orthodontics to their patient base as somewhat of a rarity, even a unicorn. When you as a general or pediatric dentist provide orthodon-tics to your patients, and you do it well, you are providing a much-needed service. But there’s more to succeeding in any branch of dentistry than the quality of the service being offered. Marketing this service to your patients, existing or potential, is a science and art in and of itself with many aspects. In today’s world, ads are largely ignored. Effective market-ing has evolved to be a sophisticated content-driven approach that adds value to the lives of potential patients searching the web for infor-mation and direction. When it comes to case accep-tance, we have learned from our clients that there are common obstacles that result in patient hesi-tation, such as the following: v Getting to know a new doctor v Financial concerns v Concern over orthodontic treatment retention v Concern over whether chil-dren can handle compliance They also hesitate because they lack an understanding of orthodon-tics. They don’t know what it is they don’t love about their smile. One of the most effective ways to market orthodontics to your clientele is to turn the common patient pain points around, and show potential patients how you solve them. This not only markets orthodontics to potential patients, but it also provides valuable infor-mation, education and direction to those patients as well. Patients Who Find It Difficult To Follow Up On A Referral There is a simple solution that many GP and pediatric dentists have already discovered. Offer the treatment yourself. Recently, the American Orthodontics Society wrote a piece entitled, "How You Can Make Inter-ceptive Orthodontic Care Easier for Parents". Many parents, the piece stated, "think their child will “outgrow” a malocclusion because the child still has primary teeth. Others simply do not consider the malocclu-sion serious enough to warrant orthodontic care. Another common reason involves the time and effort it takes to find a reputable orthodontic clinic that offers convenient appoint-ments and multiple payment methods. General and pedi-atric dentists are espe-cially poised to solve this major pain point because parents who are concerned about introducing their child to another doctor, or even bring up the possibility of braces when they haven't made a decision yet, might never get around to following up on a referral. By offering orthodontics your-self, general and pediatric dentists can help parents overcome this obstacle. You are bound to see your patient in your chair again. If they want to ask you a question about their child’s recommended treat-ment, they can, without fear of pressurized sales tactics. If you need to point out a growing need for the recommended treatment, you can do so as a concerned and trusted doctor. This creates wonderful opportu-nities for effective marketing as well. We recommend beginning with an internal campaign, where you reach out to all patients who would benefit from orthodontics, especially those to whom you have recommended care. From there, make sure your dental website becomes a cornerstone of content beneficial to patients who would benefit from orthodontic care. Blog posts should be crafted that high-light the far-reaching positive impact orthodontics has on patients' overall health and lives. Patients Who Have Financial Concerns Dealing with concerns over cost always requires great care and understanding of the value of the treatment to your patients, as well as how to communicate that value — not an easy thing to do! When patients hesitate because of cost, many dentists hesitate to bring up the treatment recommendation again for fear of appearing to sell to their patients. A dentist who prac-tices orthodontics is especially posi-tioned, however, to express the value and benefit of orthodontic treatment to his or her patients — in a level of detail they would not hear if they never follow up on a referral. And because you already have a relationship with your patient, they are more likely to trust you when you express how orthodontic care and overall dental health go hand in hand. When marketing to the audience who is feeling this particular pain www.orthodontics.com Summer 2022 35
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Summer 2022: Page 35
