Using Twitter posts, the reviewed study looks at the patient experience for Invisalign teeth straightening with the clear aligner system.
Sbenati Dentistry reviewed an interesting new case study today on Invisalign treatment from the patient perspective: A Twitter content analysis. The aim of this study is to qualitatively analyze patient satisfaction with Invisalign using Twitter posts related to the treatment
The case study also attempted to get a better understanding of the patient experience.
Materials and Methods- Tweets were gathered in relation to Invisalign as a topic. Only people who are about to receive the treatment, or those who are currently undergoing the treatment qualified. The social media monitoring tool Awario was used to collect and analyze the tweets. The 1564 tweets posts gathered were then analyzed by three investigators using thematic analysis.
Results- Three themes were recognized: Pre-treatment related, Treatment related and Patient/clinician relationships. Pre-treatment posts were predominantly positive, and focused on patients expectations. The treatment related theme had both positive and negative tweets. The positive tweets were focused on satisfaction with the treatment and it's results, as well as the improvement of self-esteem. The negative treatment related tweets mentioned pain, compliance and difficulties pronouncing words. Dental care as whole has transitioned over the years from doctor-centric to patient-centric. This is displayed with the following statistic and also with the tweets: "PubMed articles featuring patient satisfaction as a key-word that increased from 304 in 1990 to 8202 in 1999" (directly from the studies Introduction)
Conclusion- The study clarifies the patient experience and sheds light on some of the pain points. It should be noted that some pain is common when beginning Invisalign treatment as your teeth are not used to pressure being applied to them. Also, problems with speech and pronunciation tend to dissipate as patients tongue and mouth get used to the aligners.
Sbenati Dentistry owner Dr. Halim Sbenati says there are many people looking for insights and answers about Invisalign treatment from the patient perspective: A Twitter content analyses. This case study reveals in a practical way what's possible with the right information and guidance.
The case study is available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8020322/.
About Sbenati Dentistry
Sbenati Dentistry was founded in 2019 to serve London, Ontario and surrounding communities. It is known for providing patients with holistic care in order to serve them in every aspect of dentistry. From regular cleanings and checkups to all of the cosmetic treatments, Sbenati Dentistry uses the absolute best materials, technologies and practices. Invisalign is their favourite and only orthodontic treatment due to it's patient focused approach and effectiveness.
