Just a quick comment on my meeting with a potential client today. The dental office is open 3 days a week since about 9 months ago as the economy slowed down and the patient’s load became lighter and lighter.  The owner of the dental practice is obviously an intelligent person and understands that internet marketing is probably a way to go. But … is afraid to invest into that technology. Scott (let’s call him like that) says that he is not sure if he can justify spending on SEO optimization of his business website because he is not 100% confident that return on investment will be grater than the investment itself. We all know that most of the times you need to spent in order to make. Yes, the owner of the business needs to spend on SEO optimization in order to see the results. It’s obvious. Isn’t it? SEO takes time and sometimes takes longer than we all want. I don’t  think  these days too many people will disagree with me on the fact that internet is a major channel of advertising and marketing and that you as a business owner shall not only have your web presence established but start the SEO optimization campaign as soon as possible. Otherwise you will be out of the game.

If are just starting in social marketing you definitely need to know how to avoid making mistakes in the social media world. Below are the biggest mistakes you might be able to avoid, as per Greg Fry: 1. No Consistency. Many businesses start off like a speeding train with their social media efforts. Only to find out that they cannot sustain the volume of activity and engagement.  Don’t start something you can’t finish or don’t intend to do well. If you decide to blog, make a decision to do it on a consistent basis. Not randomly. And the more often, the better. Be consistent, present and responsive. Or don’t do it all. 2. Listen to me! Sell Sell Sell. Many businesses forget that they are dealing with real human beings. With hopes and dreams and pet peeves. People relate to each other through two-way conversation, both online and in person. Ever met someone who monopolises the conversation? I have. And I tend to walk the other way when I see them coming. These shiny new social media tools are not loud speakers. Talking about yourself won’t make others talk about you. Don’t shout offers and deals and me, me, me. Take your sales hat off and think like a human being. Invest in getting to know your customers better than your competition does. Listen. Be curious, and interested and engaged. Tell stories and share knowledge. Most of all, ask yourself how you can provide meaning and value. How can you be helpful? How can you support your best friends and biggest fans? How can you lift them up? It’s about people. 3. No Plan. Lots of businesses, especially small businesses don’t take time to build a proper strategy for social media or even do any planning or set any goals. Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail. I highly recommend to read more

Just came across an interesting article by Dr. Larry Emmott. I think those predictions have a bit of sarcasm built in, and I think all 5 predictions are valid. Below are 5 predictions: 1. Some dentists will postpone the purchase of a digital radiography system because they are waiting for the price to drop. 2. Many dentists will install an upgraded management system, add some new team members, but not bother to set up and pay for team training. 3. Dentists will run a paper system simultaneously with an electronic system. 4. Makers of high-tech dental systems, such as digital radiograph and digital impression systems, will continue to create output in a proprietary format that cannot be used by any other system. 5. Dentists will avoid setting up a practice Web site. I might add a couple of my predictions to that list. 6. Many dentists will realize that SEO and web marketing is way to go to market their businesses. However many are still going to stay ignorant to the fact that nobody can find their website on Google search engine. 7. Dentists will agree that the website must exist for their business and hopefully will engage a webmaster to establish a web pretense for their practice. Source: DentistryIQ.com

PRBewswire [2011-01-24] –  Aflac (NYSE: AFL), the No. 1 provider of voluntary and guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States, today announced its new voluntary dental insurance policy. Aflac Dental offers policyholders more choices with multiple levels of coverage to choose from and bigger benefits ranging from higher annual maximums to enhanced orthodontic coverage. Aflac Dental continues to make it easier for employers to administer benefits because there are no participation requirements, network restrictions, deductibles, or annual premium reviews. It’s an insurance policy designed to meet the needs of employers in the face of growing employee demand. “With more and more companies shifting away from employer-paid benefits to voluntary insurance, Aflac Dental is the right benefits solution at the right time for both employers and employees,” said Tom Morey, vice president of Product Development at Aflac. “With Aflac Dental, employers are able to enhance their benefits package at no direct cost to the company while providing valuable dental benefits – a safety net – their employees can rely on when they need it most.” read more …

Science Daily [2011-01-22] -Cracking a Tooth: 3-D Map of Atoms Sheds Light on Nanoscale Interfaces in Teeth, May Aid Materials Design. Teeth and bone are important and complex structures in humans and other animals, but little is actually known about their chemical structure at the atomic scale. What exactly gives them their renowned toughness, hardness and strength? How do organisms control the synthesis of these advanced functional composites? Now, using a highly sophisticated atomic-scale imaging tool on a sea creature’s tooth, two Northwestern University researchers have peeled away some of the mystery of organic/inorganic interfaces that are at the heart of tooth and bone structure. They are the first to produce a three-dimensional map of the location and identity of millions of individual atoms in the complex hybrid material that allows the animal to literally chew rock. Read more … Credits: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110112132126.htm

Why would dentist want to use Botox? A little bit of history. According to Wikipedia,  Botulinum toxin is a protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and is extremely neurotoxic. When introduced intravenously in monkeys, type A of the toxin exhibits an LD50 of 40-56 ng, type C1 around 32 ng, type D 3200 ng, and type E 88 ng, rendering the above types some of the most powerful neurotoxins known.Popularly known by one of its trade names, Botox or Dysport, it is used for various cosmetic and medical procedures. The Tennessee Board of Dentistry is considering a rule change that would allow dentists to treat their patients with the drug. The board has already given the okay to oral surgeons. They can start using Botox Thursday to help treat jaw pain and discomfort. Source: http://www2.tricities.com/news/2011/jan/18/dentists-want-use-botox-ar-782868/

Iwordpress.inf o [10/16/2010] – The dental seo marketing provides highest returns on the investment. Most of the person search for good dentist through online. It the website is not appeared in the first page then it will not reach to a person. In this Dental SEO Marketing is they make sure that the potential clients searching for a web. Through that people can find their required information about the dentist. This searching is performed by the user on every day.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the “natural” or un-paid (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results. Other forms of search engine marketing (SEM) target paid listings. In general, the earlier (or higher on the page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a website web presence. As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic. The acronym “SEO” can refer to “search engine optimizers,” a term adopted by an industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients, and by employees who perform SEO services in-house. Search engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site and site content, SEO tactics may be incorporated into website development and design. The term “search engine friendly” may be used to describe website designs, menus, content management systems, images, videos, shopping carts, and other elements that have been optimized for the purpose of search engine exposure. Another class of techniques, known as black hat SEO or spamdexing, uses methods such as link farms, keyword stuffing and article spinning that degrade both the relevance of search results and the user-experience of search engines. Search engines look for sites that employ these techniques in order to remove them from their indices. ………………………………………… Credits: Wikipedia.org

A 3D scanner is a device that analyzes a real-world object or environment to collect data on its shape and possibly its appearance (i.e. color). The collected data can then be used to construct digital, three dimensional models useful for a wide variety of applications. These devices are used extensively by the entertainment industry in the production of movies and video games. Other common applications of this technology include industrial design, orthotics and prosthetics, reverse engineering and prototyping, quality control/inspection and documentation of cultural artifacts. Many different technologies can be used to build these 3D scanning devices; each technology comes with its own limitations, advantages and costs. It should be remembered that many limitations in the kind of objects that can be digitized are still present: for example optical technologies encounter many difficulties with shiny, mirroring or transparent objects. There are however methods for scanning shiny objects, such as covering them with a thin layer of white powder that will help more light photons to reflect back to the scanner. Laser scanners can send trillions of light photons toward an object and only receive a small percentage of those photons back via the optics that they use. The reflectivity of an object is based upon the object’s color or terrestrial albedo. A white surface will reflect lots of light and a black surface will reflect only a small amount of light. Transparent objects such as glass will only refract the light and give false three dimensional information [Wikipedia credit]. 3D Scanning digital imaging and dentistry are merging into one technology innovation – A 3D Scanner for dentistry. KaVo, based in Leutkirch, Germany, is pioneering digital production of dental devices that saves time by automating the process and eliminating the need for adjustment. The new manufacturing process also enables superior materials to be used that are difficult or impossible to incorporate into the traditional manual process. KaVo has adopted many of the digital design technologies traditionally used by auto and aerospace industries. But, the need for individualized products provides a unique challenge for the dental industry. read more ...

Very good points have been published  by Ken Serota on December 17, 2010 in the article “5 tips for marketing your dental practice” Marketing a dental practice is simply not what it used to be. Years ago you could just take out an advertisement in the Yellow Pages or send direct mailers. In today’s saturated media market, these efforts often just end up in the recycling bin. While many dentists still swear by these methods, I argue that you’re not only missing the huge (and growing) group of patients who are online, but also that there is no way to track the success of your