Mobile dentistry for the aged has really changed the way that older people care for their teeth. It has also changed the lives of children who have struggled to get their ageing parents to the dentist. Unlike medicine, where doctors travel to visit their patients, dentists have never done this. They have too much equipment and they need a hygienic space in which to work. But now dentists can pay home visits because the mobile dental van has been designed and developed and is being used by a select number of dentists. The mobile dental van is hygienic and in fact, it looks just like an ordinary dental practice. The only difference is that a patient is stepping into a van, not a practice, and the van is coming to them. The birth of the home dental visit!
How mobile dentistry works
Right now in America, the mobile dental care is reserved for elderly people in old home homes or special care facilities, and is reserved for people with special needs, also in special care facilities. Generally it is the facility management who sets up a day, or two, for the mobile dentist to come and visit. Appointments are made, either on the half hour or on the hour, and the elderly get treated quickly and professionally. All they need to do is make their way, and there is help available if they need it, from their room to the mobile dental van. The dentist can then assist them into the chair, do regular cleanings, fit for dentures, look after dentures, and do any procedures that old people generally need. And the dentist is always gentle and understanding.
The cost of mobile dental care is similar to that of ordinary dental care. The idea is to make mobile dentistry for the aged accessible for all.