Run a NOW campaign

- Competition for free private orthodontic treatment

Total Orthodontics marked National Orthodontic Week with a competition for one lucky individual to win free private orthodontic treatment. The competition, which was run in conjunction with local newspaper the Courier, asked readers to answer a simple question for their chance to win free treatment with Damon® Clear brackets. Winner Mrs Hancock was delighted when the Tonbridge practice rang her with the good news.

Total Orthodontics also ran an in-house competition for existing patients, giving away three iPod nanos. To enter patients were asked to design a postcard where they take a wonky object and give it a ‘straightover’. Entries included straightened rainbows and bananas but the overall winner was a pig with straight tail!

The winning patient competition entry was designed by Saskia Carr, aged 14.

 

- Promoting Orthodontics

The team at St Michael’s Orthodontics was out in force all week promoting orthodontics and raising money for charity.

 

On launch day, members of the team went out into the city of Wakefield to distribute promotional packs to members of the public.

During the week, the team wore their pyjamas to raise funds for the Wakefield Hospice. In the evening they hosted a CPD event, inviting dental practitioners from referring practices to join them for a short presentation on the developments at St Michael’s Orthodontics followed by an entertaining talk by their guest speaker Chris Barrow, focusing on the expanding role of the dental team.

For adults:
The team held a competition to win a free course of treatment,  worth over £3000. They asked entrants to must write a short paragraph beginning with the sentence: “Having straight teeth would change my life because…”  The final 4 entrants were invited to the practice for a free consultation to assess their suitability for orthodontic treatment, from which the winner was selected.

For children:
The team asked their younger patients to complete a Christmas card design, for the practice to use on their 2011 cards.

Their local charity:
The team sold St Michael’s Orthodontics merchandise, including tee-shirts and umbrellas. All profits made were donated to the Wakefield Hospice.

- Hospital team braces up

National Orthodontic Week provided the perfect opportunity for the Orthodontic department at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup to highlight the services the orthodontic department has to offer. Posters summarising what orthodontic treatment means, the different types of braces available and the variety of malocclusions they treat were designed by the Orthodontic team and displayed on a stand at the main entrance of the hospital.

As a result of support from Colgate and Oral B, the team handed out orthodontic leaflets, stickers, toothpaste and mouthwash.

Being a multidisciplinary department, various members of the team manned the stand at different times of the day. Amongst those available to answer questions were the Restorative Consultant, Orthodontic Consultants and Registrars, the Maxillofacial Senior House Officers and the Dental Nurses. There were many questions about fixed appliances, enquiries over what age children should be treated, what can be done if you have missing teeth and provision of orthognatic surgery amongst many others.

The week was instrumental in educating hundreds of people about orthodontic treatment and went on to receive coverage in the South London Healthcare NHS Trust newsletter. Perhaps most importantly they successfully demonstrated the friendly and welcoming atmosphere patients encounter when undergoing treatment within the orthodontic department at Queen Mary's Hospital.

- Poster Design Competition

Metamorphosis Orthodontics on the Kings Road, in west London ran a poster design competition in the run up to National Orthodontic Week.  This is the second year the practice has run this campaign and the theme for this year's competition was to design a Mascot for NOW.

The winning poster was designed by 12 year old Felix Keane, a patient who has been fitted with fixed braces.   As his orthodontist Runa Mac commented “I just love the dragons with their gem teeth.”

Felix has been awarded a £150 voucher for his winning design which is currently being displayed in the practice.

- NOW campaign with heart

Herts Orthodontics held a NOW event on 17th February so that referring dentists could go back to their practices and promote orthodontics throughout the half term holiday week (when children attend in abundance). A group of fourteen invited general dentists will attend a lecture from Practice Principle Dr Ismail about The Index of Treatment Need; what it is, how does it work, who qualifies. They were also introduced to four orthodontic patients who have been invited to talk about how they reached their decisions to go ahead with treatment and their experiences of treatment.  One of the Associates at the practice will talk about the clinical aspects of treatment and there will be a discussion about any cases the attending dentists feel are suitable for orthodontic treatment or multi-disciplinary care.  On leaving every attendees will be given with a goodie bag and certificate demonstrating that they have received 1 hour of verifiable continuing professional development. 
The practice is also planning to promote NOW amongst its potential patients; giving out freebies and offering a 25% discount voucher for a consultation, which they hope will encourage attending parents to bite the bullet and seek the ortho opinion they have been putting off.

- Total Campaign

 

Total Orthodontics in West Sussex provided free consultations during NOW week. To promote this offer they promoted NOW in advance through flyers, their patient newsletter and via their waiting room DVD. During the week, the practice saw 46 patients for free consultations, 30% of whom went on to have treatment.

 

- Metamorphosis Orthodontics in Parson’s Green ran a Design A Poster Competition for National Orthodontic Week

The competition proved incredibly popular amongst their patients and the practice staff were looking forward to displaying the amazing designs they received in the practice windows when they hold their prize-giving event. Dr Mowla-Copley was thrilled to see the enthusiastic uptake for the competition which helped draw attention to the benefits of orthodontics and promote their practice. The NOW posters were an opportunity for patients to visualise the end result of the beautiful healthy smile they so long for and give them that extra motivation to undergo a treatment that can sometimes feel too long. It was a difficult decision with many high quality entrants and the eventual winner was a lovely 13 year old girl called Pia Brown. The runners up are 8 year old Jessica Steib who painted the gorgeous poster of the 3 children with the slogan 'In a while I'll have a beautiful smile''- which the judges thought that was “just genius”! The other runner up is 12 year old Ernesta Jankunaile who did the amazing poster of the three lips. Their winner Pia was awarded an iTouch and the runners up received £50 worth of Selfridges vouchers each.

- Free Orthodontic Consultations

For NOW week, Century Dental Practice in Putney is planning open evenings where patients will be welcome to attend free consultations with an Orthodontic expert to find out about how orthodontic treatment can improve their appearance. A flyer has been created for the purpose which will be sent to existing patients, local dental practices who don’t have an orthodontic specialist, associates of the practice plus a door drop to homes locally. Marketing Manager Karen Toms commented ‘NOW week has proved to be a big catalyst for focusing the practice’s marketing activities and we are very happy to be part of the campaign’.

- One lucky teenager

March will see the launch of National Orthodontic Week and in order to celebrate and raise local awareness, Quality Orthodontics is launching a competition where one lucky teenager gets the chance to win a free course of orthodontic treatment (ceramic fixed braces). The competition will appear within the Solihull Observer on Thursday 18^th March.  Readers who successfully enter will be invited to Quality Orthodontics Warwick Road, to receive a free consultation ensuring that they are suitable for orthodontic treatment.  The lucky shortlist will be treated to a glitzy party at QO, culminating in the prize draw.

- I would love to have braces because ...

The Brace Place near Keighley, West Yorkshire is celebrating NOW by offering one lucky person the chance to win free braces worth over £2500.  Entrants must be over 18 years old and complete the sentence - ' I would love to have braces because........' and send it and a recent photograph of themselves smiling at the camera to the practice.  Entries will be narrowed down to a final 5 who will be asked to attend the practice for a free consultation, before a panel of judges selects the winner. The Brace Place is also giving away 10 free consultations - 2 each week day of NOW to the first 2 people to call the practice on those days. Kay Greenwood, Practice Manager, has sent posters and flyers to their referring dentists to help promote NOW, as well as e-mailing the editors of local newspapers and radio stations with a press release. Guy Atherton, Principal Orthodontist at the practice will be giving a presentation to the assemblies of years 7 and 8 at South Craven High School, to help raise awareness of orthodontics and the benefits that can be achieved.

- What a great show

To the pride of Practice Principal David Horobin, the team from Chapel Road Orthodontics set up an exhibition stand at the Broadway Mall in Bexleyheath, Kent in celebration of the National Orthodontic Week. This was a great opportunity to highlight the benefits of orthodontics and go through the various treatment options with locals shopping in the vicinity of the practice.

- Game, set and match in Wimbledon

Preparations for NOW are in full flow at the Dental Rooms who will be offering free orthodontic consultations during three open evenings at the practice in Wimbledon Village. During tours of the practice visitors will have their photos taken and have an opportunity to talk to patients in treatment as well as meeting with the Orthodontist Angela Auluck

Dr. Auluck is delighted with the enthusiasm that NOW has created for her staff.  Sporting NOW t-shirts, they will be distributing branded bottled water and leaflets to commuters at Wimbledon station during the morning rush hour on all three days of their promotion.

- An Orthodontic Journey

Shrewsbury Orthodontic Centre is trying to help raise the profile of orthodontics both in the profession and among the general public.

Throughout the week when patients visit the Centre they will be met by a journey of displayed information in the waiting room.  The journey will start with ‘why might I need orthodontics’ and what are the risks and benefits. A display of the components of a fixed appliance and the importance of retainers and much more, with freebies at the end will be available.  On Friday 26^th March the Centre will be open for local dentists and their teams to visit and be met by a similar journey through the Centre.  The aim of this open day is to raise awareness among all the dental team of what may be prescribed for a patient who is referred for orthodontic assessment and possible treatment.  The Centre also wishes to provide some insight as to how the Index of treatment Need works so they can tell their patients with some assurance whether or not they would qualify for NHS treatment.  In addition to this, the practice’s local PCT has developed a new ‘Orthodontic Clinical Network Referral Form’ which will be available for discussion, this is for all dentist’s to use when referring a patient for an assessment.  Experienced orthodontic DCP’S and Clinicians from the Centre will be at hand to answer any questions.  Freebies and light refreshments will also be available. This will be a good way of getting some non verifiable CPD.

- NOW events in Berkshire

For the launch of NOW Park Lane Orthodontics have organised a schools competition Called “MAKE US SMILE”, where students throughout the Berkshire county will be using their creative skills to impress the panel and make then smile. The winners and runners up will be presented their prizes at the official launch party on the afternoon of March 20th at the Jazz Café, Madejski Stadium.

The party will be open to people who register on the Park Lane Orthodontics website and attendees will be given a free goodie bag and entered in to a free prize draw to win one of three prizes.  Anyone who books an orthodontic assessment, will be entered into a separate prize draw to win a holiday for two.

- Ortho Info

Wetherby Orthodontics in Yorkshire are holding an "Ortho-Info" Day on 25th March with free initial consultations offered to both adults or children all throughout the day. In addition to this, a free open evening will be held in the evening in which people can visit the practice, meet the team to find out details about orthodontics, including a ten minute session with orthodontist Megan Hatfield. All week patients of the practice can enter into a free prize draw to win an iPod.

- Famous Faces with Braces

Another exciting venture which is being launched on the NOW launch day, is the Orthodontic Therapy Charity Foundation.

This is a new and innovative Foundation conceived by a group of orthodontic therapists which aims to raise funds for worthwhile causes, and all orthodontic therapists in the UK will be encouraged to take part in the fundraising. The Foundation is run by a committee of Orthodontic Therapists who give their time generously and eagerly. Each year, a charity will be chosen, and for the first year, CLAPA (www.clapa.com ) will be the first charity which will benefit from the Foundation’s fundraising efforts. At the end of the year, all the funds raised will be tallied and a single sum donated to this good cause.

The launch will be timed to coincide with launch of NOW at the National Portrait Gallery on Monday 22 March 2010 – and the orthodontic therapists are promising an arrival that you will never forget!

Anyone can donate to the Foundation either by fundraising themselves or via a new website which has been set up by the Orthodontic Therapy Charity Foundation www.otcf.org.uk.

- Getting the right angle

The theme for the Angle House Orthodontic’s campaign for NOW is Adult Orthodontics and Sandra Lynch from the practice told us about the myriad of initiatives the practice has conceived:

They are offering free consultations for adults during NOW at all our branches. They have uploaded the NOW logo to our website and people visiting will now be able to reserve a consultation. They are leaflet dropping through local newspapers. They have sent a mailshot to all GDP's who refer to us letting them know. They have ordered NOW t-shirts for staff to wear now in the run up to NOW. They have ordered cupcakes to be delivered to our referring practices with leaflets for NOW week. They are also delivering leaflets to local businesses. NOW posters & displays going up in waiting areas. The NOW video is to be shown in waiting areas.

- Helen's NOW Campaign

Helen Newbrooke, an orthodontic colleague who has helped put together the NOW campaign has outlined what they are doing in her practice in the run up to NOW:

The practice has created its own competition showing six before and after photos and are challenging people to match up the correct before and after pairs. They have also produced information posters on orthodontics with questions to answer plus tie-breaker on why having orthodontic treatment is important to the patient. In addition they are going to take a group picture of the orthodontic staff in NOW T-shirts and write an advertorial for the local paper on the NOW campaign. They plan to contact the two local radio stations to ask them to mention NOW periodically in their What’s Happening this Week? slots. During the week their orthodontic co-ordinator will be on hand to actively encourage participation and answer questions on orthodontics

- Cycling their way to success

Julie Betts of Weston Orthodontic Centre has contacted us to tell us that the staff at their practice will be very fit by the time NOW ends. They have ordered their NOW T shirts which all staff will start wearing them 2 weeks leading up to the start of the event. The practice has liaised with Hutton Moor Leisure Centre (a local leisure centre)which is going to loan them an exercise bike for the week 22nd March and ALL staff will be taking it in turns to ride the bike during the week. They are aiming to cycle 603 miles during the week which is the equivalent of cycling from Lands End to John O Groats (as the crow flies). They will be doing this for their chosen charity - Weston Hospice Care and have arranged for the local paper to visit them on Thursday 25th March to take photos and do an interview which will be published the week after the event. They have registered with Weston Hospice and are just awaiting buckets and collection tins... then it is on with the NOW T-shirts and the cycling begins.

- More reason to smile in Newcastle

Cheryl Cole’s dazzling smile should soon meet competition as a practice in her home town - Oraprime Orthodontics - is offering patients the chance to win 4 Philips Sonicare toothbrushes in celebration of the National Orthodontic Week following a photo caption competition run online. What’s more, the practice’s Principle Katherine Davies will be on Radio Newcastle on Monday 22nd of March on the early morning Alfie and Charlie show! Many reasons that should bring a few smiles