point, make sure to use the fact that you can follow up on orthodontic care to bring extra value to their treatment. Make sure your patients know if they're going to get orthodontic treatment, your prac-tice is the best place to get it! When you create orthodontic-related content for your website and social media channels, focus on value, not cost. Highlight the link between straight teeth and easier care, lower rates of periodontitis (Han, PhD and Park, DDS, MSD, PhD), more even wear, etc. (Many people still think of orthodontics in terms of aesthetics only). Also, focus on the potential savings over a lifetime when it comes to restorative dentistry. One blog post idea that helps to outline the value of orthodontics is, "10 Ways Orthodontics Positively Affects Your Overall Health." (Or "...Your Dental Health"). When creating your orthodontic marketing content, focus on how you as a dentist can help them get and keep the results they've always wanted. One blog post idea is, "How to Get and Keep the Smile You’ve Always Wanted,” or “How to Help Your Kids Stick To Their Retainer Routine,” or even, “It’s Not Just About Retainers: Finding A Dentist That Will Help Your Orthodontic Treatment Last.” Parents Who Worry About Their Child’s Care Compliance A parent may wonder if their child is ready for orthodontic care, especially when dealing with retainer use and brushing properly. Especially if their child is younger, it may hold them back from receiv-ing recommended and crucial care. Again, the patient-dentist relation-ship is special! Remember that no one knows the patient as well as you do, you will already be seeing them regu-larly, and you are the best doctor to help your young patients with compli-ance-related concerns. The parents of pediatric patients will more likely pick up the phone to ask you a question or even have you or your team members connect with your child. This is a good time to mention the overall importance of relation-ships with your patients. All of these key points hinge on the idea that your patients do trust you and you know them well — usually something we find with the doctors who read this journal! Market to this concern by talking about how you’ll be there every step of the way for your pediatric patients and their parents. Create blog and social media content about how you can help parents with compliance (but, of course, don’t use the word compliance). A good blog post topic might be, “5 Ways We Make Orthodontics Easier For Your Child.” Patients Who Have General Worries About Orthodontic Treatment Retention Potential orthodontic patients may know someone who had braces and then lost all their progress because retention wasn't handled correctly by either doctor or patient. They may worry that they don't know how to find the right orthodontic treatment specialist, and wonder if they are one of the unlucky ones who will need repeat treatment. When you combine that concern with worry about cost, it's no wonder many patients hesitate to move forward. From a marketing and patient perspective, this is one of our favorite objections to handle. After all, who better to stand on guard against dreaded orthodontic reten-tion loss than the dentist they already see at least twice a year? And as a dentist who practices orthodontics, you'll be able to guide them as to follow-up treatment and check up on their compliance with retainer use. Again, make sure your patients know your practice is the best place to handle their orthodontic care and concerns. outgrow a malocclusion, think the malocclusion is not serious enough to warrant early attention, or be accustomed to the cultural mindset that orthodontics is for teenagers. One referral or recommendation may not be enough to overcome these cognitive obstacles to proceeding with orthodontic care. As a well-rounded family or pedi-atric dentist who cares for your patient’s health, and sees many of their patients for a lifetime, you know the impact orthodontics, or the lack thereof, has had on your patients. You know that malocclusion can lead to ear pain, headaches, TMJ disorder, tinnitus, and bruxism. You know that straighter teeth are easier to clean, harder to wear down (because of even pressure), and more resistant to periodontitis. By gently educating your patients, you have a better chance of reversing misconceptions about orthodontics than the average orthodontist who doesn’t get to see your patient until they come to them for treatment. You might want to create content on your site, email campaigns, and social media chan-nels such as, “5 Ways Orthodontics Improves Your Overall Health,” or “10 Causes of Headaches and What To Do About Them.” Patients Who Don’t Know What’s Possible With Their Smile Like a beautifully composed piece of music or an emotionally-impactful movie, affects us in ways we don’t understand, we might know a smile is beautiful and youthful without knowing why. The average patient doesn’t know what goes into creating beautiful smiles. They might not understand what the big differences are between a healthy, youthful smile and one that needs some TLC. Additionally, they might not even know that giving a little love to their smile will rejuvenate their entire face. They may view their smile as just one small part of their face and not realize that cosmetic or Patients Who Need A Greater Understanding of Orthodontics As mentioned earlier, parents might think their child will 36 Summer 2022 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Summer 2022: Page 36
