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In a recent Orthodontic Products podcast episode, Chief Editor Alison Werner interviewed Josh DeVries, the founder and CEO of Intiveo, a cloud-based patient communication software tailored for dental and specialty practices. Intiveo offers features like automated appointment confirmations, recall reminders, booking requests, and reputation management.
The discussion delved into trends shaping the orthodontic industry in 2024 such as personalized treatment plans, the growth of adult orthodontics, diverse patient engagement strategies, and advancements in technology that promise to enhance care options for patients and streamline practice workflows.
DeVries emphasized the significance of personalized treatment plans, considering factors such as age, genetics, and lifestyle for more effective outcomes. The growth of adult orthodontics, driven by aesthetic brackets and clear aligners, was identified as another prominent trend. Adult patients, comprising one-third of orthodontic patients in the U.S., are seeking cosmetic improvements at a higher rate, contributing to a 40% increase over the past decade.
“[There is] a trend towards people putting more value in cosmetic care. This is driven by aesthetics,” says DeVries. “People want to have a healthy looking smile more so than an actually healthy smile, which I think is really beneficial to the orthodontic industry.”
Regarding patient engagement, DeVries highlighted the need for varied communication methods to cater to different patient preferences, combining email, text, and phone calls.
The podcast also touched upon advancements in orthodontic technologies. DeVries highlighted the rise of in-house solutions, 3D printing, computer-aided fabrication, teledentistry, and emerging robotic dentistry. These technologies offer both precision and efficiency, impacting urban and remote areas alike, providing advanced care.
“People just want solutions to their problems,” says DeVries. “And the quicker and better the solution is, the more appealing it is for us to consider.”
Creators and Guests
What is Orthodontic Products Podcast?
Introducing the "Orthodontic Products Podcast", a journey into the dynamic realm of orthodontic innovations. Each episode dives into fresh research, transformative technologies, and the methodologies redefining the field. Expert interviews seamlessly blend with in-depth analyses, offering listeners a comprehensive look into the ever-evolving world of orthodontics. This isn't just a podcast—it's a portal to the future of orthodontic practices and breakthroughs.
Alison Werner: Hello and welcome
to the orthodontic products
podcast. I'm your host Alison
Warner. Today we have with us
Josh DeVries, founder and CEO of
Intiveo , a cloud based patient
communication software for
dental and specialty practices.
The software automates and
allows users to customize
appointment confirmations,
recall reminders, booking
requests, reputation management,
and more. In October, Intiveo
announced its integration with
Carestream dental sensei cloud
practice management platform.
While we'll talk a bit about the
software, Josh is actually here
today to talk about trends in
the orthodontic industry. That
will shape the year ahead, Josh,
thanks for joining me.
Josh DeVries: Thank you for
having me.
Alison Werner: Well, so before
we get started talking about
trends, can you tell me how you
came to the dental technology
space and give us a little more
about what Intiveo software can
do for an orthodontic practice?
Josh DeVries: Yeah, for sure.
Thank you for having me. So
Intiveo is a patient engagement
platform for dental
professionals across North
America with a specific focus on
specialists and providers with
complicated communication needs.
Confirmation rates don't mean
anything when the patient fails
to show up and your treatment is
unnecessarily delayed. We focus
on preparing patients for their
appointments and helping them
deliver successful treatment
outcomes. That's really where we
hang our hat on is outcomes.
Alison Werner: Okay, so let's
talk about the dental industry
as a whole. When you think about
that industry, what has most
surprised you about it?
Josh DeVries: I'm not sure it
surprises me. But the thing that
definitely pops to the top of my
head is that dentistry and oral
health is really a microscope
into the overall health of a
patient, which is why I think
it's important for dentists and
dental specialists to maintain
their autonomy from other health
care professionals. I also think
that patients are more educated
now than ever, which is part of
the reason why SmileDirectClub
was created. And it's because
people thought that dentists
were not adding value to ortho
treatments. Now, given their
fate, I think we know they were
wrong. We as healthcare
professionals must remember our
first job is to educate and
partner with our patients and
the treatments we provide, and
really try to withhold them just
being subjects of treatment.
Dentists care about delivering
the best possible care and rely
on the best tools available to
meet the patient's needs. The
reason we serve as primarily
dental specialists and GPs who
do advanced treatment is because
we look at delivering better
outcomes. And that starts with
better engagement. We're the
only solution to understanding
information your patients need
to review to fill out forms they
need to fill out and to partner
with you to complement your
current processes. Rather than
taking over your patient
communication. I believe that
any tool that focused on
removing all the distraction and
allows you as the professional
to focus on your craft is a
successful tool.
Alison Werner: Okay, so let's
dive into our topic. The four
trends you've identified that
orthodontic practices need to
know about for 2024. But before
we do that, can you talk about
how you identified these trends?
Josh DeVries: Yeah, through
multiple sources. So a little
bit about me, my immediate
family has been dentistry for
over 40 years, I quite literally
was raised around dentists. And
believe it or not, we actually
had clients on my father's
dental company, join our family
holidays. So before this list, I
have a lot of experience in
dentistry. But for this list
exactly. Specifically, I've read
a lot about the economic trends
in dentistry and beyond. I've
spoken with investors and our
own company and other companies.
We've spoken to dozens of
clients, and we reviewed
feedback from prospects who are
not purchasing us at this time.
And we have most fortunately to
be working with 10s of 1000s of
dental professionals. And when
they ask, they're willing to
give us the outlook that they
see. And we're just relaying
this instance over to the
market. We also additionally
have a research team at Intiveo
consistently reviewing thought
leadership. They're also
reviewing journals and articles
and putting together their own
conclusions. So we can
definitely share some of our
sources and what we're seeing in
the market with you all if
necessary.
Alison Werner: Okay, well let's
talk about the first trend you
identified, and it's the
importance of personalized
treatment plans. That phrasing
has definitely been on most
orthodontist radar in recent
years. But what does
personalized treatment plan mean
in 2024, for orthodontists and
for patients, in your opinion?
Josh DeVries: Yeah, personalized
treatment plans or custom
treatment plans are becoming the
norm in orthodontics, you know,
we have to consider things like
age, genetics lifestyle, and
this helps lead to quicker and
more effective treatments for
patients. Patients do want more
options. And they want these
options to align with what their
insurance companies will and
will not cover and they want to
know the difference. Also, we're
seeing that patients may be
waiting for treatment that they
don't consider to be urgent or
maybe more elective. So those
are some of the trends that
we're seeing.
Alison Werner: So another trend
you've identified is the growth
of adult orthodontics and
aesthetic brackets and clear
aligners have definitely made
orthodontics more appealing to
adults in the last two decades
and many practices saw a huge
increase in adult patients
during the pandemic as patients
redirected their spending away
from travel and outside
entertainment just to self care.
So what should orthodontic
practices expect in terms of
adult patients in 2024? Because
the financial resources aren't
necessarily the same.
Josh DeVries: Yeah I mean, 1/3
of orthodontic patients are
adults in the US and Canada.
This is a 40% increase over the
past decade. So it's definitely
a trend towards people putting
more value in Cosmetic care.
This is driven I think, from the
aesthetics, people want to have
a healthy looking smile more so
than maybe an actually healthy
smile, which I think is really
beneficial to the orthodontic
industry. The good news is when
orthodontics are done correctly,
you get the best of both worlds,
not only does it cosmetically
look good, but you're improving
some of the structural
deficiencies within your mouth
at the same time. And it clear
aligners are popular because of
their discrete nature, you can't
see them, you're seeing the vast
majority of the benefit with
almost all of the inconvenience,
you know, engineered out of that
solution.
Alison Werner: Okay, so Intiveo
software focuses on patient
engagement. And the reality is
patient engagement with the
parent of an adolescent patient
is different than engagement
with an adult patient seeking
treatment. So what's your advice
to orthodontic practices on best
engaging with that adult patient
population.
Josh DeVries: So the first thing
you have to do is you have to
understand that different
patients engage in different
ways. A personal example for
myself is my wife, Brittany, she
is a text person, she will read
and respond to texts within an
hour, often much, much, much
quicker than that. I on the
other hand, I'm an email person,
I have my phone muted all day
and night, and I only check in a
couple of times a day, the best
method to communicate with
everyone is probably through
neurolink. But unfortunately,
Elon hasn't figured that out.
And until then, we actually need
to use multiple methods of
communication to make sure that
all of our patients are followed
up with and connected. So you
can use email, you can use text
manual phone calls are super
critical. Additionally, we want
to make sure we continue to
remind patients when they have
outstanding tasks that need to
be completed, like consents
insurance information or forms
that need to be filled out
before their appointments. So
really, it's leveraging it all,
which I know sounds like the
best answer ever. But obviously,
it incurs a lot of work.
Alison Werner: Yeah no, totally.
Um, so I would imagine then
Intiveo is about kind of
streamlining that workflow.
Josh DeVries: Yeah, definitely.
I think, you know, we really
focus on how can we complement
your current communication
needs? You know, I think there's
a lot of opportunity for every
office to be better than they
currently are with or without
and Intiveo. And we just want to
be that solution that can help
offices that find it a little
bit overwhelming. They don't
have the resources to have 56789
10 touch points before an
appointment, but can only afford
to do one or two touch points.
Often you need to leverage an
additional service, additional
tool, additional resource, and
we'd like to be that solution.
Alison Werner: So moving on. The
third trend you've identified is
advancements in orthodontic
technologies. What are the key
technologies that you think
orthodontic practices need to
consider incorporating and 2024
Josh DeVries: I just think
there's a lot more in house
solutions available for
healthcare professionals, we're
seeing a rise of you know, 3d
printing, we're seeing a rise of
computer aided fabrication, it's
hence enhancing on the precision
side the efficiency. So I think
we're gonna see a continual
trend towards being able to do a
one stop shop, you know, same
day restoration kind of thing in
healthcare. Additionally,
teledentistry has increased
robotic dentistry is emerging
all these really exciting tools
that are not only going to
impact you know, the urban
centers, but also remote rural
centers to give them a higher
degree of advanced care. Yeah,
Alison Werner: what are your
thoughts on how these technology
advancements can affect patient
engagement with the practice and
their treatment?
Josh DeVries: So I think we
always need to remind ourselves
that patients are people. And
people just want solutions to
their problems. And the quicker
and better the solution is, the
more appealing it is for us to
consider. So when we provide
shorter and longer term
solutions, we're providing more
options for our patients to
consider with different things
being optimized. When you
provide something like a in
house 3d printed solution,
you're obviously not going to
have the same quality or
longevity that you would with a
lab solution similar to a clear
braces versus a you know,
traditional braces. But there's
still a lot of work to be done
there. Now, what we're seeing, I
think, as a big trend is those
that have the means they're able
to actually implement a
temporary solution for temporary
convenience and comfort while
waiting for longer term
solutions, which I think is a
great option for those that can
afford it. Additionally, those
who do not have the means or the
time they can actually receive
pretty good treatment same day
and that's gonna be more focused
on economical and time
sensitive. So I think there's
just more variety of options to
meet people at different places
and to deliver a better, you
know, overall arching care.
Yeah,
Alison Werner: and I think
that's the main takeaway here is
meet people where they are when
you can
Josh DeVries: 100% I think, you
know, everyone's going through a
different journey in life. Some
journeys are more difficult and
challenges and some have limited
finances limited time. And I
think our ability to really
listen to what patients are want
what our market wants and
deliver services to them is, you
know, the the ultimate test of a
good business. And we have to
remember when we talked about
orthodontics that we are looking
at the business end of it,
there's and we have to provide
that to the market.
Alison Werner: Yeah, absolutely.
So now the fourth trend you've
identified is tied to the
country's economic picture
overall, while Americans are
still concerned about with
inflation, and the economic and
their economic future, the
global orthodontics market is
expected to grow significantly.
What is driving this growth
globally?
Josh DeVries: Well, I think the
beauty of orthodontics is it is
a treatment that is very visible
cosmetic dentistry is obvious. I
think you're gonna see private
equity continue to pour
investment into orthodontic
practice practices, which, if
you're looking to be acquired,
that's awesome, that's great,
there's gonna be a market for
you. If you're looking just to
practice orthodontics, and kind
of put your head down and not
worry about the business end of
things, it's also really good
because they're gonna be group
practices are just wanting to
hire the most competent
orthodontist that have no
interest in business. Now, if
you want to stay independent,
branding yourself uniquely, and
in ways that the big
organizations cannot will be
your competitive advantage. So
what I like to tell our
customers is try sponsoring a
local high school sports team or
community event by using social
proof of notable uh people and
the treatment that you've
completed for them. Host dinner
parties office parties for
referring GPS leveraging the
social capital to get back into
their businesses. The benefits
of the independent is social
capital, and it's attributed to
the owner or the provider rather
than the organization, which
means the relationship is more
authentic and potent for you to
capitalize on. Large
organizations may be able to
beat you on reach and cost
savings, but you can beat them
on depth of relationship and
investment in personalizing your
patient care. I always tell
people you golf with the GP, you
get every referral they've ever
gotten. Private Equity back firm
can't do that. That's their
strategic advantage. And this
time more than ever, we need to
lean into those advantages,
because the market actually
cares about those
differentiators. And they're
willing to pay a premium for
someone who understands it and
delivers it in a competent
manner.
Alison Werner: Great, well, what
does the global growth of the
industry mean for orthodontist
practicing in the United States?
Josh DeVries: I mean, patients
today are overwhelmed more so
than ever, I think we need to
acknowledge that and be mindful
and intentional what we want to
say, and what do we need from
them? I really recommend that
everyone does a patient
engagement audit on their five
most frequent procedures, and
they understand all the steps,
information and requirements of
these treatments to be
successful, and what needs to be
done before their appointment.
And what are the consequences of
it not being done. Then I always
tell people to build out your
optimal communication plan based
on these findings using emails,
texts, and phone calls. And if
you can manage this on your own,
that's awesome, keep doing it
and you know, you're going to be
better off for it. Now, if you
do need support as you've likely
increased your pre appointment
communications from one or two
touch points to eight or nine
touch points, give us a call, we
can help you we can help
optimize and automate a lot of
those annoying touch points,
like fill out your form
reminders. Or make sure you take
your pre meds at 9pm [something]
instructions, all these sorts of
things, we really try to
understand what are you doing?
What are the procedures that you
are, you know, servicing every
single day? And how can we
deliver optimal communication so
patients are engaged in their
treatments and are you know,
motivated towards successful
outcomes?
Alison Werner: Okay, so now
before we wrap up, I'm curious
what trends you would recommend
orthodontic practices to keep in
mind in terms of patient
engagement for 2024?
Josh DeVries: Yeah, I mean, we
all know that referrals from GPs
are the lifeblood of all
orthodontics. And all
specialists really, we we've
actually built a module just for
GPS and it helps them
communicate with specialists on
the treatment plans they've sent
over for their patients. And the
really cool thing is that GPS
can look up and see how the
treatment plan is going whether
the patient has that appointment
in progress or where it's even
being completed. Now this has
revolutionized the way that
specialists are able to manage
the referring office
relationships to reduce the
follow up calls from GPS and to
ensure that patients return to
the regular cycle of care
following their treatment. I
mean, this feature has been game
changing has really been an
equalizer or even a leg up for
the independent specialists.
Additionally, another feature I
think you're listening to your,
your listeners will care about
is our co parenting message
messaging. So as families are
becoming more bended and parent
responsibilities are shared
between households, we are
making it easier for officers to
communicate with those that are
co parenting, making sure that
communication is frequent to
both parties, and making sure
that treatment doesn't fail
because of a lack of
communication between the
parents. And this is an industry
first that no one is doing for
both of those features. So I
believe, you know, this really
fits in place with delivering
that higher level of care. And
we're super excited to see how
it's impacting offices, you
know, everywhere in North
America. Okay,
Alison Werner: well, that's a
really interesting aspect that I
hadn't really thought about. But
now I can see the importance of
having that ability to
communicate with both parents.
So especially
Josh DeVries: in ortho right,
where you're having constant
follow up appointments every 234
weeks, and maybe with one parent
one week, one parent, the other
traditional systems only
communicate with the responsible
party, which means another
parents left in the dark, where
one's confirming the other's
unaware, and it's a tale as old
as time if you talk to these
orthodontic offices of why
patients don't show up why
patients show up late. And it's
usually revolving around
communication. It's not because
they didn't care. And they
didn't want to show up,
Alison Werner: right? Okay,
well, what's on tap for Intiveo
to in 2024?
Josh DeVries: Well, we're going
to continue to invest in these
trends. So we have found that
part of the referral GP module
that we've created, there's a
lot of enthusiasm on the
orthodontic and a specialist
side, but we need to change the
behaviors of GPs. You would be
surprised, scared, shocked maybe
about how many GPs are still
faxing over all their
information. And that we really
need to create a bridge from the
traditional way of faxing your
information, manual phone call
to follow up on that appointment
or to book that appointment to a
digital error. So some of the
things that we're looking at
doing is allowing the GPS to
still fax it over when they
faxed over digitizing that fax
for them automatically sending
them a link so they can access
the patient portal for
referrals, and really starting
to jumpstart the digital era for
referrals. We believe that is
the future. We believe that
because that's where most
specialists are getting their
revenue from it's an area of
focus that we should be
concerned around, because we are
the only solution that's focused
on specialists. And we're going
to continue to invest in that.
Fundamentally, we always believe
in outcomes. So we care about
the things that the Office cares
about. We care about patients
not confirming their
appointments, but showing up
prepared. We care about forms
being completed before the
appointment, not 10 minutes
after the appointment started in
the reception office. We really
care about you getting your
lunch break and not having to
eat your food chairside these
are the things that we're going
to try to continue to eliminate
and reduce through technology
and driving a better service of
care.
Alison Werner: Great. Well,
Josh, thanks so much for joining
me. I really appreciate it
appreciate getting your insight.
And if someone is interested in
learning more, where can they
go?
Josh DeVries: Yeah, so you can
go to intiveo.com i n t i v e
o.com. We are online all the
social media sites. But we would
love to chat with you. I think
like I said, we're happy to do
that patient evaluation or
communication evaluation with
you to understand how are you
communicating and engaging with
your patients for your top five
procedures. And we can help even
if it means not using our
service, I think we want to be a
wealth of knowledge. We want to
be a beacon of experience and
expertise within our market. So
wherever you're at whatever your
level of interest is, please
just engage with us and we hope
we can share what we're learning
every single day. Great.
Alison Werner: Thank you so
much, Josh, and to our audience.
Thanks for joining us and we'll
see you next time.
Josh DeVries: Have a great day
y'all.
Alison Werner: Thank you. As
always, thank you for joining
us. Be sure to subscribe to the
orthodontic products podcast to
keep up with the latest
episodes. And be sure to check
out orthodontic products
online.com to keep up with the
latest industry news. Until next
time, take care