The dental hygiene-focused cryptocurrency known as Dentacoin has widened its availability with partnerships with Arklign Laboratories and PCP Dental Recruitment.
Arklign, a full-service dental laboratory based in San Jose, California, fabricates dental restorations and allows patients to track their services via the Arklign Case Relationship Management (aCRM) online portal for dentists and dental practices. The deal is Dentacoin’s first in North America.
Meanwhile, PCP Dental Recruitment works with the NHS and with mixed and private practices in the UK to help the practices find dental nurses, hygienists/therapists, dentists, dental receptionists and practice managers. This expansion takes the blockchain to new areas of the dental ecosystem.
Dentacoin was pioneered as a custom currency to be used as a loyalty program concept. Patients can earn rewards (in the form of Dentacoin) for writing reviews of their mouth-care providers. All participants on the company’s Trusted Review Platform are rewarded for their contribution regardless of whether it’s positive or negative. The resulting Dentacoins can then be used to pay for future dental treatments or procedures or can simply be used to house stored value.
In future, PCP Dental Recruitment said that it will also consider accepting payments in Dentacoin for its professional recruitment services.
So far, 14 dental clinics have started accepting payments in Dentacoin, and the number of dentists and dental practices registered on the Trusted Review Platform is over 900, according to Dentacoin. Meanwhile, more than 700 new active users are signing up every week.
The business model showcases potential new uses of cryptocurrency. As the company explained in its press materials:
Think about the last time you visited your dentist. What was that experience like for you? Did you go home and tell your spouse about your experience? What about your co-workers? Did it even cross your mind that you should tell someone about your visit to the dentist? If you are like most people, the answer to that question is probably no. When it comes to talking about our experiences in the health industry, people are more likely to complain or praise a doctor or nurse, but not very much attention is given to the dental industry in terms of feedback or otherwise. Dentacoin wants to shed some light on the dental industry and help the industry because more robust and patient-focused so that people will rant and rave about their experiences.
It added, “While the cost of healthcare and dental care continues to rise, Dentacoin wants to help cut the costs associated with seeing a dentist and bridge the gap for people who need access to better dental care around the world.”