Emergency dentistry tends to be one of those areas of dental care where dentists either love it or hate it. But when it comes to the data, emergency dentistry—particularly during a time where people haven’t been to the dentist in months (i.e., a pandemic)—is seeing big spikes in online search trends.
Yes, emergency dental patients can either fall into a valuable new patient (capable of being retained for several years) or just a one-off interaction for fast pain relief. But if handled appropriately and marketed accordingly, advertising emergency dentistry services can actively help your practice grow.
In areas of the world where dental practices are still restricted to emergency-only dental care, those practices that already had marketing campaigns for emergency dentistry had a head start when it came to online search results. With the adoption of teledentistry platforms—some of which became permanent—providing palliative care to a new patient in pain is one of the simplest ways to build rapport.
Emergency Dentistry and Practice Policies
Marketing dental emergency treatments doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll need to change your office protocols. Or if you do, they may only be slight. For instance, utilizing keywords such as “emergency dentist” for PPC, SEO, and Google can optimize the click-through rate to your website or online scheduling platform. Once there, you can still convey the message that you have reserved moments set aside throughout the day for emergencies. If it’s a true dental emergency, the patient will get to your office when you’re able to see them.
Another thing to keep in mind is that more people place value on seeing a dentist for their emergency than in the past. Since some individuals might have otherwise gone to the emergency room, and hospitals being restricted because of a pandemic, many people made the shift away from this practice. Instead, they started going back to the first dentist they could find to see them.
Marketing vs. Compromising
Even if emergency dentistry isn’t something you list in your “top 3” services, establishing a strong online presence for this popular need can help you establish brand familiarity when someone truly needs a long-term provider.
Talk to our dental marketing specialists to learn more about what the current trends look like in your area!
