change. Digital technology has changed the way orthodontics and all of dentistry is practiced and made significant contributions to patient care, clinical quality and practice efficiency. As the CEO of a company that focuses on efficiency and true practice potential, I have personally seen how the advent of digital technology has created numerous breakthroughs in the way orthodontic practices operate, both clinically and from a business standpoint.

I can also see that the next big breakthrough will be in remote monitoring. The intersection of artificial intelligence, patient treatment, technology and patient communication within the practice has all come together to allow for a new style of orthodontics that is becoming increasingly popular. I believe it will soon reach an inflection point where it becomes a significant part of most orthodontic practices’ approach to treatment.


Increasing adoption of remote monitoring
Over the last 40 years, I’ve seen many breakthroughs in dentistry, such as clear aligners, porcelain veneers, digital scanning, implants, whitening and lasers. Each of these technologies took time to be adopted, and this also applies to remote monitoring. Whenever a new technology such as remote monitoring is first brought to the market, a small group will adopt it early and a large group will resist. Resistance occurs for many different reasons, which can include:
  • Price. Some innovations are extremely expensive until the technology becomes more common or other companies offer it at a lower cost.
  • Perceived effectiveness. It is simply human nature to believe that the current way of doing things is best. It is also easier than putting in the time, effort and training needed to bring the dentist and team up to the level necessary for implementing the new innovation.
  • Team resistance. Orthodontic team members are no different than employees in other industries and professions. They often resist change because they are uncomfortable moving away from familiar methods. Back in the 1980s, I heard many office managers say that if they were forced to use computers, they would quit. Rather than embracing an easier, faster and far more effective technology, they simply resisted and wanted to stick with paper.
New breakthroughs are often resisted. Successful orthodontists recognize the value that new technology brings to the practice and adopt it early, gaining a competitive advantage.


Will remote monitoring stick?
In the last 40 years, Levin Group has spent copious time studying opportunities to improve orthodontic practice performance and analyzing trends in the orthodontic specialty. We use data for most of our analysis, including an annual orthodontic practice survey we conduct to identify new trends and directions. As such, it seems evident that remote monitoring is here to stay and will gradually become part of every orthodontic practice. The benefits are enormous and the technology is easy to use; however, practices must understand the learning curve involved in implementing it.


Rapid growth after early adoption
As you can see from Fig. 1, the growth line looks like a hockey stick. "Hockey stick growth" is a standard business term referring to a new company or product that grows gradually and then has a rapid and intense acceleration in use or sales. The horizontal blade of the hockey stick represents gradual growth, and where the blade meets the vertical part is referred to as an inflection point. The inflection point marks when sales and use of the product takes off because it is in demand and is being accepted by customers and consumers. The vertical part of the hockey stick represents rapid acceleration in sales.

As an aside, many orthodontic practices follow the hockey-stick growth model. They grow slowly at first, hit an inflection point and then take off. This is usually because of a strong emphasis on referral marketing, excellent treatment coordinator close rates and efficient operational systems.

Remote monitoring is still in the “hockey stick blade” part of the graph. It is gaining traction on a consistent basis and adding orthodontic customers who recognize its significant benefits. At this point, I believe that if an orthodontic practice has a sufficient number of new patients, it could double or triple its revenue by adding remote monitoring without increasing work hours. This represents one of the biggest opportunities we have ever seen in not only the orthodontic specialty, but in dentistry overall.

Remote monitoring is still new but offers enormous opportunities to enhance practice performance by increasing patient volume, improving convenience for parents and patients, maintaining clinical quality and leveraging artificial intelligence to provide high-level clinical recommendations.


Orthodontists who have been practicing long enough should remember strong resistance to extending orthodontic checks from every four weeks to six weeks and longer. There will certainly be resistance to remote monitoring, which is normal when introducing anything new. One of the main resistance factors is understanding how to integrate remote monitoring into the practice’s core systems, such as scheduling and billing.


New techniques, new systems
Whenever a breakthrough occurs in any field, the company—in this case the orthodontic practice—needs new systems. As I’ve said thousands of times in seminars, there are three keys to operational success for an orthodontic practice: systems, systems and systems. Any well-run company runs by systems. If you look at any complex manufacturing, it runs by systems to produce the same product with the same quality every single time. The same is true for the orthodontic practice. When introducing a new technique, systems must evolve. This is the challenge many orthodontic practices face in their exploration of remote monitoring.

The challenge is simply this: remote monitoring requires different systems than the current orthodontic practice systems. Most orthodontic practices will have a mix of traditional patients on regular in-office intervals and other patients being treated with remote monitoring. A hybrid approach that combines these two systems is essential.

I will discuss these new systems in more detail in future articles. Attempting to operate the practice with remote monitoring in place while using the same systems as more traditional orthodontic treatment monitoring will result in conflict and breakdown rather than enhancing the overall operations and success of the orthodontic practice.


Summary
Remote monitoring is a significant breakthrough in orthodontics. While it may meet some resistance early on, it will gradually become accepted and integrated into orthodontic practices. Practices that are early to adopt remote monitoring and understand how to design appropriate systems will have a competitive advantage until it becomes a more standard approach in orthodontics.
Author Bio
Roger P. Levin, DDS Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the CEO and founder of Levin Group, a leading orthodontic practice management consulting firm that has worked with more than 30,000 practices to increase production. A recognized expert on orthodontic practice management and marketing, he has written 67 books and more than 4,000 articles, and regularly presents seminars in the U.S. and around the world.
To contact Levin or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit levingroup.com or email rlevin@levingroup.com.
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