According to Google AdWords’ Keyword Tool, there were approximately 7,480,000 Web searches on Google.com in July 2009 for the word “dentist” in the United States. Combine that figure with the hundreds of possible search terms people use for general and specialized dental care, and you can imagine the importance a dentist’s Web site has for his or her practice.
In August 2009, Dr. Michael Hess, a Tampa, FL orthodontics and bracesspecialist re-launched his Web site, http://www.hessorthodontics.com/, to better integrate his Web site with his practice.
Dr. Hess has incorporated Web videos; details about treatment for adults and adolescents; educational tips and tools for appointments, oral hygiene; an appointment scheduler for patients; and emergency tips for his orthodontics and braces patients. He even went as far as building a community calendar to help patients enjoy local events together as part of the Hess Orthodontics family.
Patient Tools
The process of filing paperwork and scheduling appointments can often be time consuming, tedious tasks for patients. Also, new patients may have trouble in the “simple” task of locating the doctor’s office. Tools such as appointment schedulers, filing medical history online, and including a map of the office’s location are all tools that help keep appointments as brief as possible and on schedule notes Dr. Hess.
“These are the simple things that go into the larger process of treatment, but they are critically important,” said Tampa orthodontics specialist Dr. Hess. “Allowing patients to schedule appointments and fill out forms online is a great way to give a little bit more power in the treatment process to patients, and it saves time for patients and the staff, which is an obvious advantage.”
Web Videos
Web videos are important tools for dentists in that viewers can get a feel for the personality of the doctor and the atmosphere at his or her practice. Other functions of videos on Dr. Hess’ site allow viewers to watch before-and-after transformations of several oral disorders such as overbites, underbites, openbites, crowding, and spacing. Showing the progress and outcome orthodontics can have on cosmetic disorders is a great way to let viewers see what kind of transformations they can expect from misalignments he or she may have notes Dr. Hess.
Treatment Walkthroughs
People often have questions about treatment before they are ready to make a commitment. Using a Web site can be a great way to answer preliminary questions and warm people up to the idea of treatment.
Hess Orthodontics’ Web site answers many questions about treatment for children, adolescents, and adults. Questions such as what the optimal age for orthodontics is; benefits of early-age treatment; and information on the conditions adults need to qualify for orthodontics are all addressed online.
The FAQ section of his site also details common questions such as costs, treatment times, treatment details, scheduling a consultation, hygiene with orthodontics, playing sports while wearing orthodontics, and much more.
“We want people to not only trust the doctors at Hess Orthodontics, we want them to be educated, informed patients,” said Dr. Hess. “We took our time to document the most important and reoccurring questions we’ve fielded throughout our careers, and we answer them to our fullest ability on http://www.hessorthodontics.com/.”
Patient Education
Much like questions people have about treatment, there are many questions that surface from the first appointment through the end of treatment. Letting patients know what they can expect from the onset of treatment, and providing tips about everything from oral hygiene to emergencies is an important part of successful treatment and building a strong doctor-patient relationship notes Dr. Hess.
Though currently the oral hygiene section of Dr. Hess’ site is currently under development, he made sure to post the emergency care section upon the site’s launch, in case patients bump into unexpected problems during treatment.
“From time to time patients will experience a malfunction with their orthodontics at times when they can’t come in for immediate assistance,” said the Tampa, FL braces expert. “It is my job to provide my patients with comfort and care 24/7, and in these extreme scenarios, my Web site has been a great tool to help patients through these moments.”
The oral hygiene section of http://www.hessorthodontics.com/ will be posted soon notes Dr. Hess. Patients and those interested in learning more about oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment should check back with the Web site for tips and best practices.
Community Builder
Though incorporating community events on a dentist’s Web site may not directly effect treatment and dentistry, it does have an effect on people.
“Perhaps it’s not the focus of every orthodontics practice,” said Dr. Hess, “but it is an important part of building relationships with our patients and creating a positive attitude towards treatment and appointments.”
Hess Orthodontics builds community events such as its annual Scavenger Hunt to bring together patients and their families. Currently, the Community Calendar is still under construction on Dr. Hess’ Web site, but he plans to incorporate events from around the Tampa area in an effort to bring his staff and patients closer together.
“It’s great when we can talk to patients about more things than orthodontics,” said Dr. Hess. “Discussing things like our Scavenger Hunt keeps things fresh and light. We see patients smiling a lot during our appointments, so we know we’re doing something right.”
Learn More
To learn more about the benefits of Tampa, FL orthodontics expert Dr. Michael Hess’ Web site, call (813) 645-4377 to speak with a representative at his Riverview or Apollo Beach, Florida locations, or visit http://www.hessorthodontics.com/.
About Dr. Michael Hess
Michael A. Hess, DMD, MS is an accredited orthodontist. This means that he is a dental specialist who has completed an advanced post-doctoral course, accredited by the American Dental Association, of at least two academic years in the specialty of orthodontics.
Michael A. Hess, DMD, MS is dedicated to creating outstanding smiles for his patients, using the latest technology available.
© 2009 Sinai Google Marketing and Dr. Michael Hess. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this article is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.
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