If you’re seeking to get more referrals for your dental practice, targeting the younger sector will not only boost your business, but will bring dental health awareness to entire families.

A Canadian Institute for Health Information report records that each year 19,000 day surgery procedures to treat cavities are performed on children under the age of 6. In children ages 6-11, over 23 percent have at least one cavity, missing, or filled tooth. In adolescents 12-17, the statistic soars to over 58 percent.

Here are a few tips on how to bring some of that business into your practice.

Focus on Kids

  • Reserve one day weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly for kids only.
  • Advertise in papers and pamphlets, on social media, post in local businesses.
  • Plan to have employees dress like clowns, super heroes, or cartoon characters.
  • Create a party atmosphere. Decorate with balloons, streamers, posters, toys, and designed sets.
  • Have games with a dental theme and give prizes such as a small trinket with a discount for future procedure attached.
  • Perform demonstrations on proper brushing, flossing, and healthy eating habits.
  • Demonstrate different routine practices such as x-rays, cleaning, drilling, and filling. Fear is in the unknown. If children know what to expect, they will face it more willingly.
  • Conduct a ‘braces clinic’ showing what braces do, why they are necessary, what to expect, and how to care for them.
  • Give away toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, and educational pamphlets geared towards children.
  • Offer free exams to first-time customers.
  • Educate parents on the necessity for good oral hygiene practices and dental care.

 

Children gravitate towards group activity and competition. The saying ‘there is strength in numbers’ applies. When kids see other kids receiving dental care, they will want it also and not be afraid.

Integrating these ideas into your practice will make every child in the area want to be at your practice on kids day. News will travel quickly via word-of-mouth by excited parents. Excited parents who seek your practice for their children will incorporate care for themselves.

Making a dentist visit fun early on will ensure that children will continue to seek dental care throughout their lifetime.

For more ideas on growing your business or expanding or renovating your space, contact us.