Careington Launches National Teledentistry Program

Frisco-headquartered Careington International Corporation, an owner and operator of discount and PPO dental networks across the country, has launched a new teledentistry program through one of its affiliate companies, DialCare.

The new service, DialCare Teledentistry, is meant to be a way for customers to have 24/7 access to licensed dentists nationwide through a phone or video consultation.

Members can consult dentists online for various oral health problems, such as lesions, swelling or infections; broken, chipped, sensitive or misaligned teeth; gum swelling and bleeding; and more. They can also get second opinions on dental treatment.

It’s a largely untapped market, according to DialCare President Jeremy Hedrick, but one that the dental company has been on the forefront of. DialCare’s already-established virtual health suite of services came especially in handy when the COVID-19 pandemic immensely accelerated the need for socially distanced care.

“The company recognized an increased need for individuals to have access to virtual dental care. DialCare quickly developed our next innovation—the DialCare Teledentistry program,” Hedrick told Dallas Innovates. “DialCare leverages its standard of excellence, its unmatched network-building expertise and a dynamic, technologically advanced platform to deliver a truly custom, cutting-edge telemedicine solution.”

DialCare Teledentistry is essentially a marriage of old and new: The technology combines DialCare’s telemedicine platform with Careington’s 40 years of expertise in dental benefits.

Careington has been providing telemedicine services through DialCare well before COVID-19, since it was formed in 2015. Born from Careington’s innovative spirit, according to the team, DialCare lauds itself as a telemedicine solution for the fast-paced, health-focused consumer.

In 2017, DialCare launched its Physician Access program, which allowed the company to offer around-the-clock access to a national network of doctors for treatment of non-emergency illnesses via phone or video consultation. Then, in 2019, DialCare started a Mental Wellness program for access to mental health professionals that could consult on depression, anxiety, stress. and more.

Careington itself was founded in 1979, and is today known as a leader in the non-insured dental benefits market.

As a national product aggregator and full-service administrator, Careington says it delivers access to its portfolio of more than 150 products and services to more than 20 million members nationwide. It also provides administrative services, like claims processing and billing admin of fully- and self-insured dental plans.

Overall though, the company says it’s dedicated to individual health and well-being by improving access to affordable care.

“Careington and affiliate companies continue to grow as leaders in the rapidly changing market, particularly in the telehealth industry, which continues to be important as the need and expectation in the market has grown considerably with the pandemic,” Hedrick says. “We provide our services to a growing list of Fortune 500 companies in the Dallas area and across the nation.”

To coincide with the Careington mission, DialCare Teledentistry will have diagnostic and preventative services available that aim to help reduce dental costs by detecting conditions early and recommending treatment, the company said. The teledentistry program is availalbe now to organizations and individual consumers.

“Careington strives to provide improved access to care to as many people as possible, and we are excited to extend this mission to teledentistry through DialCare,” CEO Barbara Fasola said in a statement. “COVID-19 has intensified the need for teledentistry, and we are pleased to introduce the teledentistry program as a much-needed virtual solution for dental care.”