Change is a constant. I see it in the time I’ve been active in the implant world since 1995. The procedures and clinical thinking has evolved (AKA changed), protocols and implant design and work flows have changed, and there have been changes on the advertising and sales side of the equation.

What’s Changing?

In advertising, the procedure (full arch implants), there’s been a few minor (and a few major) changes in the wording of the messages that work best. However, even in the digital age, some of the same very best messages that worked for creating implant cases in the 90’s work as well now. This is an example of why testing and critical thinking (a dying skill in the US of A) is a must to not simply move on to what is ‘new and shiny’ when what is old and reliable might still be equal to or (heaven forbid) out-perform whatever is touted as new (and unproven).

Another example, there are some old (classic) messages in old (analog) media that blow the socks off of Facebook advertising even though most marketing companies in dentistry would happily follow the Facebook pied piper off a cliff due to the aforementioned lack of critical thinking.

Other Factors

Patient awareness has also changed somewhat. Most of that change has happened in the last 12 years thanks solely to national TV media buys by ClearChoice Implant Centers. That entity has done more for dental implants than every Academy, Association, and/or Manufacturer all put together.

While the average lay person might know what a dental implant is they know little to nothing about various options past “a tooth” until they see an ad and then either call that practice or start their own research (the research phase in consumer speak) online.

[This research phase is rarely talked about and even more rarely understood by implantologists who are intensely focused on the right now. Research may or may not lead to a state of readiness to make a buying decision. And the research phase can be rapid or extremely extended (as in 5 and even 10 years). Understanding readiness on a timeline of years is just as important as the readiness of a patient who wants to start treatment ASAP. Well, it’s only important if one wants the maximum return on the rolling sum total of advertising dollars spent over a period of years. Think of that concept as a savings account that if tended too, spins off interest (cases). Most practices never even consider how to leverage those dollars spent years ago. ]

While there is a higher level implant awareness, denture awareness remains far higher. Not surprising since ‘false teeth’ have been around since the 1700s; a 300 year head start.

On the media side (where one goes to find these patients), there have been major shifts in how one approaches securing a high volume of cases, Until 2005, TV and Print media reined supreme.

If you wanted 100 arches a year in the 90s and 2000s, you spent on TV and Newsprint and that was that. Google was just an amusement unless you lived in Seattle or Silicon Valley and then the early ads mattered for dentists.

TV has immense power over the repitilian less evolved part of the human brain (the documentation on the science of this is well laid out). It can sell pretty much anything. It can start and stop wars. It elects presidents (Kennedy and Trump wouldn’t have occupied the office without it. Nor Reagan), it stirs the pot and fans the flames of whatever gets the attention.

Modern Advantages

Now, fast forward to now and TV still kills BUT it’s about national media buys where purchasing scale for the airtime is in play. ClearChoice has perfected this move and it drives 30-60 arches per month into their locations. (it also drives cases into OUR member practices – another email’s subject). At the local level, TV can play a big role for cases if and only if you are focusing on a very specific sub-specialty of patients covered by a specific national insurance.

For the soloists, small group practices, and small DSOs however, those doing 100 arches are getting 80-100% in the 2020s from Google digital ads. If the practice happens to be in a market with a very strong subscription print paper, then 10-20% of cases will come from this venue.

Now, as a provider, it’s not your job to really keep up with these changes. That’s our specialty (quite literally). And it’s our job to simply do what works for what the market is telling us at any given time and that’s our focus.

Give the patients what they want to hear in the ads, adapt to where the advertising works, and keep the cases coming to our member clients using our agency services.

If you are already advertising full-arch implant services and are not getting at least 3 arches per month from your endeavors, it’s time you and I spoke personally.