On April 3rd I took to the stage for a masterclass with a group of medical, biology and engineering students, and on the agenda was my vision for healthcare in 2030. We reminisced about the past of dentistry, assessed the current situation of the industry and jumped straight into the future.
The future of healthcare is in the practitioner’s hands
I recently spoke at the NOVA School of Science and Technology in Lisbon and my masterclass was entitled: the future of healthcare is in our hands. A topic that I’m super passionate about and that I’ve been actively studying and implementing for over two decades now because dentistry is truly a unique silo in medicine, filled with so many great insights that we can positively translate to mainstream medicine. On its own, dentistry has single-handedly developed some unique traits that could deeply improve general healthcare as we know it.
Digital technologies and software have allowed those of us that care enough to acquire and implement these incredible tools into our dental practice and really get to see and do mor
e than ever before. The White Clinicis a remarkable tech hub for the future of dentistry, and this is exactly why we think and perform differently. We challenge the status quo every single day and push the boundaries between science and technology in the pursuit of better serving our patients. How do we make this happen? By making continuous and huge investments in technology and training. But that’s not all – the core of our business strate
gy is to offer the best form of dentistry, always regardless of profit. While many traditional clinics are guided exclusively by the “bottom line” and seeing as many patie
nts as possible per day, we are exclusively guided by life-changing, health-infused dentistry. And this is exactly why it is my firm belief that one of the fundamental foundations of healthcare needs to be generosity.
The future of healthcare is in the patient’s hands
In today’s healthcare market the patient has no idea what brands of technology are better, what software is smarter, what materials are safer for them or their children, whatdifferentiates the good clinics from the bad. Patients continue to choose a dentist because they are close to home, in a nice neighbourhood, are affordable, have good insurance coverage or simply because they’re nice and have good marketing.
None of this matters in science or medicine and it is definitely not the right way to do it, right?! I believe technology and artificial intelligence will change this and only those that are more ethical, spend more time planning, take all the necessary safety measures, invest in specialised human resources, and have the right materials available, alongside appropriate training, will be able to make a true difference. This is what the future of healthcare will look like. With technology as the great equaliser! It will allow the patient to know exactly who is who, what’s what and where their money is going. I believe by controlling supply chain, time and other metadata we can truly change the way we consume healthcare. Informed patients are happy and healthy patients.
And it all starts with making strong, generous choices.
The future of healthcare is happening right here and right now. As practitioners, patients and students, it is literally within our grasp – let’s keep it thriving.
