The business of biofilm – part two

In the second of two articles, award-winning dental hygienist Claire-Louise Berry considers the core strategies for successfully marketing a ‘sexy’ oral health concept.

My mission is to make biofilm a ‘sexy’ topic and enhance oral health so it sparks curiosity and engagement. When patients understand the significance of biofilm control and view it as a shared goal, it transforms treatment approaches, improving both health outcomes and business.

Last month’s article emphasised how biofilm can be a significant business asset. Effectively managing it enhances patient outcomes, which in turn fosters practice growth. The real game-changer? Marketing. Innovative, targeted promotion attracts new patients, retains existing ones and strengthens a practice’s reputation.

The ‘why’

Before we delve into the how, let’s explore the why. What is the objective of hygiene treatment? Ideally, it should guide a patient towards optimal and sustainable health. 

Calculus doesn’t cause disease; biofilm does. The biofilm lifecycle begins to reaccumulate within minutes of its disruption, and with so many nooks and crannies to clean around, it’s not that we don’t trust our patients to clean effectively; it’s simply that numerous areas exist where biofilm can stagnate and lead to disease, necessitating our assistance in managing this with them. For this reason, biofilm is beneficial for business, not calculus.

Engaging in discussions about dental hygiene doesn’t have to be dull or predictable. There are numerous creative ways to involve patients in their oral health, and many clinicians are already discovering unique (and highly effective) strategies. 

I utilise Instagram posts and reels, blog articles and Youtube videos to clarify biofilm, its role in oral and systemic health, and how prevention can protect against disease. I simplify complex information into easy-to-understand, digestible content for my audience, emphasising the advantages of early intervention and routine care. 

I enjoy incorporating holistic messaging in the care of my patients, highlighting the connection between biofilm and systemic health. This especially resonates with health-conscious patients who want a more comprehensive approach to wellbeing. 

If your practice uses innovative technology to manage biofilm, you should emphasise these tools in your marketing. Patients are now more tech-savvy and often drawn to dental practices with high-tech solutions that deliver more efficient and comfortable care. 

By positioning your practice as a leader in biofilm prevention and management and emphasising your commitment to safeguarding patients’ oral and systemic health, you can set your business apart, attract new patients and cultivate a loyal patient base that appreciates long-term, preventive care.

Next, let’s explore some key areas to consider when harnessing biofilm as a profit builder.

Equip and educate

Aesthetic dentistry is a highly crowded space in dental marketing, so why not make your health department your unique selling point (USP)? 

Centre your efforts on patient comfort and expertise. You could utilise intraoral photography and scanning, explore systemic health tests such as HbA1C and blood pressure checks, and invest in EMS Airflow or air polishing units that target biofilm removal and management. 

Promote continuing education by focusing on biofilm control and preventive care to showcase your team’s expertise and commitment to the latest techniques. 

Offer curated ‘biofilm management’ kits for patients to purchase after their appointments. These could include recommended electric toothbrushes or vouchers for purchases elsewhere, interdental/interspace brushes, floss, antimicrobial or desensitising products, salivary substitutes, or even postbiotics and supplements as adjuncts. 

Ensure the hygiene department has access to tools such as the Oral-B IO Test Drive, which can be used on patients in the clinic to demonstrate biofilm removal at home. Hands-on instruction helps reinforce behaviour change and encourages patients to buy these products for home use. 

Utilise brief virtual consultations or videos where you discuss products online and how to use them before a patient arrives for an appointment. Loom is an excellent platform for this purpose. 

These methods ensure patients have the tools to hit the ground running after visiting the hygienist. You could also send pre-recorded ‘how to’ videos featuring the products you have recommended. 

Mind your language

Ensure that the entire practice maintains consistent messaging. Avoid terms such as ‘clean’, ‘deep clean’, or ‘scale and polish’, as this language downplays what the hygiene department offers. 

Remember, if you want to enhance your hygiene department, treatment should focus on getting patients to optimal health, with low bleeding scores, healthy endpoints and disease elimination, rather than merely ‘cleaning’ for calculus and stain removal. Instead, we could use terminology like ‘oral health assessment’ or ‘oral health optimisation’. 

Referring to the hygienist as an ‘expert in oral health’ clarifies to patients that they are best qualified to handle preventive care. Train the team to effectively explain biofilm, its risks, and prevention strategies. Provide ongoing education on biofilm research and management techniques, enabling staff to inform patients confidently. 

Empower your hygiene team members to embrace their role as biofilm experts and consider incorporating biofilm-focused language into your clinic’s tagline and marketing materials.

Empower patients

After conducting clinical assessments, provide patients with personalised oral health reports that detail their biofilm levels, risk areas and recommended treatments. If intraoral cameras are used to capture images, share these with the patient to empower them to manage their condition. 

Keeping this information solely within our systems implies that the disease is our responsibility. By giving patients access to these data points, we shift the ownership of the disease back to them, encouraging responsibility. 

This approach makes patients feel more engaged in their care and increases their likelihood of following your recommendations.

Consider a multi-channel marketing approach

Create a blog or Youtube series focused on biofilm education, addressing topics such as the following:

• The role of biofilm in caries and periodontitis
• Home care tips for reducing biofilm
• New biofilm-related treatments available at your practice.

Share concise content on social media that explains biofilm, utilising visuals, brief videos and patient success stories to emphasise the importance of biofilm control. 

Distribute educational brochures, handouts and emails detailing biofilm, and include them as part of a post-visit follow-up after the patient’s first appointment. This demonstrates that the oral health journey is not an ‘in the moment’ treatment but rather requires time and effort. It also emphasises that achieving health may take a few appointments before it transitions to maintenance.

Partner with influencers

If you want to boost your business and gain new patients who value oral health optimisation, consider partnering with local or online influencers specialising in health and wellness. 

Influencer marketing can raise awareness about the importance of biofilm management while highlighting the treatments and products your clinic provides. Additionally, collaborating with nearby health and wellness businesses, such as gyms or health spas, can reinforce your message on overall wellness. 

Partnering with local doctors, nutritionists or wellness centres can also benefit mutual promotion. For example, you could co-host a webinar or event with another health or wellness provider, discussing the oral-systemic health connection and emphasising biofilm prevention as essential to total health. This will boost your practice’s standing within a broader healthcare network.

Stay up-to-date with the research

Keep up with current biofilm research and treatments to provide your patients with cutting-edge care. This may encompass new products, technologies or methods for effectively managing biofilm. Regularly inform your patients and share updates on the latest biofilm-related research or products to enhance their oral health. This can be achieved through newsletters, blog posts or consultations, positioning your clinic as a leader in innovation. 

By making biofilm education a central component of your practice, you establish your clinic as an innovative leader in modern dentistry, enhance patient outcomes and foster trust and long-term loyalty among your patients.

Read part one of ‘The business of biofilm’ here.

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