Marketing for orthodontics

Parents compare three consults. Adults compare you to a box in the mail.

A teen’s braces and an adult’s aligners are not the same search, or the same buyer. One arrives with a parent and a referral, the other with a price tab open. See where you stand in 60 seconds.

A woman seating a clear aligner on her upper teeth
Straightening that patients shop for, not only get referred to.

Orthodontics marketing by treatment

Two buyers, and the consult in between.

Clinically it is one specialty. For marketing, what counts is who decides — a parent or the patient — and what they compare you with.

A mother and her young son at a practice front desk, talking with a smiling staff member

Braces for kids & teens

The patient is twelve. The buyer is a parent.

  • Braces
  • Early treatment
  • Teen aligners
  • Retainers
Who pays
An orthodontic benefit plus a monthly plan. The family dentist often sends them.
What they type
  • orthodontist near me
  • braces near me
  • braces for kids
  • how much are braces
  • orthodontist that takes medicaid
  • early orthodontic treatment

Parents type the place and the price. A referral sends them to your name, and they read the reviews anyway.

What we aim for
The map, the plans you take, and reviews written by parents.
A doctor in a white coat talking with a smiling woman seated in a treatment chair

Invisalign for adults

Compared with a box in the mail.

  • Invisalign
  • Clear braces
  • Adult braces
  • Refinements
Who pays
Cash or a benefit, usually monthly. Dentists and mail-order brands sell the same promise.
What they type
  • invisalign
  • invisalign cost
  • braces for adults
  • clear braces
  • invisalign vs braces
  • invisalign provider near me

The brand comes before the specialty. They check the price against a kit, then look for someone who will actually check the bite.

What we aim for
A page that says what an orthodontist adds, with a monthly range. Ads if you want more of these cases.
An orthodontist pointing at a 3D scan of teeth on a monitor while a father and his daughter listen

Free orthodontic consultation

Free to book. Just as free to book elsewhere.

  • Free consult
  • Records
  • Treatment plan
  • Payment plan
Who pays
Free for them. The case and the monthly payment are decided here.
What they type
  • free orthodontic consultation
  • orthodontist consultation
  • invisalign consultation
  • braces consultation
  • orthodontist payment plans

The free consult is searched to compare. The practice that answers the same week, with a plan on paper, is the one they remember.

What we aim for
Booking in two taps, and the plan and the monthly payment in writing after the visit.

Who pays is the usual pattern, checked on the call. The search chips are the usual wording.

How patients search for an orthodontist

They type “braces.” Google answers with orthodontists and dentists.

“Orthodontist near me” and “braces near me” come first, and general dentists who offer Invisalign answer them too. The specialty is your edge — if the profile says it.

Patients type Rather than
braces fixed orthodontic appliance
invisible braces clear aligner therapy
overbite fix Class II correction

Orthodontics marketing channels

Parents look at the map. Adults look at the price.

Kids and teens are the map and the reviews. Adult aligners are the page and the ad.

How much each channel carries each line. A judgment from how the search behaves, not a measured score.
Treatment Google Ads Google Maps Website ChatGPT & AI Directories * Instagram
Braces for kids & teens Supports Main channel Supports On the side Supports Supports
Early treatment No budget Supports Main channel Supports On the side On the side
Invisalign for adults Main channel On the side Main channel Supports Supports Supports
Clear & adult braces On the side On the side Main channel Supports On the side On the side
Free consultation Supports Main channel Supports On the side Supports On the side
Dentist referrals No budget Supports Supports On the side Supports No budget
Retainers & second opinions No budget Supports Supports On the side On the side No budget
Google Ads Supports
Google Maps Main channel
Website Supports
ChatGPT & AI On the side
Directories * Supports
Instagram Supports
  • Main channel
  • Supports
  • On the side
  • No budget

Instagram supports a teen practice; it rarely books the case. The referral searches your name, and there is nothing to bid on there.

* Directories: Invisalign Doctor Locator, AAO Find an Orthodontist, Healthgrades, Yelp, Zocdoc.

A judgment from how the search behaves. Not a measured score, and not a result from our clients.

Our orthodontics marketing services

What we take on.

The profile, the pages, and ads only where that line is actually won.

  1. 01

    Your Google profiles, kept current

    The practice and every orthodontist, with kids, adults and accepted plans listed, the right categories, and every new review answered within 24 hours, to a protocol you approve.

    Paid Search + Reviews

  2. 02

    A page for each case they compare

    Braces for kids, Invisalign for adults, early treatment — what it involves, how long it takes, and an honest monthly range. The consult page answers the parent’s questions before the call.

    Visibility Project

  3. 03

    Ads only for the cases you want more of

    Usually adult aligners, sometimes the teen consult. You set the budget. We show you where it went.

    Paid Search + Reviews

Your line isn’t listed?

These are the common marketing patterns, not your menu. On the call we go through what you actually do: who pays, what patients type, and whether an ad is worth it. 30 minutes, online.

appeario Audit · Free

How visible is your practice — compared with colleagues nearby.

  • Where you rank

    Your most relevant searches on Google, next to three practices nearby

  • AI answers

    Whether ChatGPT and Google AI name you when patients ask

  • Listings

    Google, Yelp, and WebMD — correct, complete, and consistent

  • Reviews and replies

    Volume, rating, and whether new reviews get an answer

See where you rank
Sample appeario Audit on a phone: Google position per search term compared with nearby practices

Orthodontics marketing FAQ

Questions orthodontic practices ask us.

Is this our payer mix?

No. Who pays is the usual pattern for that visit in a US private practice — not your fee schedule, and not a result from our clients. On the call we go through what you actually do, how it’s paid, and whether an ad is worth it.

General dentists offer Invisalign too. How do we stand out?

By saying what a specialist does that a dentist or a kit doesn’t — on the profile and on the page, in plain words rather than a list of credentials. The appeario Audit shows who sits next to you on the map today.

Most of our patients come from dentist referrals. Is this for us?

Referred families still search your name and read the reviews before they call. We keep that search clean and the reviews answered, alongside the rest.

Do you run Invisalign ads?

Yes, if you want more adult cases. You set the budget, and we agree up front where the clicks land.

How do you handle review replies and HIPAA?

Every reply follows a protocol you approve up front: it never confirms that the reviewer is a patient or mentions their care, and it moves specifics offline. Replies go out within 24 hours; anything under 3 stars or sensitive goes to you first.

What does it cost?

The appeario Audit is free. Paid Search + Reviews starts at $890/month with no minimum term. Visibility Projects — treatment pages, doctor profiles, schema — start at $1,490 one-time.

Further reading on orthodontic marketing.