Dear Business & Industry Insider,
Digital marketing is becoming increasingly important for dental practices, and decision-makers are putting their money where their mouth is. A record number of practices reported spending more than $500 per month on marketing, according to new survey results from dental website and marketing firm ProSites.
ProSites surveyed 110 dental practices about their marketing spending and plans for 2022. Respondents said word-of-mouth is still the leading form of marketing, but online marketing techniques are ranking higher in their priority list and budgets. See where practices are spending in our Insider Exclusive.
Also new in the Business & Industry Community, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have hastened the changing demographics of dentistry. In a webinar from the ADA's Health Policy Institute, researchers discussed the sweeping effects as dentistry becomes younger and more diverse.
In related news, the ADA and American Dental Hygienists' Association teamed up to survey hygienists about their employment during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the findings confirmed what many practices already know: Some hygienists are choosing to permanently leave the profession. Less than half of hygienists who left their place of employment early in the pandemic have returned, the research found.
Our team covered the recent Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting. It was the largest in-person dental event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the energy was electric. Don't miss our industry coverage of the show, including the following stories:
- Biolase CEO discusses why lasers are a hot topic
- Cuspies Award winners honored
- Banking expert shares tips for navigating student loan debt
- How to create a culture free from sexual harassment
- Hygienist brushes off plastic to start ecofriendly business
Finally, inflation is on everyone's mind, including the tooth fairy's. The average cash gift for a lost baby tooth reached a record high of $5.36, according to Delta Dental's 2022 Original Tooth Fairy Poll. Is a baby tooth really worth more than $5? Find out what attendees at the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting had to say in this short, fun video.
