New Georgia law lets you see a dentist from your couch — with some limits

Georgia opens the door to remote dental care

Georgia’s teledentistry law took effect Jan. 1, 2026, letting licensed dentists offer certain services through secure online platforms.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 567 on May 9, 2025, after it sailed through the legislature with near-unanimous support. The Georgia Dental Association championed the bill.

Remote services now include consultations, second opinions, triage, evaluations, and referrals, with clear rules about what dentists can and cannot do online.

Patients connect with dentists without leaving home

Teledentistry lets patients reach a dentist through a secure online platform, no office visit needed. But the law is not meant to replace in-person care.

Think of it more as a first step, a way to figure out what kind of treatment you need next.

It is designed to help people in rural areas, those with limited mobility, and patients in underserved communities who struggle to get into a dental chair in the first place.

Here is what dentists can do remotely

Under the new law, dentists can handle consultations, second opinions, triage, evaluations, and referrals through teledentistry. They can also prescribe antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs remotely.

A limited number of licensed dental hygienists can offer teledentistry services too, but only under specific conditions. Opioid prescriptions are off the table.

And orthodontic treatment cannot begin remotely without an in-person exam first, making Georgia the sixth state in the country to require that step.

Safety rules protect patients from the start

Dentists must collect a full medical and dental history before any remote appointment begins. Patients must give informed consent before receiving care.

The same standard of care required in a traditional dental office applies online, and in-person treatment is required whenever it is clinically necessary.

Any dentist offering teledentistry must also maintain a physical practice location in Georgia and have a referral relationship with another in-person provider.

Those rules make sure patients can always get hands-on care when they need it.

Insurance must cover remote dental visits

The law requires dental insurance plans to cover services delivered through teledentistry. Insurers cannot deny a claim just because the appointment happened online instead of in a physical office.

That provision removes a real financial barrier for patients who want to use remote care but worry about the bill.

The Georgia Board of Dentistry released teledentistry guidelines and applications on Jan. 30, 2026, and dentists must review and comply with the statute before offering any remote services.

Over 20 Georgia counties have no dentist

About 21 counties in Georgia have no practicing dentists at all.

Rural parts of the state have struggled with access to dental care for years, and the Georgia Dental Association said the law is designed to use technology to close those gaps. The problem is not unique to Georgia.

According to the CDC, about 57 million Americans live in a dental health professional shortage area, and roughly 67% of those shortage areas are in rural communities.

The bill barely got a single “no” vote

The Georgia House passed House Bill 567 by a vote of 174 to 2. The Senate approved it 52 to 1.

Rep. Katie Dempsey led the effort in the House, and the bill had backing from the Georgia Dental Association, the American Association of Orthodontists, and the Georgia Board of Dentistry.

That kind of coalition across professional and regulatory groups is not common, and the vote totals reflect it.

Georgia joins other states on this path

Teledentistry in the U.S. dates back to 1994, when the Army first used it. Use of remote dental care grew fast during the COVID-19 pandemic and has kept expanding since.

Nevada, Florida, Illinois, Utah, and West Virginia already require in-person exams before orthodontic treatment can start remotely. Georgia is now the sixth.

Dentists and dental hygienists in the state must review the new statute and comply before they begin offering any remote services.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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