In a competitive field of orthodontics it is imperative to develop a proper marketing strategy to succeed financially. After all, we are all in this to make some cash, not to waste our precious time on tracing cephs, bending wires and understanding all those boring research papers, right?

Being the number-one marketing guru in orthodontics, I’d like to give 10 powerful tips and tricks to my devoted followers. Please read them at least three times, then highlight the ones you find the most important and next implement this new knowledge into your practice. If done correctly and with enthusiasm, these great life-changing hints will bring you not just thousands, but millions of dollars. 

1. Non-extraction

Advertise yourself as a 100% non-extraction orthodontist. This is a very lucrative statement. No one wants to take their teeth out, so give your customers what they truly want! Of course, this way you will be constantly ruining the periodontium but this is only a plus: make a referral arrangement with a periodontist and create an additional cashflow. Moreover, no need to waste time on studying complicated biomechanics. Absolute win-win! 

2. Superior appliances

Stick to one brand/type of brackets and claim it is the best on the market. Invent some fictional properties of these brackets: state that they work 2 times faster than conventional, cause no discomfort, or even cure bed-wetting. And yes, always use a word “conventional” then talking about others but use ecstatic epithets while talking about yourself.

3. Ecstatic language

Always use such words as awesome, gorgeous, great, tremendous, life-changing, etc. This to show your patients you have a heart of gold. Example: Look how great your gorgeous teeth look after our life-changing non-extraction treatment! Now you have to see an incredible periodontist. Have an awesome day!

4. Confusing titles

Use confusing abbreviations. This will add some charm to your persona and help you to stand out from the crowd. Everyone is bored with mundane DMDs, PhDs. Use something innovate and meaningless: MICCMO, AIAOMT, FIAPA, etc. (Don’t use ‘etc’ as a title, you can be found out!)

5. X-rays to worry moms

X-rays are the greatest tool to cause axienty and confusion! Scan every child indiscriminately from the age of four and then state to the parents the kid needs treatment. Advocate your claims by pointing on the permanent dental follicles and saying there is no room for them. The earlier you take the x-ray the more frightening the permanent follicles will look in the kid’s jaws.

6. Become friends with airways

Breathing is a huge trend today. Tell the parents that without an orthodontic expander the child will inevitably develop a serious breathing issue. Use a term “mouth breather”, it sells really well: “Have you ever seen Johnny with his mouth open? He is a mouth breather! Needs an expander urgently!”

7. Become a disciple

Become an adept of some school of thought. There is a plethora of ever-emerging pseudo-scientific movements in orthodontics. Just pick one and worship the leader. It helps to solve many troubles: next time the parent asks you what was the benefit of a first phase treatment if the child still needs a comprehensive second phase, just answer: I am a disciple of mr. X, it is just the way we do things.

8. Myofunctional exercises

Oblige patients to do myofunctional exercises. No one does them, so it is a great way to protect yourself in case of a poor result. The patient’s teeth stuck out of the mouth and no occlusion at all? C’mon! It wasn’t you who did’t do the exercises!

9. Be above others

Advertise yourself as an expert in a particular area and claim to be the number one in it. As you have probably spotted, the number-one position in orthodontic marketing is taken already, so be creative and make up something for yourself.

10. Just do it

Now you are loaded with invaluable new knowledge. We have come to the last and the most important step – go and put the knowledge into practice! Start with social media: regularly post some of the claims above to your social media accounts: use Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Thousands of practitioners are doing this already! What are your waiting for?! Join the army of charlatans now!

Please note: it is a tongue-in-cheek blog post to illustrate the most notorious modern-day trends in orthodontic marketing. The author doesn’t think it is good to delude the patients and is a big believer in evidence-based orthodontics.