Since 2020, many businesses have seen their revenue plunge, and dentists and orthodontists–though absolutely essential–are not entirely immune to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, although most dental offices are opening back up and eager to receive new patients, dental marketing may help you get closer to your business goals. In this article, we will discuss how you can market your dental/orthodontic practice to give it a boost as it gets back to normal operations. 

Think About What Sets Your Dental Practice Apart From Others

The best way to kick off your dental marketing strategy is to ask yourself what makes you different from everyone you compete against. In dentistry, competition is tight, but every business owner has their own value they bring to the table.

Start With Asking Yourself Why

Why do you do what you do? Stating your unique values is a great way to make an emotional connection with your intended audience, aiding in generating more leads. This will be a critical component of your branding and marketing strategies, which go hand-in-hand.

Next, determine why your orthodontic practice is a valuable asset to our community. Perhaps you have unique experience abroad, speak multiple languages, have an incredible ability to work with anxious children and quickly earn their trust, etc. When you determine what makes you unique, the hardest part is over! 

Differences Between Your Dental Practice And Others Can Be Found In Technology

Keep in mind that implementing cutting-edge and state-of-the-art technology such as OrthoPhoto App is also a trait worth mentioning. If you don’t already use OrthoPhoto App, it’s time to reconsider!

OrthoPhoto App is our smartphone application that transforms how you track your patients’ progress throughout their dental braces treatments. Rather than using bulkier, complex, or poor-quality photo cameras, OrthoPhoto converts your smartphone camera into a tool for dental photography. Upon taking photos of your patients’ teeth as they progress through their dental braces treatment, the app automatically crops and sorts the orthodontic photographs into a template. Not only does this speed up the process for your patient who is already pressed for time, but this also means you don’t need to spend much time after-hours sorting through your images. Practice better dentistry with OrthoPhoto App for iOS here, or for Android here.

Update Your Dental Web Design

In the marketing world, visuals and smooth experiences go a long way. If your website is outdated, lacks mobile compatibility, and struggles to rank on search engines, then your custom marketing strategy and branding message won’t get far. Our affiliate marketing agency, INFINI Marketing, offers a custom dental web design package for $249/month and will take the time to create a stunning website that ranks on search engines and is also conversion-optimized so that you can quickly generate more leads and treat new patients. 

Invest In Long-Term Dental Marketing

With INFINI Marketing, you have the opportunity to take your orthodontic practice to heights you may not have imagined before. With their impressive roster of dental clients, Google Ads and Facebook Ads expertise, proven local SEO strategies, and more, you will stand out against other dental practices and build customer loyalty. Contact INFINI Marketing today for a free dental marketing consultation if you're ready to expand your dental practice!

Dental anxiety is not unheard of. While very common, the best dentists and orthodontists have the right tools, training, and compassion to help ease their patients' nerves, especially now when there is additional anxiety for many due to the pandemic we are still getting through. In this article, we will offer some tips to consider when caring for anxious orthodontic patients. 

Easing COVID-19 Anxiety In Dental Patients

For patients who regularly deal with anxiety of any sort, COVID-19 anxiety on top of dental anxiety are a lot to bear. The best course of action in this case is to simply educate your patients on why it’s perfectly safe to visit their dentist. When patients are booking their appointment either on the phone or on your dental website, you can provide a message that breaks down the different procedures your dental/orthodontic practice is following. 

Exercise Compassion And Attempt To Understand Your Patients’ Perspectives

Many dentists are kind and compassionate, but they worry about asking too much when it comes to their patients’ comfort. It’s perfectly okay–and even encouraged–to ask your patients about their past dental experiences and understand certain triggers. Actively listening to your patients and taking notes of their concerns works wonders for easing them. Sometimes, anxious patients just want to feel heard because they weren’t at their previous dentist or orthodontist. 

Ensure Your Orthodontic Practice Is A Well-Oiled Machine

A smooth-running office is a great way to reassure your anxious patients that they are in a good place that cares about them, their health, and their time.

In addition to hiring only the most compassionate people to join your team, there are other tools you can implement that will help your anxious patients feel more comfortable and less stressed going to your office, including:

• Comfy seating
• Painting the walls a calming color
• Soft decor
• Improved dental office efficiency

Installing OrthoPhoto To Save Your Patients’ Time And Help You Practice Better Dentistry

OrthoPhoto App, which is available on the App Store and on Google Play, automates the hours-long process of taking dental braces photos of your braces patients’ teeth throughout the course of their treatment and sorting them. Rather than relying on another dental braces camera, you can open the app, take the clinical images, and your device will automatically place each photo in the right patient file. Bonus tip: you can boost your dental marketing strategy by talking about how OrthoPhoto App separates you from other orthodontists, building the confidence your patients have in you. Further, because of OrthoPhoto’s ease of use and automatic saving, you won’t run the risk of losing your anxious patients’ files, and they won’t have to go back to retake their dental braces photos. 

It is never too late to modernize your dental office. As a constantly growing profession, the competition is intense, and the sooner you modernize your dental or orthodontic practice, the better. Here are four steps you can take to modernize your practice and stand out above your competitors. 

Step 1: Reduce Inefficient Communication

Your adult patients are busy and they are the ones who need to be contacted for their own appointments, as well as for their kids’ appointments. In the past, dental and orthodontic offices would call their patients to remind them of an upcoming appointment. Today, it is much more efficient to send an automated text reminder that gives the patient the option to reschedule if need be, or set a reminder for their appointment using the calendar application on their smartphone. By sending automated texts, your receptionist won’t have to play phone tag and your patients won't have to worry about forgetting about their appointments in the midst of their busy life.

Step 2: Upgrade Your Waiting Room

One of the easiest ways to modernize your dental office is to simply update its appearance. First impressions matter and the first impression any of your new patients get will build up in their mind seconds upon walking in. A new coat of paint works wonders for changing the entire look of a space, and investing in updated furniture and decor will also help modernize your practice’s image. When thoughtfully redecorated, you may even help your orthodontic patients feel less anxious.

Step 3: Invest In Updated Dental Practice Management Software

Almost synonymous with modernization is going paperless because it makes your orthodontic office all the more efficient. Going paperless can take a while, but purchasing and learning how to utilize a user-friendly management software saves time and keeps your team organized when it comes to storing and locating patient records, billing, and booking appointments.

Step 4: Switch To OrthoPhoto App For Optimal Dental Record-Keeping Of Your Orthodontic Braces Patients

Traditionally, dentists and orthodontists use a digital camera to capture clinical images of their patients’ progress when they undergo metal dental braces, ceramic braces, and even Invisalign treatment. After they take the pictures, though, doctors have to spend extra hours after closing time just to upload the images, crop them, place them in a template, and sort them into specific albums and patient files.

OrthoPhoto App, which is available on the App Store and on Google Play, automates this hours-long process so that dentists and orthodontists can manage their clinical images in a fraction of the time. Using your smartphone, you can take your patients’ braces images right on the application. It automatically places the images into a template that formats them correctly into their respective patient albums. With OrthoPhoto App, you can practice better dentistry and improve your quality of life!

All dentists worry about constantly seeing patients–old and new. A busy practice is a successful one, but with changes to insurance and families relocating for a number of reasons, dentists and orthodontists need to be proactive in positioning their practice as one that new patients MUST visit. In this article, we will discuss a few things you could do to improve your patient experience so that your established patients remain happy and new, potential patients pay you a visit.

Put Emphasis On Dental Marketing

Marketing is often overlooked, but in reality, it plays a crucial role in keeping your practice alive and thriving. Investing in a dental marketing strategy will ensure that you generate qualified leads so you can expand your business. Our affiliate Houston marketing agency, INFINI Marketing, is a Houston-based marketing company that offers dental marketing services, including dental website design, local SEO, digital advertising, and more.

Send Surveys After Every Patient Visit

Like with any business, customers/patients appreciate knowing that their opinion is valued because it means you care about catering to their needs as best as you possibly can. This is also a positive for business owners who can use this information to better their business. With that said, don’t send out surveys simply because you can. If you are going to send out surveys, be sure to take the time to read your feedback and apply it.

Optimize Appointment Duration With OrthoPhoto

If you’re an orthodontist, or a general/cosmetic dentist that offers dental braces treatment, then you will see those patients more frequently. Because of this, you should make the most out of their time during each appointment. OrthoPhoto is one of the many dental apps available, but it is specifically designed for orthodontists and dentists that offer braces. 

Rather than spending excessive time after-hours sorting through braces progress images, OrthoPhoto enables dentists and orthodontists to capture photos of their patients’ smiles through the course of their dental brace treatments right on their smartphone. Then, the app automatically places the photos into a predetermined template that will be uploaded to designated patient files. Not only does this save dentists and orthodontists time by streamlining the dental recordkeeping process, but it also makes patient visits shorter and more pleasant. 

Download OrthoPhoto for Android and for iOS and enjoy improving the quality of your life while also reaping the benefits of additional patients!