Telehealth has endless patient benefits, especially in regards to oral healthcare. At its most basic level, the TelScope Telehealth System can instantly connect a superior quality image/video of a sore throat or a sore tooth from a patient to a professional. Instant connectivity saves the patient time in organizing an appointment, commuting to the doctor’s office or dental clinic, and wait times between specialist referrals. The patient will also not need to worry about external factors and barriers that may often limit them from seeing a doctor, such as getting time off of work, organizing childcare, pulling a child out of school, or “rounding up the children into the car” as TelScope inventor Jennifer Holland was jaded by when she got the idea to invent TelScope.

Instant connectivity takes out the stress for patients and gives patients ease of mind. No more stress building up to an appointment or while waiting to see a specialist. A less stressed patient is a happier patient, and happy patients will keep coming back to your clinic when they have an issue.

TelScope Telehealth System is a gamechanger in enabling homebound patients with oral healthcare. Patients immobilized by condition or elderly age can stay home while still receiving quality oral healthcare virtually. Patients in nursing homes or long-term medical facilities can access oral healthcare without having to leave their facility.

Patient outcomes can be improved when a patient does not need to wait for their appointment or to be connected with a specialist. Further, follow-ups following hospital discharge or surgery have been shown to have a higher compliance and patient satisfaction when available virtually, and for oral and oropharyngeal conditions, the TelScope can enhance this service.

Consultations via TelScope Telehealth System will eliminate unnecessary clinic visits, as well. The World Health Organization stated that 15 million Americans visit a medical clinic with a sore throat every year, and only one-third of them require antibiotics. An initial telehealth consultation can prohibit issues from progressing by assigning the patient the care that they need immediately. A teledentistry consult for a sore tooth or any dental issue can keep the patient from getting more severe issues down the road, or even spare them from ending up in the emergency room. The American Dental Association determined that a patient visits the emergency department every 15 seconds with an oral health concern – that means that 2.2 million Americans are visiting the ED every year due to oral health concerns. These unnecessary emergency visits could be avoided with initial oral telehealth or teledentistry consultations.

Finally, expedited and convenient triaging and consultations allowed for by TelScope can promote early detection and intervention to a patient before an oral issue progresses. Early detection is key in preventing the progression of deadly head and neck cancers, such as oral cancer and HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer. By using a TelScope Telehealth System, patients can instantly connect any lesions or lumps to a primary care physician, oral surgeon, or a head and neck doctor, who can then determine if the patient needs to be brought in for further analysis. You can learn how to screen patients for the early signs of head and neck cancer for free here.