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Below is our recent interview with Brian McCarthy, EVP at Dentistry.com:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to Dentistry.com?
A: Dentistry.com is the only all-in-one consumer-oriented dental hub that combines convenience, content and community in one place to help people get the very best dental care possible. We offer the largest dentist directory with search and filter options to let patients find the right dentist and book appointments directly from their profiles, dental health content and articles from experts, and a community to share ratings and feedback on dentists nationwide. In a nutshell, Dentstry.com is WebMD meets Zocdoc meets Yelp meets your insurance plan’s website, but focused ONLY on dental health.
Q: You’ve recently conducted a survey revealing American views and behaviors towards oral and dental care, habits, and priorities; what did you discover?
A: Despite the consumer health revolution that we’re seeing, with everyone being more interested in health, wellness and preventative care than ever before, people are still not prioritizing their dental health. It’s a more visual world, fueled by social media, making a great smile more important than ever – but consumers aren’t placing an emphasis beyond looks to focus on the health of their teeth.
Our survey, conducted by the Harris Poll, found that Americans are aware of the negative implications of bad teeth:
● Nearly 9 in 10 Americans (87%) agree that bad teeth can have a negative impact on a person’s personal and professional life.
● About two-thirds of Americans (67%) would reject someone on a dating app if their pictures showed they had bad teeth.
But, people still prioritize things like entertainment and car maintenance over dental care:
● More Americans have had car maintenance done (62%) than received a teeth cleaning (51%) over the past six months
● Close to half of Americans (45%) would rather spend money on TV services, for example cable or streaming services, than on a dental procedure – this jumps to more than half among millennials (aged 18-34) (56%).
…and much more. You can get in-depth survey results here.
Recommended: Q: Can you give us insights into your services?
A: Dentistry.com brings the wealth of expertise necessary to help consumers take control of their dental health. There is a value disconnect between oral health and overall health and wellness which is concerning given that bad oral health is tied to everything from Alzheimer’s to cardiovascular problems to premature birth. We aim to close that dangerous gap by bringing convenience and access to the dental industry. Dentistry.com elevates the importance of dental health, addressing four main barriers: fear, pain, cost, inconvenience
We are the only all-in-one service for dentistry available, offering:
● Directory: The largest, most detailed directory of dental practices found anywhere on the web
● Search: Filters for insurance options, location, specialties, and more
● Appointment Booking: Patients can immediately book an appointment online once they’ve identified the right dentist
● Articles: Expert information and editorial content meant to educate people about dentistry and reduce fear and anxiety
● Community: A forum that provides consumers the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers and opinions from practicing dental experts
Q: Why is oral health important?
A: Oral health impacts everything from heart health to brain health to gut health, but it’s still not taken seriously. Preventive oral care is much less expensive than emergency dental procedures. We need to invest in ourselves now or pay later (medically and financially). There is a value disconnect between health and dentistry, where consumers don’t perceive the value of dental care as an effective method of preventive medicine. The stats are scary:
● More than half of consumers have not seen a dentist in the past year
● 92% of adults aged 20-64 have dental caries, the disease that causes tooth decay and cavities; nearly a third (27%) go untreated
● Almost half (47%) of people over age 30 have some form of gum disease
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Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: Dentistry.com’s first step is to bring the nationwide dental industry firmly into the mobile and digital world, elevate dentistry to its proper place in healthcare as a valuable tool in preventive medicine, and showcase how oral health is critical to overall health. We have a lot of plans as we continue to build on this strategy in the future. Specifically, teledentistry is the next logical step for the industry. One innovation we’re really excited about is providing consumers the ability to video chat with a dentist without leaving their home, helping to lower the convenience barrier that limits the number of people getting proper dental care. We are also going to build on additional ways to further the patient/dentist relationship, including real-time chat. It’s an exciting frontier and one we’re already exploring.
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