By Roger P. Levin, DDS

In the last few years, we are seeing a new syndrome, a course of action (or some may say inaction) that is usually a serious marketing mistake. I call this syndrome “single focus marketing”. Single focus marketing means that the orthodontic practice focuses on one marketing area and not much else. Examples of this mistake in marketing include focusing only on internal patient marketing, relying only on a strong social media program to bring in new patients, hoping only that referring doctors will continue to refer or increase referrals, or concentrating only on advertising or community relationships.

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

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.