Helaine Smith DMD

Last spring I read the book Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business. I enjoyed the book . . . and so was thrilled to meet the author, Erik Qualman, at HubSpot last Friday.

HubSpot produces a weekly TV show about social media and Internet marketing (or inbound marketing, as they call it) — Erik was their guest. You can read the episode’s show notes here.

Erik talked about how social media has become a revolution and that it’s changed how we communicate and even purchase things. When he went into Babies R Us to purchase a car seat, for example, he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of seats available. He said, “I instantly wanted to ask my network which seat to buy to make the decision process much easier!”

Erik has a great new YouTube video that gives recent data for how quickly social media has grown — and how powerful it’s become.

I’m very pleased to note that my practice was featured in the ADA’s June 2009 ADA News Today print publication. The column, “New Dentist,” regularly features “new” dentists who have been practicing for 10 years or less.

In this article, the ADA interviewed me and two other dentists about what we’re doing to market ourselves in this economy. The writer included my Healthy Mouth, Healthy Sex! e-book as well as the social media tactics I’m using.

Colgate has been running ads in magazines explaining the connection between your oral health and whole body health. The ad copy tells people to visit www.colgatetotal.com.

The company has been publishing the results of its research for years at dental professionals; this consumer marketing campaign is new — and much needed.

When you visit the Colgate Total site, you’ll find lots of information about how oral inflammation (gum disease) is associated with other diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, pregnancy complications, and respiratory disease.

The company is also running TV commercials with Brooke Shields and other celebrities.

Kudos to Colgate for this much needed educational campaign!

Great blog post from Dental Blogs about a new study out from Eastman Institute for Oral Health Researchers. The researchers wanted to compare the hydrogen peroxide in teeth whitening products with the acid in orange juice.

The results were astounding. According to the press release:

Unlike never before, researchers were able to see extensive surface detail thanks to a new focus-variation vertical scanning microscope. “The acid is so strong that the tooth is literally washed away,” said Ren, whose findings were recently published in Journal of Dentistry. “The orange juice decreased enamel hardness by 84 percent.” No significant change in hardness or surface enamel was found from whitening.

The press release goes on to talk about how fruit juice and soda do a real number on your teeth. And since children are the main consumers of these products, it’s the one reason why tooth decay is on the rise in children.

Which brings me to a topic that is quickly becoming near and dear to my heart (in addition to getting tested for oral cancer!) — and that is, ensuring young children see the dentist on a regular basis.

I bring this up because my office manager has a new nephew and the pediatrician told her sister that her son didn’t need to see the dentist until he was four years old — well after teeth have come in and caries (cavities) begin to form. I was incensed!

According to the CDC, tooth decay affects children in the US more than any other infectious disease. Untreated tooth decay “causes pain and infections that lead to other problems such as eating, speaking, playing and learning.” I’ve also read that children with advanced tooth decay end up missing school.

In addition to ensuring your children use a fluoride toothpaste and instilling healthy diets that are low in juices and sodas, the CDC recommends that you bring young children in for their first dental assessment between the ages of one and two — and every six months thereafter.

The fact that a pediatrician didn’t know this simple fact is appalling — one reason why our health organizations need to do a better job at educating consumers.

My office manager’s sister did take her young son to the dentist — as you can see in these delightful photos!

We were pretty excited here at the office when a reporter called from WBZ to talk to me about teeth whitening at the mall. He had found me via my blog posts about it — which you can read here and here. (Fox News ran a great spot about this topic last October.)

The WBZ spot ran this week — and while I wasn’t featured it in (the reporter opted for Dr. Samuels, the new head of the Mass Dental Society) — it does have some good information.

You can read David Wade’s post, “Curious If Teeth Whitening at Mall Kiosks is Safe” as well as view the video.

And as an aside, if you want current dental health news, check this blog first! It’s one of the few dental blogs that actually seeks to educate you, the consumer, about everything and anything pertaining to dental and whole body health.

I’m very happy to announce that my Successful Smiles blog is now residing on my Website at: www.helainesmithdmd.com/blog.

Please update your RSS reader and head on over!

This blog will remain “live” but this is the last post.

Updating this blog from Google Blogger to WordPress is something I’ve wanted to do for a few months now. When I first started blogging a couple of years ago, I wasn’t sure if it was something I would do long-term or if it would even “work” for my business. Few dentists were blogging at the time, so a “disposable” blog seemed a good idea. I would try it for six months and if I didn’t like it, I would delete the blog.

Over time, I’ve realized that the blog has brought in a great deal of traffic. When my patients come in, they tell me they’ve read it. It’s become such an integral part of business, it made sense to update it to WordPress and add it to my site.

Very exciting! Now, on to the posts — which I’ve been saving for a few weeks.

The Boston Globe ran an article about social media in its Sunday, April 26 edition. In his article, “Increasingly, marketing isn’t just one-way street,” reporter Scott Kirsner talks about how advertising — and reaching consumers — is changing.

He uses examples from local area companies, including Dunkin’ Donuts, BzzAgent, HubSpot — and yes, my e-book, “Healthy Mouth, Healthy Sex!” Woot!

I have really enjoyed reading people’s stories about why they love their dentists, so it was really hard to choose three winners — because all of the stories were so good! However, after much consideration, Im please to announce the winners:

First place: Cindy Ludwig / Dr. Reid Clark — “Patient Loses Fear of Visiting the Dentist“

Second place: Robin MacDonald / Dr. Eric Vanek — “Dentist Helps Patient Out of ‘Dark Cave’ of Oral Health“

Third place: Tanya Kormeili, MD / Dr. Poneh Ghasri — “California Dermatologist Explains Why She Loves her Dentist“

After reading the stories again, I understood the reasons why people love their dentists (and it has nothing to do with filling cavities):

1. Exceptional dentists eliminate all fear — As a few of the contestants wrote, they were afraid to visit the dentist due to dental trauma from childhood. I understand this fear because many patients write to me telling me how they haven’t visited the dentist in years because of fear.

Great dentists eliminate this fear through various methods: communicating with patients and using techniques and technologies to reduce pain. Dental procedures don’t have to hurt — and dentists should not be causing people trauma.

2. Exceptional dentists provide advanced procedures — When it comes to dentistry, everything matters, from the office setting to the dentist’s chairside manner. But most important, however, great dentists practice modern dentistry, whether it’s one-visit crowns, dental implants or full mouth reconstruction. Dentists can no longer simply fill cavities.

3. Exceptional dentists provide exceptional care — As many people pointed out in their stories, they loved their dentists because they had a personal one-on-one relationship with them. This relationship is what makes the difference between a good dentist and an exceptional dentist.

I noticed awhile ago that many people post on Twitter that they’re either afraid to visit the dentist . . . or even worse, that they hate their dentists. (You can read my earlier post, “Why Do Consumers Consider Dentists Satan . . . or Worse?“)

All this got me to thinking . . . why not celebrate those dentists who do provide optimal care to their patients — and the patients who love them?

For the month of April, I’m running a contest: send me your story about why you love your dentist. You can write about your dentist on your blog, record a brief video (in either case, send me the link!) or simply send me your story via email.

Even better, send me a picture of yourself with your dentist plus a link to his or her Website.

I’ll be featuring your stories through the month of April. At the end of April, I’ll post the top three winning stories — with photos of patients and their dentists — as well as a report on the top reasons why people love visiting and remain loyal to their dentists.

In addition to being featured on the blog, you’ll also receive an “I Love My Dentist” badge which you can add to your Facebook page or blog.

It’s time dentists received some recognition for the great work they do — and the fact that many patients do indeed love their dentists. Please send me your stories to helainesmithdmd@gmail.com

Be sure to connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter — I’ll be publishing updates all month.