Dental App Development-Benefits, Features, and Development Process

Like several other healthcare specialisations, dentistry, and oral care departments have also started to enhance their working system by adopting digital transformation. It is the reason why the demand for dental app development has increased.   

Not just the app development, but as per the reports, the global market of dental practice management software was $2.3 billion in 2022, and it is anticipated to grow to $7 billion in 2032 at a CAGR of 11.89%.  

However, the growing use of smartphones has also surged the demand for dental apps, and it has also helped dental professionals to broaden their reach with lower administrative costs and consistent equipment supply.   

If you are also willing to build a dental app, this blog can help you clear your doubts about your investments. Here, we have discussed some of the crucial aspects of dental apps, so let’s get started!  

What is a Dental App?  

A dental app is a digital solution that has been designed to enhance dental care experiences for both patients and professionals. It is one of the best tools that fits in smartphones and can bring the entire dental clinic to your user’s fingertips.   

You can leverage the mobile app development services to get your dental application, as it will increase your customer satisfaction level and offer many other perks. Below, we have mentioned some of the significant benefits that you can gain after you invest in this application’s development.  

Perks of Investing in Dental App Development  

Dental app development isn’t just about embracing technology; it’s about revolutionising the patient experience and optimising the management of your dental practice. It’s a strategic move that not only enhances patient engagement and satisfaction but also offers you several other benefits, such as:  

Enhanced Patient Engagement 

In today’s time, patients want to be actively involved in their health journey. Dental care apps encourage this journey by providing patients with a direct connection with their healthcare professionals. It fosters engagement through informative content and provides educational materials. Overall, patient engagement is increased, keeping them satisfied.   

Real-time Feedback and Reviews 

Another perk of developing a dental application is that it provides a platform for patients to leave feedback and reviews. Such transparency builds trust and credibility for your practice while providing valuable insights for continuous improvement.  

Efficient Appointment Management 

Dental apps empower patients to book, reschedule, or cancel appointments at their convenience. And for you, it can streamline appointment management, reduce no-shows, and improve operational efficiency. So, build a dental app that can offer a win-win situation to both the care provider and receiver.   

Streamlined Record-Keeping

For dental professionals, dental apps can simplify the task of patient record-keeping. They can use the application’s secure digital storage for patient information, medical histories, and treatment plans. It reduces paperwork and minimises the risk of data loss.  

Teledentistry at Your Fingertips  

In today’s time, remote access to healthcare services is highly demanded. A dental app can facilitate teledentistry consultations, allowing healthcare professionals to assess and advise patients remotely. It’s a convenient option for routine check-ups and consultations, enhancing patient accessibility to your services.  

Dental App Development- Major Features

After learning about how fruitful it can be to invest in dental app development, let’s move further and discuss the advancements you can make within your application. Features are the source of making your application unique and offer seamless functioning. Here, we have mentioned two sections of features. The table below will showcase some of the basic yet vital features that are must-haves in any dental app.  

In the second section, we have mentioned some of the advanced features that will make your application unique and strong to stand against the competitors. They are:  

AI-Powered Diagnosis and Treatment Suggestions 

Artificial intelligence can empower your dental application and make them capable of assisting with preliminary diagnoses and also offer treatment suggestions. By analysing user-provided information and images, the application can offer insights and recommendations, helping users understand their dental concerns better.  

Augmented Reality (AR) Smile Simulation 

Another feature that will make your application unique is the AR smile simulation. By using this AR feature, users will be able to visualise the potential outcomes of procedures like teeth whitening, braces, or veneers. They can see how their smile would look post-treatment before making a decision.  

Virtual Dental Consultations 

When you build a dental app, consider integrating virtual dental consultation, as it offers your users the perk of having real-time video conferences with dental professionals. This feature enables remote diagnosis, treatment planning, and follow-up discussions with ease.  

3D Tooth Scanning 

When you hire iOS developer or Android developer for your dental application, make sure to have the feature of 3D tooth scanning within. With this feature, your users can scan their teeth to create digital models for monitoring oral health progress, especially in orthodontic cases.  

Oral Hygiene Coaching 

You can consider integrating the feature of oral hygiene coaching in your application as it will make oral hygiene fun and engaging with gamification. Your users will be able to earn rewards or compete with friends and family to maintain healthy brushing and flossing habits. It’s a playful way to promote good dental practices.  

How to Build a Dental App? 

Now, let us begin with the most awaited section of this blog: the development process of your application. There are different challenges that you may face when you build a dental app. But all these complexities can vanish if you have the right development pathway. So here we have mentioned a few steps that can help you in developing the best application:  

Research and Ideation 

Any project must begin with proper research work, as research can open all the blockages that you might face in your development process. The first thing that you need to understand with the help of the study is your target audience. Your user will be the ultimate reason for your investment in dental app development.   

 So, you need to be very precise about what they need. Why do they use this application, or what enhancement this app can bring in their life? Research work will help you to learn about your target audience well, and they will also allow you to have a clear picture of what you wish to develop.   

You should also conduct thorough research on the latest trends in the healthcare industry. You can always choose to get help from experts, as they will make sure that the data you get is clean and relevant to your needs. Here at Matellio, we have experts willing to help you with your research work and any other hurdles that you might face with your project.    

Hire Mobile App Developers for your Project 

After having a clear idea about what you wish to develop and for whom you wish to develop, it’s time to choose the best partner that can help you with your development process. Your ideas can be turned into reality only when you have a development team of experts.     

We would suggest you choose an experienced app development company for your project. When you hire dedicated developer from an experienced company offering the best development services, you can receive multiple benefits such as:    

• You can easily get the required services under one roof. The experts also follow the best methodologies, which help you eliminate rework and surprises and offer you more time to market your product.     
• You can easily eliminate the pain of finding and hiring different resources for several project requirements. A reputable app development company always offers a wide array of resources, including (but not limited to) consultants, UI/UX designers, app developers, testers, deployment engineers, cloud professionals, DevOps engineers, etc., to fulfil your project requirements.    

On the other hand, if you consider setting up an in-house development team, it will not be easy. You would be required to have the entire setup from scratch that is needed for developing an advanced application. It will extend your project development timeline and will be heavy on your development cost.  

Selecting the App Development Platform and Decide on the Tech Stack 

The development company that you partner with should offer you an in-depth understanding of which platform you should use for your application development. It can be derived from good research work on which platform is being used more by your target audience.     

You can choose that particular platform, whether iOS or Android, or for the best, you can opt for developing cross-platform applications. With the cross-platform, you will be able to reach the audience from all the platforms from a single app.     

Moving further, you need to analyse the resources you need for your project, and it can be done after you select the tech stack for your dental mobile app development. To help you with the same, here we have listed some of general tech stack that you can opt for your app development: 

Front-End Development  

Programming Languages  

• JavaScript  

• HTML/CSS  

UI/UX Design  

• Adobe XD, Figma, or Sketch  

State Management (for complex apps)  

• Redux  

Back-End Development

Server-Side Scripting  

• Node.js  

Framework  

• Express.js  

Database  

• MongoDB  

• MySQL or PostgreSQL  

Authentication  

• JSON Web Tokens (JWT)  

Real-time Communication (for chat or video consultations)  

• WebSockets  

Cloud Services  

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud Platform (GCP)  
• Firebase  

Mobile App Framework  

• React Native  

Additional Tools and Libraries  

Push Notifications  

• Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) or Apple Push Notification Service (APN)  

Security  

• HTTPS  
• SSL/TLS Certificates 
• OWASP  

Payment Integration (if handling payments)  

• Stripe, PayPal, or other payment gateways.  

Data Analytics (for tracking user engagement and app performance)  

•   Google Analytics or Mixpanel  

Version Control  

• Git  

Testing and Quality Assurance  

• Jest or Mocha  
• Postman or Insomnia  
• Selenium or Cypress  

Deployment  

• Docker and Kubernetes  

• Heroku, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, or Google App Engine  

  Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)  

• Jenkins, Travis CI, or CircleCI  

Create An MVP   

A minimum viable product is crucial in developing a dental health app. Building an MVP will allow you to validate your app idea and concept with real users in the market. When you release the basic version of your app, you can gather feedback, understand the lacking points, and then make an informed decision to enhance your app.      

Developing an MVP will also give you faster time to market your app; wondering how? Rather than spending excessive time building complex features, an MVP focuses on delivering core functionality and value proposition to your app. It will ultimately allow you to enter the market quickly.      

Develop, Test, and Launch  

Moving further, you have almost every resource required to build a dental app, from having a clear idea of what you need, the best development team, and a suitable developing platform to the right tech stack for your project. Now, it’s time to begin the process.   

But before you start, be very firm in choosing the right development methodology. The agile method is what we suggest! It can mitigate the risks associated with your long development cycle by promoting transparency and accountability within your development team.    

Once the app is developed it should be tested, and the development company you choose should offer you the best testing methods. At Matellio, we offer unit testing, security testing, compatibility testing, and others to ensure your application is flawless. Once all the testing is completed, it’s time to launch your dental app on the platform that you have targeted.  

What Makes Matellio the Best Partner to Build a Dental App?  

 After scrolling here, you would be sure of one thing: you can build a dental app that is fruitful, but you also need to have a trustworthy development partner by your side.   

This is where Matellio enters!  

You can hire Android developers from us; and we also offer a big package to ensure that every step of your development cycle is completed without any challenges. From providing you with the relevant research work, integrating the right features, choosing the latest tech stack, testing the app, and most importantly, keeping up with transparency in what we follow.  

We have experienced experts who have worked on similar projects and understand the technical and non-technical approach that is needed. We also follow robust security regulations to keep your data safe.