Aside from unfounded fears of pain, dental patients don’t often go to the dentist because they fear the thought of co-payments and insurance coverages. Many health insurance policies don’t cover oral health diseases. You need another insurance for dental coverages alone. This is where dental marketing strategies can play a big role. The right one will encourage patients to seek treatment early. Early detection is the wisest tool to prevent these problems from getting worse in the future.
Just look at the numbers. From 2000 to 2008, hospitalizations for dental abscesses increased by 41% nationwide. In contrast, the US population only rose by 8%. This dental procedure costs more than the amount of time that Americans spend reproducing. Over that same period, the average price of root abscess treatment rose by 36%. In California, dental emergencies per 100,000 patients increased by 50% from 2005 to 2011.
The rising cost of dental products and services should wake people up that dental problems are not something that they can set aside. Early detection is the only way to find a treatment that will not cost an arm and a leg. By taking care of your oral health, you would prevent many oral-health-related diseases that cost thousands of dollars to treat.
Here is where dental marketing strategies play a very specific role. Dentists should take time to eliminate some of the most common misgivings and misconceptions that patients have about dental procedures. The number one reason why patients don’t want to seek immediate treatment for their problems is the thought of sitting on that dental chair. Their memories of the way their childhood dentist pulled on their morals are still deeply ingrained in their minds. It’s time to salvage the dental industry’s reputation from these horrible mental images.
You need to put a concerted effort to publish blogs, images, and videos about the various dental procedures that you offer. You should produce videos, create graphs and animations, and interview experts on why dental misconceptions should stop. These will help clear out the misgivings that people have when it comes to seeking treatment for their dental issues.
The cost of dental treatments should not only be the reason why patients should seek treatment. When left untreated, gum diseases can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and other health risks. This will further increase your healthcare woes. So the next time you feel something’s uncomfortable in your teeth or gums, book an appointment with your dentist and prevent further problems through the early detection of your dental issues.