Here’s something to smile about: a new dental app that allows users to personally consult with a certified dentist in their area using smart phones and imaging technology.
The goal of the Toothpic app is to allow users to instantly consult with certified dentists in their area and share vivid imagery of their teeth for the purpose of a quick consultation. Participating dentists can then assess the user’s uploaded images, highlight areas of concern and recommend advice or treatment, if necessary.
Users pay $35 for a report from their online consult delivered within 24 hours and often pay less depending upon their dental insurance status. The app is available free of charge for iOS and Android users.
The Toothpic app is the property of a Dublin, Ireland and New York-based start-up and the brainchild of co-founder and CEO Mark Moore, his father, dentist Dr. Gus Moore, Jack Berrill and Shane Owens.
The genesis for the new app occurred in 2012. Mark snapped a few pictures of his teeth to send his dentist father Gus for the latter’s opinion of a problem area concerning the younger Moore.
Dr. Moore received the photos in seconds and was able to tell his son his tooth issue was at an early stage and could be remedied with simple care and regular check-ups. That’s when the light bulb turned on in Mark’s entrepreneurial head.
What if anyone could have access to a dentist anywhere, anytime at the touch of a button, he asked himself? That would be rarer than hen’s teeth!
“By connecting you with a dentist when you need it that can provide a check-up from just a few photos on your smart phone, we make sure you get the advice and care you need, when you need it,” Moore said in an interview with the Silicon Republic.
At first glance this ability to receive an oral exam from anywhere with an Internet connection would be a convenience many people would give their eyeteeth for. But does the app offer users “the bite stuff,” based on the quality of smart phone photography?
Moore knows that photos uploaded from smart phones onto mobile platforms like Facebook or WhatsApp lose image quality when compressed. Most online programs compress images to make them smaller and easier to transfer online.
Moore says the Toothpic program works differently, though.
“Our technology does the opposite,” he told Silicon Republic. “After a user answers the in-app questions about the dental concern he or she has, they are guided by our app to capture pictures, which we upload to our server in full quality.”
According to Moore once the images are uploaded to the Toothpic app they are sent to participating dentists in the same geographic area as the user.
“When the first next available dentist logs in, the case will be visible for them to assess,” Moore said. “The dentist can zoom in on the images to obtain almost as much information as a traditional, in-office visual assessment.”
From there Toothpic users get home care tips, dentist recommendations in their area and cost estimates for any needed treatments.
Initially launched in Dublin, Ireland before moving its focus to the U.S. market, Toothpic cuts its teeth and experienced the typical growing pains of a start-up, including both marketing and product challenges.
“Dentists weren’t ready for the change and insurance companies were just coming to terms with telemedicine,” Moore said in the Silicon Republic interview. “Luckily, consumers have continued to demand better ways to manage their health and we’ve now partnered with some of the most innovative insurers and oral health companies in the U.S.”
Today, Moore and his team of 15-fulltime employees split between New York City and Dublin believe they’ve successfully confronted those challenges, including building a network of “teledentists” that makes their global ambitions a reality.
“Getting a network of dentists robust enough to handle major national contracts covering all 50 states was a major challenge,” he admitted. Currently Moore has said that Toothpic has contracted with over 400 U.S. dentists in all 50 states.
For more about Toothpic or to download the app, click here.
Sources: siliconrepublic.com, toothpic.com
Photo sources: toothpic.com, coinspectator.com
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