By Roger P. Levin, DDS

Orthodontics is under competitive pressures unlike anything we’ve seen in the past. Emerging trends are making it more challenging for orthodontic practice production and practices that don’t understand these trends will fall victim to them.

Emerging Trends
The rise of the following emerging trends is rapidly affecting orthodontic practice production:

• DSOs or corporate dentistry
• Aligner dentistry
• Direct-to-consumer orthodontic care
• Patients shopping for orthodontic services
• More orthodontists

Topics: orthodontic trends, Marketing, Referrals, orthodontics, Roger Levin, referral marketing, practice production

By Rachel Gildersleeve

No one would argue that having a professional and proficient staff is key to the success of an orthodontic office. What is also important, is having
reliable computers.
Unless an office is proactive about their computers and already have an upgrade schedule in place, it’s easy for them to get overlooked. The older the machine is, the less reliable it is, and the more likely something can go wrong. Especially without regular maintenance. This almost always leads to frustrating situations. Soon it seems like nothing in the office is working, computers are constantly going down, and the whole office is running unbearably slow. One of the most frustrating situations for staff members is having an impatient parent standing in front of them waiting to schedule or make a payment and their computer freezes.

Topics: technology, Ortho2, orthodontics, viewpoint, practice management software, edge cloud, equipment needs, computer

By Roger P. Levin, DDS

When I lecture to orthodontic teams throughout the country, I often hear them express frustration about the fact that more referring doctors are doing their own orthodontic treatment. Understandably, this frustration can cause them to abandon focusing on general dentists as referrals sources. Why court the very people that you’re in competition with? However orthodontists must think of their referral marketing efforts in this way: The more things change, the more they stay the same. While it’s true that general dentists are increasing the amount of orthodontics that they provide, most orthodontic treatment is still supplied by orthodontic practices and referrals from general dentists are still very strong. So turning away from general dentists can be detrimental to maintaining a high-level of practice revenue.

Topics: orthodontic trends, Marketing, Referrals, orthodontics, Roger Levin, referral marketing

By Mary Kay Miller

No matter what industry you are in, if you own a business, marketing online is essential to your success. With an average of 475,000 new businesses opening in the United States each month, it is more important now than ever to make sure your orthodontic practice stands out both online and offline. Many orthodontic teams still fail to see the relevance of investing in their online marketing, especially if they consider themselves a patient referral practice. This couldn’t be further from the truth!

In today’s digital marketplace, the first form of contact with any business is no longer the new patient phone call but the Internet. Consumers google your name and begin researching what pops up. Even if they hear your name from friends or family, the Internet is where they find your contact information and more.

Are you proactively delivering your marketing message exactly the way you want it delivered, or leaving it to chance?

Topics: technology, orthodontic trends, Marketing, orthodontics, Mary Kay Miller, google, online reviews, local search, local business, brand identity, analytics

By Roger P. Levin, DDS

“It’s not whether you win, but how you play the game.”

This is a nice sentiment that we’ve all heard about sports but it doesn’t apply to orthodontics, especially when it comes to your practice’s future. In an excellent business book entitled Playing To Win: How Strategy Really Works, a simple method for evaluating the future is boiled down to one brilliant concept: Where will you play and how will you win?

Topics: technology, orthodontic trends, Marketing, orthodontics, Roger Levin, Social Media, referral rewards, focus areas

The 2019 AAO annual meeting is just days away, and we’re so excited to see everyone in Los Angeles! We hope that you’ll stop by booth 2225 to see the latest innovations we’ve been working hard on. We have some pretty amazing features in the works that will help your practice run more efficiently. While you are at the show, you will not only get to see these features in action, but you’ll also be able to take advantage of our special pricing. Here’s a rundown of what you can look forward to seeing at the Ortho2 booth!

Topics: orthodontic practice management, Ortho2, orthodontics, viewpoint, cloud, AAO, Edge, Edge Specialist, edge cloud, Financial Slider, AAO 2019, Edge Proposal, Online Scheduling, Edge Assistant, Amazon Alexa integration

This year’s Users Group Meeting party was Heroes vs. Villains, and I feel like it couldn’t have been more fitting for the occasion. This theme translated across the entire event by encouraging YOU to become your own office hero. As your choice of practice management software, we work hard to ensure you have the tools you need to keep your practice running smoothly. However, the day-to-day operations, challenges, and success of your practice rest on your shoulders.

Topics: orthodontic education, Ortho2, orthodontics, Social Media, UGM, users group meeting, networking, team building