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Celebrating National Orthodontic Health Month

If there ever was a perfect opportunity to promote your orthodontic practice and draw in more business, it’s National Orthodontic Health Month. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) has declared the month of October a time to focus on raising awareness of the importance of orthodontic health. As an orthodontist trying to grow your business, this month should be treated like your very own Black Friday. There are plenty of ways to get creative during the month of October to celebrate Orthodontic Health Month and bring in new patients. 

Distribute healthy Halloween treats

Given that National Orthodontic Health Month is in October, it’s the perfect opportunity to help promote how patients can wear braces while enjoying special treats. You can provide educational materials on treats to enjoy and avoid to promote dental wellness. One idea is to print out a small guide on cardstock, branded with your company name, that says, “Treat your smile well this Halloween.” On the sheet, include “Treats to avoid,” which include caramels, sticky candy, popcorn, nuts, and gum. Also include, “Treats to enjoy,” which include soft cookies, marshmallows, chocolate, and peanut butter cups. Include the printout in a treat bag that includes a toothbrush, orthodontic flossers for braces, and toothpaste. Slip in a few fun treats, such as sugar-free candy and fruit cups. You can also include non-food treats, such as stickers, pencils, and bookmarks. 

Provide Halloween recipes that promote dental health

Halloween is a great time of year for making fun and delicious treats. Unfortunately, many of these treats are often filled with sugar and aren’t friendly for dental health. However, you can promote National Orthodontic Health Month and dental health for your patients by providing healthy Halloween recipes. Here are a few fun options:

  1.  Vampire Apple Bites: A study published in the National Library of Medicine shows that apples can reduce salivary bacteria, similar to the benefits that occur when you brush your teeth. Therefore, providing patients with recipes using apples can be a great way to promote overall dental health. A simple, but fun, Halloween apple recipe is vampire smiles. To make them, slice an apple in quarter slices. Spread peanut butter over one slice, add marshmallows on top to look like teeth, and top with another quarter slice. Voila! You have a healthy apple peanut butter sandwich that looks like a vampire smile. 
  1.  Jack-o-Lantern Peppers: Peppers are filled with Vitamin A, which protects your bones and teeth, as well as potassium, folic acid, and fiber. To make a jack-o-lantern pepper, cut triangles into a sweet pepper to make a jack-o-lantern’s eyes, nose, and a mouth. Stuff the sweet pepper with hummus for a fun-shaped dip container.
  1.  Orange Pumpkins: The vitamin C in the orange promotes good gum health. For a super simple, and healthy, snack, peel oranges and stick a green piece of celery in the middle for a stem.

Use Contests and Giveaways to Get People Excited

Giving away free exams is certainly one way to draw people in, but it may not get everyone’s attention, especially if they don’t particularly enjoy going to the orthodontist’s office. However, everyone loves the idea of free stuff. You can promote different contests and offer small prizes to the winner, such as free movie tickets, gift cards, or toys. For the kids, invite first and second graders (for early orthodontic awareness) to participate in a coloring contest. You can even find coloring pages from AAO on their website. Another contest idea is to have people submit essays on the most important reasons to get orthodontic treatment, post the winner on social media, and offer prizes. 

Adding onto the earlier idea of Halloween recipes, have patients submit their own healthy Halloween recipes. Patients can have fun coming up with ideas, and it’s a great way to get them involved while also promoting healthy habits.

Share before and after photos 

Our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text, so a great way to communicate the benefits of healthy teeth without saying a word is sharing before-and-after photos. Feature your patients who had different types of orthodontic treatment, including traditional silver braces, Invisalign, and ceramic braces.

Offer Free Exams if You Don’t Already

It may seem a little costly to open up a month-long window of free exams, but it can pay off in a big way in the long run. If you are able to use effective orthodontic sales techniques with patients in the exam room, you can end up seeing a long-term spike in regular clients. The practice itself of offering free exams also falls in line with the goal of Orthodontic Health Month, which is to get people thinking about steps they can take to improve their smile and overall oral health. 

Boost Your Blog Posts Frequency

If you don’t already have a blog for your orthodontic website, this month is the perfect time to start one. If you already have one, take advantage of this month to publish engaging content focused on raising awareness of orthodontic health, such as myths about braces, the latest and best treatments, and lesser-known topics such as early orthodontics. These sorts of posts also provide useful information about orthodontics and get people interested in pursuing orthodontic treatment. Be sure to use effective SEO practices such as integrating relevant keywords and implementing link-building strategies. 

School Presentations

Schools love having guest speakers come in to speak on important topics. Get in contact with administrators from your local school district to see if you or a couple staff members from your office can appear at local schools to give presentations on the importance of orthodontic health. Make the presentation exciting and something the kids can relate to, so they will tell their parents about it when they get home. It doesn’t have to be a big assembly, you can be a guest speaker in relevant classes, such as health class. 

For each of these strategies, you should be using effective advertising strategies to get the word out about your promotions for National Orthodontic Health Month. Social media is an essential platform for sharing information about giveaways, discounts, and contests. It’s also a good place to promote new blog posts. Your website’s landing page should also include information about your promotions during the month of October. And don’t forget about the in-person experience at the office either. You can put up signs and special decorations informing your patients about all the exciting things happening during National Orthodontic Health Month. 

This is your month, so make the most of it!

For more information on promoting National Orthodontic Health Month or other inexpensive marketing tactics, contact Ortho Sales Engine today.