EDITORIAL ADVISORS Lisa Alvetro, DDS, MSD Daniel Bills, DMD, MS Robert E. Binder, DMD S. Jay Bowman, DMD, MSD Stanley Braun, DDS, MME, FACD Gary P. Brigham, DDS, MSD George J. Cisneros, DMD, MMSc Jason B. Cope, DDS, PhD Neil Counihan, BDS, CERT Orth Eric R. Gheewalla, DMD, BS Dan Grauer, DDS, Morth, MS Mark G. Hans, DDS, MSD William (Bill) Harrell, Jr, DMD John L. Hayes, DMD, MBA Paul Humber, BDS, LDS RCS, DipMCS Laurence Jerrold, DDS, JD, ABO Chung H. Kau, BDS, MScD, MBA, PhD, MOrth, FDS, FFD, FAMS Marc S. Lemchen, DDS Edward Y. Lin, DDS, MS Thomas J. Marcel, DDS Andrew McCance, BDS, PhD, MSc, FDSRCPS, MOrth RCS, DOrth RCS Mark W. McDonough, DMD Randall C. Moles, DDS, MS Elliott M. Moskowitz, DDS, MSd, CDE Atif Qureshi, BDS Rohit C.L. Sachdeva, BDS, M.dentSc Gerald S. Samson, DDS Margherita Santoro, DDS Shalin R. Shah, DMD (Abstract Editor) Lou Shuman, DMD, CAGS Scott A. Soderquist, DDS, MS Robert L. Vanarsdall, Jr, DDS John Voudouris (Hon) DDS, DOrth, MScD Neil M. Warshawsky, DDS, MS, PC John White, DDS, MSD Larry W. White, DDS, MSD, FACD CE QUALITY ASSURANCE ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Alexandra Day BDS, VT Julian English BA (Hons), editorial director FMC Dr. Paul Langmaid CBE, BDS, ex chief dental officer to the Government for Wales Dr. Ellis Paul BDS, LDS, FFGDP (UK), FICD, editor-in-chief Private Dentistry Dr. Chris Potts BDS, DGDP (UK), business advisor and ex-head of Boots Dental, BUPA Dentalcover, Virgin Dr. Harry Shiers BDS, MSc (implant surgery), MGDS, MFDS, Harley St referral implant surgeon
PUBLISHER | Lisa Moler Email: lmoler@medmarkaz.com MANAGING EDITOR | Mali Schantz-Feld Email: mali@medmarkaz.com Tel: (727) 515-5118 ASSISTANT EDITOR | Elizabeth Romanek Email: betty@medmarkaz.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT | Mandi Gross Email: mandi@medmarkaz.com NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER | Adrienne Good Email: agood@medmarkaz.com NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER | Michelle Manning Email: michelle@medmarkaz.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION MANAGER | Amanda Culver Email: amanda@medmarkaz.com
When it relates to kids, the medium is the message
T
here’s been a lot of talk about the power of social media and the role it can play in building your practice. As a true believer in social media, I can tell you that this is 100% true. Without a doubt, the efforts my staff and I put into social media have been rewarded many times over in the building of our practice in the Greater Toronto Area. In fact, social media comprises a significant portion of our marketing. But most importantly, even if there was no financial reward for these efforts, they would still be one of the most essential tools at our disposal. Let me explain. Everyone who’s drawn to this profession has a passion for Dr. Ajeet Ghumman working with children. The experience is the reward. We’re not just helping children look better in their selfies and senior portraits. We’re changing the way they think of themselves and how they embrace the adult world, a task that’s hard enough without feeling insecure about your smile. The thing that’s so important, and so often overlooked about social media is that it’s not just a vehicle for communicating with today’s plugged-in preteens and teens. It’s the actual language they speak. Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “the medium is the message” back in the 1960s. Four decades before the idea of social media was even invented, he understood that the actual form of the communication carried as much impact as the communication itself. He believed that “content” was nothing more than “a juicy piece of meat carried by the burglar to distract the watchdog of the mind.” The Dental Works 4 Kids practice has thousands of posts, tweets, and images out there. While it’s wonderful to recognize patients that get their braces off or celebrate the latest big win by our hometown Toronto Blue Jays, in a lot of ways, the medium is just as important. Every kid that reaches a certain age becomes a bit of a skeptic. And this is a good thing! It means they’re becoming independent, and they’re preparing for a world that doesn’t always have their best interests in mind. The flip side is that it can make it difficult for an adult to reach them, even when he/she has the teen’s best interest in mind. This is precisely why social media is so invaluable. When you’re on the social channels, you’re not just meeting kids on their own turf — you’re doing so in their own language. This has the wonderful effect of allowing you and your message to slip past their natural skepticism filter, allowing them to weigh the significance of what you’re saying without having to win them over. I’m sure you don’t need to be told the value of this. Social media is a great way to build a practice, but it’s an even better way to build a rapport, and that’s the real value. Dr. Ajeet Ghumman
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Volume 6 Number 6
Ajeet Ghumman, DDS, CERT. ORTHO., FRCD(C), completed his BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary, 4 years of dental school at Howard University in Washington, DC, and 1 year of General Practice Residency at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut. He then completed an additional 3 years of training at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey where he earned his Specialty Certificate in Orthodontics. Dr. Ghumman is a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada and is an active member of the Ontario Association of Orthodontics, Canadian Association of Orthodontists, American Association of Orthodontists, and American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. He is also certified by the Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy.
Orthodontic practice 1
INTRODUCTION
November/December 2015 - Volume 6 Number 6