Vilas Sastry on the Applications of Teledentistry

In this episode of The Dental Economist Show, host Mike Huffaker is joined by Vilas Sastry, the CEO of Teledentistry.com.

Join them as they discuss: 

• The various applications and use cases of teledentistry
• How teledentistry evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic
• The importance of preventative dental care
• The benefits of listening to team members
• And much more!

Vilas Sastry has over twenty years experience in the dental industry and is the CEO of teledentistry.com, a comprehensive dental provider who offer everything from virtual checkups to emergency care. He is former owner of the Health Networks of America (2008 – 2017) and served as CEO of Aces Dental between 2006 and 2021. 

Episode Highlights

Defining Teledentistry: In short, tele-dentistry is a way for a dentist to connect with a patient through a virtual conference. In the years since teledentistry started to become more widespread, Vilas says teledentistry.com has expanded to include tobacco counseling programs, maternal oral care, and  educational content. In short, they offer “basically an entire wellness package for dental insurance companies”.

Essential Leadership Qualities: Vilas says that it is vital for leaders to listen intently to their teams. While he is often tempted to speak during conversations with his staff, he stops himself so he can hear what they have to say in full. Vilas says this skill was only acquired after “many, many years of making mistakes”. He believes that for the rest of the team to have their voice heard and to have their input always makes a difference.

Preventative Care: Vilas says that there is a myth that insurance companies do not want patients to use their benefits, but this is only the case if patients abuse or defraud the system. In fact, insurance companies prefer people to get preventative care, because urgent care ends up costing them more. Vilas says that he regularly has to deal with emergencies that could have been prevented had they been addressed in a timely manner.

Looking to the Future: While much of teledentistry.com’s plans for the future are “under wraps”, Vilas looks forward to using metadata gathered from all the insurance companies they work with to create solutions that can improve their patients’ experiences. Teledentistry.com can identify which programs are successful based on patients’ reactions, and apply them more widely.

Psychological Benefits of Teledentistry: Vilas discusses the psychological benefit of tele-dentistry, suggesting that it reduces fear and uncertainty for patients before visiting a dentist in person. Tele-dentistry offers a precursor to what patients can expect from a dentist, providing an additional level of support. 

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