Can Teledentistry Actually Diagnose a Root Canal Need?

We all understand how important one's oral health is and how it shouldn't be ignored or delayed for any treatment. With an increase in the growth of one’s awareness, thanks to the ease of accessibility of information and technology, The Dental Roots, New Delhi and Gurgaon has introduced a concept of “teledentistry India”. Headed by Dr. Dheeraj Setia with an experience of more than two decades, he understands the growing awareness and dental knowledge of his patients and would want to address them at the earliest, with the help of teledentistry.

What is teledentistry? 

Teledentistry at The Dental Roots refers to the online consultation for those patients who are not available for their first in-person consultation. Patients or individuals who do not reside in Delhi or Gurgaon but are planning to visit soon, geriatric patients i.e. old patients who cannot visit the clinic initially.

In this online appointment, the patient or an individual is free to share their dental concerns, and are free to ask questions without any hesitation. They can also share with us any recent hematological related report or any radiographic report. These reports can act as an adjunct for our dental specialist to understand the dental concern of the patient better.

On the other end, our dental specialist tries to address each and every concern of the patient and can make a probable diagnosis for the treatment plan.

NOTE: It is to be noted that the probable diagnosis that is being made over teledentistry is not to be taken as a precise diagnosis. The precise diagnosis and the definite treatment plan can be advised only after the patient is thoroughly examined intra-orally, in person by our dental specialist, when they visit the clinic, be it in South Delhi or Gurgaon. 

What exactly is suggested in teledentistry?

As mentioned earlier as well, virtual dental consultation or teledentistry can only give probable diagnosis of the case. 

For instance, a patient conveys via virtual dental consultation that they are experiencing continuous throbbing pain on a particular site of the jaw. They might have been experiencing this for a few days. 

Since this information is being shared via a video consultation, it is impossible for our dental surgeon to examine the tooth clinically. There could be multiple reasons for this continuous throbbing pain like a tooth decay, gum pain and inflammation, grossly decayed tooth, fractured tooth etc. to diagnose a root canal treatment, the most crucial yet the most basic diagnostic tool is clinical examination with our dental instruments to assess the extent of caries along with a chair side RVG aka radiographic report. The instant radiographic image would show us the extent of the reach of the decay. This report will also show the surrounding bone structure of the tooth, thus making a final diagnosis of the root canal treatment. In adjunct to this, The Dental roots Gurgaon has their in-house CT scan i.e. their CBCT machine. In some cases of root canal treatments, this 3D scan of the tooth is required to  give the most accurate and detailed report of the particular tooth or teeth. Thus, making the root canal treatment even more successful and increasing the longevity of the tooth/teeth. 

Thus, there can be multiple reasons for one to undergo a root canal treatment and this can be achieved only after a proper in-person intra-oral clinical examination.

The whole point of having tele-dentist services by the dental roots is to address one’s dental issues or emergencies at the earliest and for the patient to get familiarised and comfortable with our dental team before their actual in-person dental appointment. This will not only give the patient the confidence to entrust us with their dental treatment but would also build a life long trust and relation between you and the team of the dental roots.

To know more, reach out to us on enquiry@thedentalroots.com or on +91 8130750008.