Member Benefits Buzz: ADA, ODA help dentists attract more patients to their offices

Member Benefits Buzz: ADA, ODA help dentists attract more patients to their offices

The American Dental Association’s consumer website, mouthhealthy.org, features a Find a Dentist section. The tool allows patients to search by geography, dental benefit plans and specialty. Last year, more than 1.7 million patients visited the Find a Dentist site.

“One of the complaints from dentists that the ADA took into consideration was that dentists are not busy enough,” said Dr. Ruchika Khetarpal, a general dentist from Cincinnati. “So this was a tool created to get patients in our chair. Getting your info out there so patients can find you and get into your office is definitely a member benefit.”

All member dentists are listed on the Find a Dentist website, however, members with fully updated profiles rank higher in search results. To update your profile, visit ada.org/findadentist and click on the “update your profile today” button. Updating your profile takes about five minutes.

“The tool is extremely easy to use,” Khetarpal said. “It took me about five minutes to update my profile. Having that photo on there is extremely important as that’s how patients search. Soon after I completed the profile I had a patient contact my practice based on my provided information and is now an established patient.”

The ADA began a marketing campaign in May 2017 that encourages people to schedule an appointment with an ADA member dentist. All marketing activities drive traffic to the Find-a-Dentist tool, so it is essential for members to have a complete profile if they would like to benefit from the campaign.

“The ADA has really tried to target the demographics that are interested in getting dental care and get them into our chairs,” Khetarpal said.

Additionally, the Ohio Dental Association refers patients to the ADA’s Find a Dentist search feature to find a dentist in their area. Over the past several years, the ODA has been airing radio advertising campaigns across the state that highlight the importance of going to a dentist who is a member of the ODA. The radio ads refer listeners to the ADA’s “Find a Dentist” search feature.

For more details and to update your profile, click here.