According to the latest numbers, more than 500 million people worldwide now use Facebook each month. Users are no longer limited to teenagers and college students. In fact, the fastest growing demographic is individuals age 35 years and older. They include grandparents, business people, other dentists and people just like you.

First of all to the uninitiated, “tweet” is a verb that means “to post on the Twitter Web site.” Twitter is used by vast numbers of people, ranging from celebrities to ordinary people like us. Individuals post short messages that are read by other people who “follow” them.

We recently reviewed a survey of attitudes toward marketing by dentists. Admittedly, it was a small survey—only 57 respondents. However, 95% indicated that they considered marketing a necessary part of the dental profession.

A quality newsletter directed to your referring dentists and physicians is probably the single best marketing tool for dental specialists. One often overlooked use of your newsletter program is to encourage other dentists and physicians to suggest new sources of professional referrals.

Speaking regularly with pediatric dentists throughout the United States and Canada, we are often told that they prefer to receive patient referrals from pediatricians rather than from general dentists. The reason, they say, is that general dentists tend to refer the “difficult” children and keep the easy ones. On the other hand, pediatricians, of course, refer all dental patients.

Because patients often look online for a local pediatric dentist, orthodontist or other dental specialist, it is important for your Web site to appear at the top of a local search. Here are seven ways to accomplish this:

When was the last time you sat in your own waiting room? If more than six months have passed, it’s time to experience your waiting room—from the patient’s viewpoint. The only way you can see, hear and smell your patients’ experience is to pull up a chair and make your own observations.

Dr. Anthony Rassouli, a general dentist from Huntington Beach, Calif., found it increasingly difficult to make referrals to dental specialists. His patients were moving all over California and even out of state. When he received a call, for example, on a Friday from a patient who seemed to need an immediate root canal but was travelling, Dr. Rassouli was at a loss to refer the patient to an endodontist whose office was open that day.

If you don’t know what HealthGrades has to say about your practice, you had better go to a computer right now and find out. In our experience (and we google practices all day), if you don’t have a Web site and a prospective patient googles your name, the first thing that a prospective patient will find is your HealthGrades page.

The Pi Dental Implant Care Center in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania is one of the world’s leading resources for cutting edge dental implant treatment and all cosmetic and restorative dentistry.

Founder, Dr. Thomas J. Balshi and his partner, Dr. Glenn J. Wolfinger are board certified prosthodontists with international reputation as leaders in the development of distinctive implant therapy. The center is staffed by board certified dental specialists, registered dental hygienists, research associates and a team of highly skilled, experienced clinical and administrative personnel.