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The Dentist Will See You Now...Online

Dentists in Washtenaw County have turned to teledentistry during the coronavirus pandemic to treat patients.

Dr. Sophia Cornish with Dexter Dental Studio says she’s gone from making zero teledentistry calls before the pandemic to at least six a week.  She says that, while emergency care still needs to be done in-person, certain pain problems can be addressed over the phone.

"By just talking with them, I can kind of feel out that this is an abscess and that this patient really needs some antibiotics. Antibiotics are not going to be a long-term solution. The tooth is still going to have to be dealt with. However, this allows the patient to be comfortable by treating with antibiotics in the short term."

Dr. Cornish says she’s seen an increase in teledentistry requests because insurance companies have started to cover them more because of the pandemic.

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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu

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