Orthodontic Trends for 2024 With Intiveo CEO Josh DeVries

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.