Christopher Phelps, DMD, CMCT
So, you’ve decided to add digital dentures, such as those offered through the Baltic Denture System (Merz Dental), to your practice. How are you going to let your patients know about it? Marketing dentures is difficult. They’re something that most people hope they will never need, but something that about 50% of Americans will have by the time they reach retirement.1 You’re in the position of having to market something no one wants to think about until they’re desperate.
On the other hand, patients who receive great service in times of desperation will often enthusiastically recommend you to all their family and friends. In a certain sense, getting dentures is like dealing with backed-up plumbing. No one wants to be in that situation, but the person who can take care of you, fix the problem, and put your life back in order? He’s your hero.
The best places to market dentures
So, where are the best places to market your digital denture services? Nursing homes and retirement communities, right? Not exactly. While 50% of Americans over 55 wear full or partial dentures, more than half of those denture wearers got their first denture before the age of 44.2 If you can give someone a great experience with their first denture, you’ve got their lifetime loyalty.
In my practice, I’ve started marketing digital dentures alongside my implants and implant-supported dentures for several reasons:
- All of these technologies are targeted to people who are missing teeth.
- It gives me an extra, appealing option. People tend to like to like having treatment options in sets of three.
- They’re an excellent option for people who aren’t good candidates for implants or implant-supported dentures, since the digital scanning process and new materials used give a better fit, greater functionality, and a more attractive appearance than traditional dentures.
Even people who intend to get implants appreciate learning about digital dentures. It lets them know that there’s a fallback option, and many people have friends and relatives who would like to upgrade to better-fitting, more attractive dentures.
Example of patient-facing brochure marketing dentures
What to stress about digital versus traditional dentures
When I’m talking to other dentists about the digital denture process, I usually stress how easy it is to use and how little space the equipment takes up. For dentists who want to add services so that they can help more of their patients, that’s a great selling point.
For patients, the number one aspect that sets digital dentures apart from traditional dentures is the time savings. Instead of five or six appointments to fit dentures, they’ll have just two appointments. Instead of going up to two months with no way to chew food, they’ll be able to go from impressions to dentures in as little as 24 hours.
This is huge. People can’t afford to take extra days off work when they’re already budgeting for dentures. They can’t afford to upend the whole family’s meal routine or to buy nutrition shakes for two months straight. Digital dentures are more convenient, but they’re also more compassionate, because they make the whole process easier on the patients. Don’t your patients deserve to know about them?
References
1. Your questions answered. AdAge website. http://adage.com/article/american-demographics/questions-answered/44375/. Published November 1, 2001.
2. New U.S. oral care survey reveals over half (56%) of denture wearers avoid eating certain foods; also feel limitations in work, social and romantic Lives. PR Newswire website. Published June 25, 2015.
Christopher Phelps, DMD, CMCT, is an entrepreneur and general dentist who owns multiple practices in the Charlotte, North Carolina, region. His passion for business and marketing helped him increase the revenue of his practices by 10 times in six years. He is also a certified trainer in Dr. Cialdini’s method of influence.
