Understanding How Social Media Shapes Oral Health: Study on Women in Public Housing

Using a meticulous analysis of the gathered data, the team devised network-level metrics for each participant, which captured the specific attributes of their social network. To establish connections between these network metrics and aspects such as self-reported oral health, overall health, recent dental service utilization, and existing dental treatment needs, the study employed logistic regression models. These models compared individual-level factors with network-level variables, utilizing the McFadden R2 measure for a comprehensive evaluation.

The findings revealed a substantial improvement in the model’s accuracy when incorporating network-level factors, uncovering strong and independent correlations with the targeted outcomes. For instance, a higher proportion of the social network showing dental treatment requirements was directly associated with an increased likelihood of individuals reporting their current dental treatment needs. Additionally, individuals with a greater number of social connections who had recently undergone dental visits were notably less likely to report not having visited a dentist in the past year.

In conclusion, the study emphasized that the significance of specific network attributes varied based on the particular outcome being studied. This underscores the importance of interventions aiming to enhance oral health within similar population groups, emphasizing the need to consider insights from social networks. This approach could involve tailoring intervention strategies and messages to account for the potential influence of social networks on health behaviors and their resulting outcomes.

The study, “Modeling social network influences on oral health outcomes among women living in public housing,” was published July 2023 in JDR Clinical & Translational Research.

FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: Merakist on Unsplash.

Social Media: One of Your Greatest Clinic Tools

If you’re running a dental clinic, social media should be one of your greatest tools. Why? Because social media allows you to connect with potential and current patients in a way that is informal, immediate, and interactive.

The first step is to create social media accounts for your clinic on the platforms that your target audience is using the most. Once you have your accounts set up, you can start posting content that will interest and engage your patients.

This can include anything from articles about dental health to special offers and promotions.

Content to Post

When you’re creating content for social media, it’s important to keep in mind that social media is all about interaction. So, in addition to posting interesting and informative articles, make sure to leave room for comments and questions from your patients. Here are some ideas for content to post on social media:

• Articles about dental health
• Special offers and promotions
• Tips for taking care of teeth
• Q&As with the dentist
• Pictures and videos of the clinic
• Patient testimonials

Engage With Your Patients

Social media isn’t a one-way street. In order to really take advantage of all that social media has to offer, you need to be prepared to engage with your patients. This means responding to comments and questions in a timely manner, and social media is the perfect platform for providing quick and easy customer service.

Another great way to engage with your patients is to run social media contests or giveaways. These are always popular and can be used to promote new products or services, or to simply thank your patients for their loyalty.

Utilize Videos

Videos are a great way to connect with your patients and promote your clinic. They can be used to introduce new staff members, showcase new products or services, or simply give patients a tour of the clinic. You can post videos on social media, or even create a YouTube channel for your clinic.

One of the most popular social media platforms right now is Tiktok, an app that focuses on short-form videos. Tiktok is perfect for dental clinics because it’s a fun and easy way to showcase the personality of your clinic.

Share Common Procedures

Most people are familiar with the basics of dental care, but there are still many procedures that patients don’t know about. Use social media to educate your patients about the different services that you offer. You can even share before-and-after photos or videos to give them a better idea of what to expect.

Get Started Today

Social media is a great way to connect with your patients and promote your dental clinic. Get started today by creating social media accounts for your clinic, and start posting interesting and engaging content. Remember to leave room for comments and questions from your patients, and don’t forget to utilize videos! With social media, you can reach a wide audience of potential and current patients.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Shane Porter of Premier Dentistry of Eagle is an Idaho native and has over fifteen years of dental experience. Dr. Porter has skillfully performed thousands of surgeries. Graduating at the top of his class at Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry, he earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree while amassing many academic and clinical awards.

Additionally, he served as an officer in the United States Army Dental Corps where he completed a two-year advanced surgical education and general dentistry residency. Dr. Porter is board certified by the American Board of General Dentistry, a distinction earned by only 1% of all dentists in America. He has also earned his Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry.

FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: Pixabay.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

It is no secret that social media has taken over the world.

In fact, there are over three billion active social media users worldwide. That is a lot of potential patients that you could be reaching out to. When used correctly, social media can be an extremely powerful marketing tool. If you’re not active on social media, then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to attract new patients.

5 BENEFITS OF UTILIZING SOCIAL MEDIA TO ATTRACT PATIENTS

Social media has many benefits to a dental clinic as a whole. Today, we’re discussing 5 benefits of utilizing social media to attract new patients.

1. REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE 

One of the biggest benefits of social media is that it gives you the ability to reach a wider audience. With over three billion active social media users, there is a good chance that some of your potential patients are using social media. By being active on social media, you can reach out to these individuals and let them know about your dental practice.

Reaching a wider audience is essential to attracting new patients. If you’re not active on social media, you’re missing out on the opportunity to reach a large number of potential patients.

2. SHOWCASE YOUR EXPERTISE 

Another benefit of utilizing social media to attract patients is that it allows you to showcase your expertise. When potential patients are looking for a new dentist, they want to find someone who is an expert in the field. By being active on social media, you can show off your knowledge and expertise to potential patients.

You can also use social media to blog about dental topics, share industry news, and post helpful tips. By doing this, you will be able to show potential patients that you are an expert in the field of dentistry.

Being able to showcase your expertise is a great way to attract new patients. If you can show potential patients that you are an expert in the field, they are more likely to choose your dental practice.

3. BUILD TRUST AND CREDIBILITY

Another benefit of social media is that it can help you build trust and credibility with potential patients. When people are looking for a new dentist, they want to find someone who they can trust. By being active on social media, you can show potential patients that you are a credible source of information. You can do this by sharing helpful content, engaging with your followers, and responding to comments and questions.

Building trust and credibility is essential to attracting new patients. If potential patients don’t trust you, they are less likely to choose your dental practice.

Social media is a great way to build trust and credibility with potential patients.

4. INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS 

Another benefit of social media is that it can help you increase brand awareness. Brand awareness is the ability of potential patients to recognize and remember your dental practice. When people are looking for a new dentist, they are more likely to choose one that they have heard of before. By being active on social media, you can increase the chances that potential patients have heard of your dental practice.

You can increase brand awareness by sharing helpful and relevant content, using hashtags, and tagging other users in your posts.

Increasing brand awareness is a great way to attract new patients. The more people that have heard of your dental practice, the more likely they are to choose it when they are looking for a new dentist.

5. GENERATE LEADS

Finally, social media can be a great way to generate leads. A lead is a potential patient that has expressed interest in your dental practice. You can generate leads by running social media ads, sharing special offers, and providing a call to action in your posts.

Generating leads is essential to attracting new patients. The more leads you have, the more potential patients you will be able to attract.

ARE YOU ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA YET?

Utilizing social media is a great way to attract new patients. If you’re not active on social media, you’re missing out on the opportunity to reach a large number of potential patients. So what are you waiting for? Start using social media to attract new patients today!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dentist Dr. Kevin Varley received his Bachelor’s Degree from Colorado State University and his Doctor of Dentistry degree from the University of Colorado School of Dentistry.

Establishing Stonebrook Family Dental in Aurora, Colorado, Dr. Varley has always been committed to using state-of-the-art methods for patient care and prides himself on providing access to care when patients need it the most.

FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

Anything celebrating a quarter century tells me it probably isn’t a fad, no matter how much you might not be a fan of the concept. 

Yes, I know many of you hate using social media to promote your dental practice, because you guys tell me All. The. Time.

Sure, there are plenty of dentists who love social media and how it lets them engage with their audience in real time, or even just use it to connect on a personal level with friends, but there are just as many dentists who feel like it’s a giant time-suck and a serious distraction for their team. Still, just like eating your broccoli or joining a gym, it’s good for you. 

YES, YOU NEED SOCIAL MEDIA.

HERE’S WHY:

Dental social media has the unique ability to change people’s minds. Simply by pulling back the curtain on the people and environment in which you care for your patients, you can change the perception of your dental practice from something potentially scary and intimidating, into an environment filled with patients and team members who can’t stop smiling, all because people feel they know you on a personal level.

To truly appreciate why social media is important to your dental marketing plans, you must first understand its true purpose. While it can be used to generate new patients, its primary intention is to help establish and cultivate your dental brand.

When I say “dental brand,” did your mind immediately go to your logo?

Sure, that’s part of your branding strategy, but real branding comes from modifying the public’s perception of who you are.

Every time someone hears your practice name, they are immediately influenced by the friends who have spoken of you (positively or negatively), the reviews they may have read online, and especially by the engagement they may have experienced on social media.

Social media allows you to directly influence the optics of your practice. Well crafted messaging may showcase you as open, funny, engaging, serious, or even mischievous.

THIS is how you communicate your true brand. Your logo is simply a graphic representation of what that brand personality truly is.

Now that we agree on what social media marketing for dental practices is meant to do, let’s break down the biggest objections I hear, and see if I can change your mind. 

THERE’S A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM EVERY WEEK.

DO I HAVE TO POST ON ALL OF THEM?

Well, there might not be a new one every week, though it can certainly feel that way. With 17 social media platforms boasting at least 300 million users worldwide, it can feel difficult to focus on just a select few. 

The secret to choosing your preferred social platforms lies in understanding who your audience is.

TikTok might be crazy popular right now, but that does not mean it’s where you want to invest your time – unless that’s where your audience is. If you are seeking older adults with restorative needs, head to Facebook.

If you want to attract 30-40 year old professionals who care about their appearance, Instagram is your jam. If you offer complex full mouth makeovers, you can bet your audience is doing their homework, and will probably be exploring explainer videos on YouTube.

Know your audience, and match it to each platform’s demographics for the greatest reach.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS FOR ATTENTION SEEKERS. 

I’M JUST NOT THAT PERSON.

Look, I get it. It’s hard to act like a social butterfly when you’re more of a social recluse. However, your patients are addicted to their social media feeds, and they genuinely want a peek behind the curtain to see what’s going on in your practice.

You are the face of your brand.

That does not, however, mean that you have to create and upload every post. 

I recommend tapping the extroverts in your practice to manage your social media. These charmers think nothing of asking a patient to participate in a fun selfie, or to record a lip sync video.

Every few posts, you should be featured as the face of the practice so that prospective patients can see who you are and what you might be like in person. Keep in mind, you do not have to change your personality. Be who you are. Just let the rest of the world in.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS A HUGE DISTRACTION FOR MY TEAM.

If you’re concerned that your team already spends too much time on their phone instead of with patients, your issue should not be with your social media presence, but with yourself as a leader who allows it to happen.

By choosing one or two dedicated social media ambassadors in your practice, and by providing clear guidelines about when and how engagement is allowed, you should not experience an increase in phone addicted zombies, shuffling head down towards a treatment room with a patient in tow. 

What’s important to remember is that social media isn’t going away. Twenty-five years of growth have proved that.

Whether you agree with the concept or not, your patients spend nearly three hours a day just perusing their social media accounts as a sort of “news feed” (apologies to fans of proper journalism, I know it doesn’t compare).

The question is, do you want to be in the news and influencing the conversation, or would you just rather pout about having to take a selfie or two? Join in, you just might like it after all. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Xaña Winans is the CEO and founder of Golden Proportions Marketing, a dental marketing company dedicated to the growth of dental practices throughout North America. Founded in 2001, her agency provides strategy driven, full service solutions including branding, internal marketing, advertising and digital marketing.

Goal driven results are at the heart of everything she creates.

Her passion for constant and never ending improvement led her to develop Smart Market Dental, the first dental marketing software designed to tie individual marketing strategies to resulting patients.

The ability to measure marketing ROI in real time holds her agency to a higher standard, driving continuous improvement of their work.

Xaña is a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants and lectures nationally on the topic of dental marketing.

She publishes regularly in Dentistry Today and Dental Economics, and is a frequent guest on industry podcasts.

FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: Mohamed Hassan form PxHere.

Today, dentists are faced with a unique challenge: we need to stay active on social media if we want to increase our business. In the past, dentists were able to rely on word of mouth and advertising in the Yellow Pages to bring in new patients. However, those days are gone. Nowadays, dentists have to do more than just advertise; they also need a strong social media presence.

Read on for more about dental advertising and how it can improve your practice.

Without a doubt, the success of any dental practice is determined by the quality of work and the services provided. However, it becomes impossible to reach your target audience without an ideal marketing strategy, which hurts your business’ bottom line. Dental advertising is the key.

When it comes to marketing a dental practice, there are different methods you can use to influence the impression people have about your practice. To enjoy success, you need to pick the right marketing strategies to generate interest in your practice and attract clients.

Here are timely dental advertising ideas you can use for your practice.

Post Jokes On Social Media

Social media is one of the best places to build brand awareness and reach a large percentage of your target audience. Social media can be a powerful marketing tool for any dental practice. You can communicate with your clients on social media round the clock while still participating in online discussions in your niche.

Facebook is one of the most effective social media platforms for marketing. This is where your ideal client base can be found. While dentistry is somewhat a serious profession, social media allows you to bring out the fun side of your business through engaging posts and funny ads. People relate more to humor. Creating viral content ensures that your posts are seen by as many people as possible on social media.

Use Direct Mail Ads

Direct mail is still one of the most effective ways to reach a target audience in dental advertising. In dentistry, every recipient is a potential client. With direct mail, you can reach thousands of potential clients and create awareness about your clinic.

You can use direct mail to show off your practice competitiveness and highlight your price points. According to research, a dental practice received 7 new patients and 35 phone calls from sending out 5000 postcards.

Promote Your Webpage

Having a dental practice website is an integral part of your business marketing strategy. The website homepage plays the same role as your offsite storefront. It gives your visitors an idea of what your business is about and determines whether they want to engage with your business. You need to ensure that your web pages are highly responsive on different devices and have a quick loading time.

Having a functional website is not enough. You also need to ensure people know about it. There are different ways of creating website awareness and boosting visits.

In email marketing, you need to ensure that you always link to your web pages in your call to action. You need to ensure you always have fresh content on the site to encourage your email recipients to visit the site. When you include a link to a page on your site, ensure it works as a landing page.

Search Engine Optimization is also an ideal way of promoting your website. You can promote your site through the use of on-page SEO techniques like using relevant keywords, increasing quality links to your website, and ensuring you have a flow of quality and authoritative content at all times. Working on your website SEO will ensure that your dental practice website ranks highly in search results, making it visible to anyone in need of dental services in your region. Keyword research tools like ahrefs can go a long way in helping you find the best ranking and most relevant keyword for your niche.

You can try optimizing your website for relevant keywords such as ‘dentist’ or ‘dental office’ followed by your city or town name to make it tailored to your region. Local SEO puts your dentist business closer to people with the highest chance of becoming your patients.

Show Your Results

In the field of dentistry and dental advertising, one of the most powerful marketing tools you can use is before and after pictures. Your target audience is usually people who are hopeless about the state of their teeth. Through a persuasive ad that shows before and after pictures, you give your audience hope that change is possible. This increases their chance of trusting your team to give them a reason to smile again.

Before and after photos are striking examples of real-life stories that may be what a prospective client needs to see. Showing results from your services can be reassuring for people with colored teeth, crooked teeth, and any other tooth defects that affect their self-esteem.

A before and after display also works as a portfolio for your work. It is the best way to show potential patients that you are the right practice for the job. Make a habit of taking pictures of your clients before and after, especially procedures that deliver drastic results. This shows potential clients how transformative your practice can be in their lives.

Be Creative and Funny 

One of the easiest ways to reach the hearts of consumers is by creatively delivering fun. Whenever people think about going to the dentist, they see it as a terrifying experience. Finding a comical way to ease their worry and erase their fear can be one of the best ways to make your dental practice stand out.

Using funny ads and memes related to dentistry is a creative way of delivering useful advice while remaining humorous enough to grasp your audience’s attention. Humor helps to break any fear or preconceived notions about dental procedures, which improves the likelihood of converting your audience.

Entertaining and funny content can also be an ideal way of getting free marketing. Anyone who finds your dental ads funny is likely to share them with their followers, friends, and family. While the reader will laugh at first, the message in the funny ad is likely to remain with them, making it likely that they will follow the advice in the ad.

Use Video Content As Part of Your Marketing Strategy

Video content is one of the easiest ways to connect with an audience. more than 55% of social media users spend their time watching videos, with millions of users accessing YouTube every day.

For a dental practice, some of the video content you should focus on include:

• Introductory/welcome videos to introduce prospective patients to your dentistry.
• Profile videos showcasing your chief dentist, surgeon, and other staff members. Ensure you include training, expertise, and background information. This is an ideal way of instilling trust and confidence in your practice.
• Testimonials and reviews videos are important since people want to see what your patients have to say about your services.
• Dental procedure and treatment overview videos, especially for before and after services, give viewers an idea of the results to expect for different procedures.
• Educational videos can be used to deliver helpful dental health and hygiene information and guidelines. People are more likely to trust your practice if they see you as an authority in your field.

When creating video content for your viewers, you should focus on delivering the content through primary channels such as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Take Advantage of Google Ads Campaigns

Google ads are a powerful marketing tool for any business, including your dental practice. It is an invaluable tool in dental advertising. Through this ad strategy, you can get your dental practice in front of people already looking for your services, increasing your conversion rate.

To ensure your google ad copy gets you the right results, you need to leverage keywords where possible, be specific and honest about your services, speak to a problem or emotion and offer benefits or solutions, and ensure your ad has a call to action.

Include Reviews In Your Ads

Reviews are one of the most innovative ways to attract new clients, especially for a dental practice. Good reviews help Google rank your practice higher in search results, making it easier for potential patients to find you. Ensure you actively encourage your patients to leave reviews.

Displaying reviews as part of your ads helps to build trust and credibility with your target audience.

Brilliant Dental Advertising Examples To Emulate

Grand Street Dental’s crooked fork tines on Instagram

This is a type of visually appealing ad that can be used on different social media platforms. Grand Street Dental used a crooked fork to advertise Invisalign.

Before and after ads

Thailand-based dental practice, Dental Getaways has used this clever before and after ad to attract clients to their practice. The practice recorded gains in client number through this ad, making before and after images some of the most appealing method of advertising a practice.

Dental jokes ads

Dental jokes are some of the most effective ways to engage with clients and create viral content through your social media pages. A Meme-like image like the one below is easy to create and highly shareable.

Hiding teeth ad

This is an ad sample depicting a person hiding their unflattering teeth. It can be used to encourage the reader to visit your dental practice to get their smile back.

Dental floss ad

This is an amusing way of displaying the importance of flossing to your target market, bringing humor to your work. Having these ads on your website and social media pages is a way of leaving a lasting impression on your visitors.

CONCLUSION

Getting your marketing ads campaign right is the first step towards running a successful dental practice. With the information in this article, you are better placed to integrate different ideas like SEO and humor into your marketing mix. Incorporating some of the ideas in this article into your ads marketing strategy can make your dental practice the talk of the town.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lidia S. Hovhan is a Digital Marketing expert and SEO guru. She contributes articles about how to integrate digital marketing strategy with traditional marketing to help business owners to meet their online goals. You can find really professional insights in her writings.

If you are looking to build more efficiency into your dental practice, it’s best to start small. Some small changes can have a surprising impact. You can ensure your patients receive the best healthcare services while supporting your staff and reducing unnecessary work.

Using technology, flow management, and proven management techniques, there are many ways to give your practice a boost. Here are 6 easily accessible and highly effective ways to make your dental practice more efficient right away.

1. Leverage Data and Technology 

There was always the hope of bringing together tech and healthcare. Now that age is upon us, and tech has made massive leaps during the pandemic, as companies rushed to support healthcare practitioners, staff and patients. You can use technology to help your patients, your outreach, and your workflow.

Start by collecting data and storing it safely. Then, you can use that data to help the people who need it most. Use data and technology in your practice: 

• Stay active on social media and use your data to drive marketing. Around 96 billion people are using social media, and there’s no doubt that some of them need support from your practice. 
• Conduct data analysis to better understand your current patients. Evaluate data based on their age, gender, location, and profession. 
• Use data to schedule both your workforce and work flow for peak efficiency. Data on your patient and office needs can help ensure that you always have just the right amount of people on any given shift.

2. Explore E-Health Innovations 

Digital organization methods have replaced most of our pen-and-paper systems, and EHRs provide much-needed relief from the traditional paper chart system. Whether your practice is considering an EHR for the first time or if you’ve used one for years, it’s time to consider innovative and highly-developed EHRs.

A highly-developed EHR should provide:

• Computerized physician order entry, so you can order paperless lab tests and diagnostic work. 
• Clinical Decision Support (CDC) tools such as alerts, forms, guided workflows, and reminders to make your practice efficient without compromising the quality of care.
• Telehealth compatibility and support to capture information from telehealth interactions.

When it comes to E-health, you can expect big changes quickly! Innovations and improvements aren’t on the horizon – they are only days or weeks away. Many EHR advancements roll out quickly, and the COVID-19 pandemic has shown tech creators just how important these features are to both small and large practices.

3. Step Up Your Patient Care

Anything you can do to improve your patient care is certainly worth considering. But, which small actions can boost your patient care while also increasing efficiency? It seems counter-intuitive, but there are ways to improve patient care while also reducing the effort needed from support staff.

AI automation can provide your staff with support for every phase of the patient’s journey, starting from enrollment. Meanwhile, it can also make it easy to receive patient feedback.

If you only focus on the core of the business, the actual healthcare, you’re missing out on many other elements that your business and customers need. How much time does your staff spend sorting through enrollment papers or making calls to boost customer retention? You can reclaim that time and dedicate it to improving patient experiences.

Everything connected to patient care and AI automation comes down to data. The more accurate, clean, and reliable the data, the more you can use smooth AI operations to promote better patient care.

4. Smooth Out Your Patient Flow 

The demands of reporting and patient flow can diminish a patient’s satisfaction even if it feels like you’re doing everything right. An EHR that requires too many entries, or anything that pulls your focus to the keyboard or screen rather than the patient, is a missed opportunity.

How can you start smoothing out your patient flow? Use these tips:

• Optimize your EHR to capture only what you need.
• Reduce wait time-if possible, use a telehealth check-in feature for better waiting room management.
• Build new protocols to simplify and streamline appointments.
• Use mHealth for video chats, SMS check-ins, and to capture concerns and questions from patients.

If your patient can walk in, check-in, see their dentist, and leave quickly, you have an efficient office. But the moment people start to wait, the whole office becomes crowded. Keep your patients flowing by using tech and setting realistic time or booking expectations.

5. Delegate Tasks 

If you want a job done right, do it yourself. But if you want a job done at all, delegate it. Office managers and practice owners often take on tasks that they really shouldn’t. Delegate administrative tasks to team members, or consider bringing in a scribe.

Give some thought to your staff too. You can certainly outsource some processes that take away from their core duties. Don’t let them waste time by juggling too many jobs at once.

As you delegate and find more freedom in your day-to-day work, your staff can too. Empower your workers: encourage swapping shifts if someone needs a morning off, but don’t forget to build in an extra layer of support. Always ensure you have backups, and carefully plan to handle regular workloads and foresee unexpected developments.

Delegating tasks and empowering staff is part of building employer trust. Simplify your team’s schedules, allow them to have some say in their shifts, and allow them to work in the most meaningful way possible.

A well-thought-out delegation will inevitably lead to:

• Increases in actual patient time
• Reductions in time spent managing patient systems and documents
• Enhancing the workflow for all staff
• Cutting down on wait times
• Boosting productivity across the board

6. Make Team Management Your Top Priority 

The best way to build efficiency is to streamline as much as possible. In your workday, how much of your time do you spend with your patients? Your support staff – how much time do they spend doing their core job functions?

Many employers and managers don’t realize the many ways that they’re losing efficiency. It’s not from a giant leak that could sink the Titanic, but instead through many small leaks that no one notices until it’s too late.

Always think proactively, and give careful consideration to what your staff needs. Again, encourage shift swapping to give them some freedom, but also to allow them to prioritize elements within their life. Support them in their core job when handling new guidelines. Finally, rely on tech to set automated reminders for your staff, as well as for your patients.

Your management can lead the team to success and trim down any lost or wasted time. It all begins with you, followed by your team. Show your team how you want the practice to run and what they can do to make that happen.

Improve Your Practice Now

Every manager or owner wants their practice to run efficiently, without compromising patient care. Accomplishing this seems like a tall order, but through many small changes in your daily operations, you can make effective changes quickly.

Remember to embrace technology, especially powerful EHR systems that can dramatically reduce the work your staff dedicate to recording or sorting through information. Then, focus on your patient flow. Automate what you can, schedule accordingly, and delegate with intent. These 6 ways to improve your dental practice can show immediate results!

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Derek Jones spearheads key initiatives at Deputy, a global workforce management platform for employee scheduling, timesheets and communication. With a focus on Healthcare, Derek helps business owners and workforce leaders simplify employment law compliance, keep labor cost in line and build award-winning workplaces. Derek has over 16 years’ experience in delivering data-driven sales and marketing strategies to SaaS companies like MarketSource and Griswold Home Care.

RELATED ARTICLES

3 Key Factors To Improve Case Presentation

3 Ways To Turn New Movers Into New Clients

Six Things You Need to Know About Stress-Related Tooth Injuries Like Cracked Teeth

After delaying one or more cleanings and other dental procedures last year, many people couldn’t wait to get back in the chair to freshen up their smiles and finally complete needed repairs.

Other people, however, still don’t feel comfortable after months of wearing facemasks to open wide and say “ahh” in public. These reluctant patients need more than a reminder that they’re overdue for treatment.

According to JDR Clinical & Translational Research, nearly half of those surveyed in the United States reported delaying going to the dentist due to COVID-19. Specifically, 74.7% reported delaying a checkup, and 12.4% said they delayed treatment for a dental problem that was bothering them. Of those people who had put off a dental visit, 57.7% planned on going within three months.

Now that vaccinations are widely available and most places are at least close to fully reopened and free of restrictions, it feels like the appropriate time to really press anyone who is overdue for treatment to make an appointment. After all, visiting the dentist is in the best interest of their overall health.

So, what options does a dental office have if reminders to make an appointment via text, phone, email, and postcard mailers have not worked?

Recruit the Help of Family

Most families share a common dentist. If one family member hasn’t returned for visits, but others have, try to find out why that might be. Maybe together it will be possible to come up with a solution to alleviate any lingering reluctancies. It could be as simple as offering to give that person the first appointment of the day or an extended-hours appointment so the office is clean and empty.

Get Testimonials

Don’t just tell patients that the office is clean and still following safety protocols. Ask other patients if they would be willing to share anecdotes about their experiences with office visits during the pandemic.

Sharing other people’s stories with patients who have not felt comfortable returning could give them something to relate to and be that extra push that makes them feel like, “Okay. I can do this. A person like me has been to the dentist and did not have an issues, and I can do the same.”

Connect on Social Media

Create a contest that turns your patient’s social media networks into referral tools. Offer patients the chance to win a free treatment or gift card if they post on social media showing off their smile and tag the practice in the post.

If your posts are usually just images and graphics, considering adding in some video. Give people a chance to see inside your practice and check out the latest technology and equipment you’re using and other cool behind-the-scenes footage of staff and the facilities. Make sure that any videos created are polished and well-lit and that the camera is properly positioned.

Video typically has higher engagement rates than photos or graphics, so this could be a valuable investment of time and resources. You may even consider hiring a local teen as a summer social media intern to help out.

Send Handwritten Notes

Most people’s mailboxes are stuffed full of local grocery store newspaper circulars and postcards advertising everything including local solar installers, window cleaners, realtors, restaurants, and more. Most of these mailers go directly from mailbox to bin, without anyone really ever reading them.

The mail that does get sorted out for further perusal is any envelope that looks like a bill and those that are hand addressed and look like they could be a greeting card or invitation. No one wants to be the person who threw out the birthday card from grandma or a high school friend’s wedding save-the-date.

Handwritten envelopes are not reserved just for personal mail, though. Radiance Neal, operations manager and comprehensive care coordinator for the Houston Dentists, said her practice regularly sends handwritten notes to new patients as a means of thanking them for becoming a part of their dental family.

“As our practice has grown, it became difficult to write letters by hand for each new patient. Handwrytten has allowed us the capability to draft custom thank you letters to our patients and still provide that personal, ‘handwritten’ touch,” she said. 

It may not be possible for a busy practice to have an employee spend hours writing cards to potential and current patients, so consider hiring a robot to pick up a pen and do the writing instead. Services like Handwrytten make this possible for just a few dollars per note.

Your Turn

By now, most patients have started going to the dentist for examinations and regular care again. Most is not all, though. It will take creativity, effort, and persistence to succeed with patients who have not yet come in for an appointment, whatever their reason may be.

The payoff of winning over these patients could be beneficial in the long run, as they are likely to appreciate the effort made and be loyal as a result. Their referrals and testimonials will have true heart and value, amplifying the return on getting them back into the office.

Mr. Wachs is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Handwrytten, which is bringing back the lost art of letter writing through scalable, robot-based solutions that write your notes in pen. Developed as a platform, Handwrytten lets you send notes from your CRM system, such as Salesforce, the web site, apps, or through custom integration. Used by major meal boxes, e-commerce giants, nonprofits, and professionals, Handwrytten is changing the way brands and people connect.

Related Articles

How Happy Are Your Patients?

Direct Mail Marketing Helps Maintain Customer Relationships During the Pandemic

How Dentists Can Gain New Patients’ Trust

When I first began writing this article, I intended to elaborate on how to elevate your practice’s “new patient” experience. But then it hit me. It shouldn’t be about the new patient experience. It should be about every patient experience.

Each time I walk into my bank, I see large banners offering a $500 reward for opening and depositing money into a new account. As I’m wondering how I would spend that $500, though, I realize the offer is only for new clients.

Shocked and offended that there doesn’t seem to be any reward for my loyalty, I begin to plan, in my own self-interest, how I can switch to a bank down the road to gain that bank’s $500 of credit.

Here’s how this relates to dentistry. Dentists advertise new patient promotions all the time. Sometimes it’s free exams and X-rays. There also can be free cleanings or whitenings. The list can go on and on, all promoted in mailers, specials, and discounts.

As an existing patient of the advertising dentist, I would be shocked that a random person is getting a free cleaning while a loyal patient of more than 15 years like me gets nothing.

Of course, not all dentists run these specials. But many webinars, consultants, and gurus continue to measure the pulse of a practice by how many new patients are scheduled each month.

Thus, as a sort of payback to the bank that refuses to give me $500 for keeping my money where it has been for more than a decade, I am taking a stand for the existing patient.

Our Reputation in the Community

Many patients have a lot of information sources that shape their opinion about us. This starts before the initial visit and continues later between visits. Google reviews and rankings certainly play a very important role.

But sometimes, the overall impression of our own reputation begins within the community. This is especially evident these days, and your practice may be a subject of discussion on local Facebook mom groups, where certain communities can be very vocal about their relationships with providers.

These comments and posts vary, from our own brand ambassadors’ raving about our services to those unconnected patients who shed an unflattering light on the one and only time they visited our practice.

Our reputation also flows from how people perceive our website, including the ease with which they can find our contact information, as well as how our team answers the phone. The etiquette and demeanor of the people answering our phones play a role in whether or not a patient will choose to make an appointment and if they will follow through with it.

While these factors all affect the impression we leave on potential patients, they also affect how likely our existing patients are to return. When it comes to growing our practices, we’re not only competing with other providers for new patients, but also for our existing patients.

If we continue to come under fire from our competition with fliers, mailers, and discounts, we ought to evaluate what makes our loyal patients stay. So here’s a simple recipe that I’ve been using. If employed with consistency and focus, and with the entire team on board, you will see a steady stream of patients returning.

First, roll out authenticity.

Add a generous dash of a genuine smile.

Stir in two cups of uninterrupted listening and eye contact.

Bake it all together with attentive follow-through.

Authenticity at the Base

Authenticity is the main ingredient in making this formula work. It means being true to who you are and living out your story wholeheartedly. It is the opposite of following a formula invented for the sake of someone else.

It can also mean relating to the patient on a personal level. It is a moment where you meet the patient where they are at, allowing them to do the same with you. Offering a part of yourself will make your patients feel important and relevant, and it will make you relatable and human.

In the past, I’ve attempted to put into motion other people’s advice for success. We’ve all read articles that have said, “I’m successful, and if you do this, you’ll be successful too.” But in my hands and in my body, following that advice felt awkward, plastic, and artificial.

I finally discovered that a prefabricated formula will never feel real. Patients aren’t stupid. They can sense if you’re stretching yourself past what feels comfortable to you. They also will know if you’re pushing their buttons just for the sake of your own success.

But when they see a genuine interest and smile coming from you in conversation, the groundwork begins to be laid down for practice growth and success.

A Genuine Smile

Two things make patients feel welcome and relevant. The first is greeting them when they walk through the front door. The second is a genuine smile.

I like to give my practice concierge no more than 10 seconds to recognize patients as they enter the office and extend the practice’s hospitality. Even if they’re on a phone call with another patient, someone making eye contact and kindly waving to the patient will go a long way.

Also, use the patient’s name as much as possible, from the moment they walk in the door until they check out. To most people, their name is the most important sound in any language. We can certainly use that as a tool in creating a connection. I’m always surprised when someone other than my family calls me by name, and I love it!

Meanwhile, the genuine smile starts as early as the phone call making the appointment. Have you ever “heard” a person smiling or laughing on the other end of the line? It’s quite simple to imagine. It can put the whole conversation on a trajectory worth pursuing.

But an in-person smile is even more powerful. Patients notice the difference between an office full of people with a positive outlook and offices filled with people who are less than enthusiastic about getting their gums poked and their teeth drilled.

When I hire new employees, I look at their personality more than I look at the bullet points on their resume. Life is a winding road, and it’s difficult to teach people to smile. Finding employees who smile naturally will set you apart from other practices.

Beyond the reception room, an exceptional attitude continues to be the backbone of the appointment. But what comes next takes practice and patience, as it brings patients back for follow-up appointments and creates your own brand ambassadors.

Regardless of how many gadgets you have in your office or how much time you carve out for a patient appointment, the strongest factor in creating a long-lasting relationship is the effort you put into building that relationship.

Digital radiographs, CBCT machines, intraoral scanners, lasers, and digital impressions don’t stand a chance against authenticity, a welcoming smile, and human-to-human connection.

Uninterrupted Listening and Eye Contact

My favorite consultants, Dr. Bruce B. Baird and Victoria Peterson, SsD, of Productive Dentist Academy, have drilled this great pointer into me: connect before you correct.

Everyone’s unique ability and mission will create a variation in what they choose to focus on during this time of connection. Some people discuss sports. Others may catch up on the buzz of the neighborhood.

I begin each appointment with a genuinely inquisitive conversation about how that patient is doing that day. I no longer provide lip service. I don’t ask “How are you?” and turn away to load the anesthetic. I listen to their answer, make eye contact, and respond accordingly.

During hygiene appointments, I allow myself a window of at least five minutes (well, more like 15, if you ask my team) to catch up on life. This takes time, but as the conversation ensues, it creates a much needed foundation toward getting to know the patient’s needs and maybe even their wants.

This conversation breaks up the nerve-wracking appointment, which patients sometimes have been dreading for days. It shows a heartfelt interest in the patient’s life and in their dental philosophy. It humanizes the patient, as well as the dentist.

But this conversation also is a game changer because it collects this information in an earnest fashion. You let go of the pressure and time constraints of what’s going on in the other operatories, and you give your patient your full attention with eye contact.

And if you have a genuine laugh during this process of co-discovery, it is an indisputable win for both parties. Your patient will feel like they matter and that they aren’t just a ticket waiting to be cashed in.

Plus, you will set yourself apart from the competition by creating these experiences. This conversation will help you develop a level of trust and construct a bond that’s difficult to penetrate for mailers and Groupon deals for free whitening.

Bake It All Together

The last part of this recipe for success involves attentive follow-through and follow-up. Patients usually appreciate offices that make time to contact them the next day. Some offices resort to having their assistants make these phone calls. But patients tend to be more favorable when the providers themselves reach out.

I handle all of these calls myself and make sure that each one of my patients has my cell phone number in case they have questions, concerns, or arising issues. I also let my patients know that they can share my cell phone number with anyone who may need a dentist or a second opinion or who may be experiencing a dental emergency.

Despite the fact that I have given out my cell phone number to thousands of people, I can count on one hand how many times that privilege has been abused in the past 20 years. In my follow-up calls, I not only check on the patient’s well-being, but I also reconnect with them and refer back to the conversation we had the day before.

“Did you finish the quilt you were making?”

“How was your boss’ retirement party?”

“Did your kid score a goal at the soccer game?”

I hear them smile on the other end of the line, and that carries me through the rest of the day. I’ve made them feel like I have listened, and now they know I actually do care.

Your Turn

I don’t mean to dissuade you from taking in new patients. That would be laughable. But I do simply suggest that if you train your team or move your strategy forward, drop the “new patient” routine and make it an “every patient” routine.

Don’t put on a dog and pony show for new patients and make your existing patients feel left out or less relevant. Your loyal patients who return appointment after appointment to your practice will repay you for creating unforgettable experiences.

Your patients will serve as your brand ambassadors and will be your top internal referrals, helping your practice grow. Their experiences of being treated with a smile, held in by a laugh, and followed up with a call will be the talk of the town.

Dr. Augustyn is a practicing general dentist. She earned a DDS from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2004. She has completed the course sequence with the Dawson Academy’s continuum in oral equilibration and cosmetic dentistry. She participates in at least 50 hours of continuing education each year. Additionally, she is a moderator of Dental Nachos, a Facebook group. Dr. Augustyn also is an avid writer who enjoys listening to nonfiction books, vacations by the water, and spending time in nature. She lives with her husband of 18 years and daughter in a Chicago suburb. She can be reached at maggie.augustyn@gmail.com.

Related Articles

Focus On: Living Authentically in the Field of Dentistry

What to Do When Other Practices Poach Your Dental Assistants

You Don’t Need a Mentor to Have a Great Dental Career

Positive attitudes toward water fluoridation are growing on Twitter, where the number of supporters has grown from zero to 19% in five years, according to the British Fluoridation Society (BFS). However, the BFS said, opposition has remained constant on Facebook.

Researchers compared identical studies analyzing social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook from 2015 and 2021 examining the public’s perception of water fluoridation as expressed on social media. Accounts were divided into supportive, anti, or neutral groups.

The BFS noted that libertarians oppose the addition of fluoride and other chemicals such as chlorine that prevent disease like cholera and typhoid to drinking water supplies. Most healthcare organizations, particularly dental groups, support universal measures designed to improve health, the BFS continued.

BFS member Rebecca Linney launched the 2015 study as part of her dental degree to understand how campaigners were using social media. She said she was fascinated by the subject because she comes from Liverpool, where water is not fluoridated, but studied dentistry in Birmingham, which is fluoridated.

As both a Liverpool resident and practicing dentist, Linney said, she strongly believes that her local water supply should be fluoridated. In March 2021, she repeated the study to test whether there had been a change in perceptions.

According to her study, 19% of Twitter accounts featuring water fluoridation support the public health measure, whereas in 2015 there were no accounts supportive of water fluoridation at all. Also, the study found that:

• Facebook continues to be the platform where there is the most negativity around water fluoridation.
• The number of oppositional water fluoridation pages on Facebook has increased, but the number of oppositional water fluoridation groups has decreased.
• There are more pro-fluoridation events on Facebook.
• There are fewer Twitter accounts that could be described as uncategorized or neutral in relation to water fluoridation.

“I was particularly interested to see that there are more events supporting water fluoridation listed on Facebook, indicative of an upsurge of commitment to promoting water fluoridation,” Linney said.

“I can also see that there is now more support on Twitter thanks to the British Fluoridation Society, Public Health England, the Oral Health Foundation, and many other organizations using their accounts to post informative statements and links,” she said.

“This paper highlights how important it is to continue to communicate clear and scientific statements about water fluoridation. The fact is, unless we keep active on social media, opponents will fill that vacuum,” said BFS chair Barry Cockcroft. “This is a most valuable piece of work.”

The study, “A Comparison of the Public’s Perception of Water Fluoridation Based on Social Media Posts Between June 2015 and March 2021,” was published by the BFS.

Related Articles

OHF Applauds UK Government Plans to Remove Water Fluoridation Barriers

NSW ADA Praises and Condemns Local Water Fluoridation Decisions

WHO Calls for Action on Oral Health During World Health Assembly