7 Steps to Get More Patients
You have probably tried something already. An agency that promised the diary would fill up. A round of ads. A redesigned website with a gallery you were proud of. And the consultations still did not come the way you hoped.
You are not alone. Most orthodontic practices spend money on marketing without a clear process, and end up unsure whether any of it worked. Braces are a considered, expensive, long-term decision for your patients — so the marketing that wins them is different from the marketing that wins a toothache.
This article gives you a process. Simple, clear, and built around how braces patients actually behave when they are choosing where to straighten their teeth — or their child's.
What you will get:
- A 7-step marketing process built for braces and orthodontic practices
- An understanding of how your patients find and choose you
- The activities most likely to bring real results — in order of priority
Solo Practitioner or Clinic
Whether you are a single orthodontist building a list or a multi-chair practice with an established team, the process below does not change. What changes is your voice and your positioning.
As a solo practitioner, your name and your reputation are the practice. Patients are choosing you to guide a one-to-two-year treatment, so personal trust, your credentials, and your own before-and-after results carry the message. Speak in the first person and let people feel they are dealing with the clinician directly.
As a clinic, you are selling the strength of a team and a system — consistency, availability across more appointment slots, and a reassuring environment. Your positioning leans on the practice's collective results and reviews rather than one individual. The same seven steps and the same marketing for clinics framework apply; only the tone shifts.
The process is identical for a solo orthodontist and a busy clinic — only the voice telling the story changes.
Before You Start: One Thing to Know
Good marketing is not built on gut feeling, trends, or whatever an agency happens to be selling. It is built on understanding your patients and making deliberate decisions based on that. For braces, that means recognising you are marketing to someone who is researching, comparing, and deciding over weeks — not someone in pain who books the first clinic that answers.
Stop gambling with your marketing budget. Build a process and invest with confidence.
Step 1: Set a Clear Goal
Start with a specific number.
Example: "I want 10 new orthodontic cases per month."
Braces cases are higher in value and fewer in volume than routine dental visits, so your target number will be lower — but each one is worth far more. That changes how much you can afford to spend to win one.
Your goal must be:
- Specific and measurable
- Realistic for your location and practice size
- The foundation every other decision is built on
If you do not know what success looks like, you will never know if you are getting there.
Set your target in cases, not clicks — a single signed orthodontic case is worth hundreds of website visits.
Step 2: Know Who You Are Targeting
For most orthodontic practices, there are two core patients, and neither is acting on impulse.
The first is the parent of a teenager, weighing up where to take their child for braces. The second is the adult — often between 25 and 45 — considering Invisalign or clear aligners for themselves, frequently for the first time.
Both share the same behaviour:
- They already know they want straighter teeth
- They are researching and comparing two or three practices
- They are local — they will attend many appointments over one to two years
- They are deciding deliberately, not urgently
This is your core segment. They are not browsing idly, but they are not in a hurry either. They are evaluating who to trust with a long, expensive commitment.
A braces patient is not looking for the nearest practice — they are looking for the one they can trust for the next two years.
Step 3: Understand How They Choose You
When someone chooses an orthodontist, they do not behave like an emergency dental patient. The decision is slower and the ranking is different. Because braces are expensive and the relationship is long, trust and results come first.
For a considered braces patient, the order is:
- Reputation and results — Do the reviews and before-and-after photos reassure me?
- Price and payment options — Can I spread the cost into manageable monthly payments?
- Proximity — Is it convenient, given I will visit many times over the treatment?
- Availability — How soon can I get a consultation? (Important, but rarely the deciding factor.)
A practice with 40 genuine reviews, a wall of real before-and-after results, and a clear finance plan will beat a beautiful website with no proof every single time.
For braces, patients buy trust and results first and price second — proximity and availability only break the tie.
Step 4: Choose Your Channel
The braces patient almost always begins with a Google search, even if they take weeks to act on it:
- "Invisalign near me"
- "braces for teenagers [city]"
- "orthodontist [city]"
- "how much do clear braces cost"
This tells you where to focus. Google — both paid and organic — is your primary channel. Everything else supports it. The full marketing for clinics framework covers this in depth across healthcare niches.
There are three types of traffic worth understanding:
- Paid ads — high control, fast results, predictable. Build on this first.
- Word of mouth, reviews and referrals — medium control, built through great patient experiences and visible results. Nurture it constantly.
- Organic search / SEO — low control, slow to build. Pursue it consistently and treat it as a long-term asset.
Because braces results are visual, social media plays a larger supporting role here than it does for urgent dentistry — but it is still a complement to Google, not a replacement for it.
Choose your channel based on where your patients already are — and braces patients start on Google, then check your results before they commit.
Step 5: Define Your Communication Strategy
Once you know your channel, define both what you say and how it looks. For a considered, high-cost treatment, your communication has to do more reassuring than a quick dental ad ever would.
Your message — for braces patients, lead with:
- The results are proven and you can see them
- The cost is manageable through clear payment plans
- The team is expert and trusted
Your visuals — these must match the channel and reinforce the message:
- Google Ads: clean, professional, text-led — clarity and credibility matter most
- Google Business Profile: real photos of your clinic, your team, and genuine before-and-after results
- Website: a strong before-and-after gallery and an obvious, friction-free way to book a consultation
- Social media: high-quality before-and-after transformations and short, genuine videos of your team and environment
Braces patients are spending thousands and committing two years. They are not buying a quick fix — they are buying confidence in an outcome they cannot yet see.
Your before-and-after results communicate trust before a single word does — make sure they are real, clear, and easy to find.
Step 6: Track What Matters
Do not run marketing without measuring it. Review these numbers every month:
- Consultations booked per month
- Where each consultation came from
- Cost per consultation (if using paid ads)
- Consultation-to-case conversion rate
- Average case value
- Google review count and rating
A simple example of how the numbers work for braces: if your website converts visitors to consultation enquiries at around 5%, and you close roughly half of consultations into signed cases, reaching 10 new cases a month means about 20 consultations and around 400 enquiry-stage visitors. With orthodontic clicks costing £4–£7 on Google Ads, having paid search supply half of those visitors costs roughly £800–£1,400 per month — with your Google Business Profile, reviews and referrals delivering the rest.
Know your cost per case before you scale — for braces, one signed case can justify a month of ad spend.
Step 7: Optimise — Cut, Keep, and Improve
Once you have data, ask yourself three questions every month:
- What is working? Do more of it. If "Invisalign [city]" produces cases, raise its budget.
- What is underperforming? Adjust the message, the channel, or the offer. A consultation page that does not convert needs fixing before you spend more driving traffic to it.
- What is clearly not working? Cut it and redirect the budget. Broad, price-shopping clicks that never book are spend you can move elsewhere.
The practices that grow consistently are not the ones with the biggest budgets. They are the ones that pay attention and adapt.
The goal is not a perfect campaign — it is a system that turns more enquiries into signed cases every month.
A Worked Example: Marketing for Braces in Practice
Here is how a single practice might apply all seven steps. Meet Meadow Orthodontics, a fictional practice in Bristol.
Step 1 — Goal. Meadow sets a target of 10 new orthodontic cases per month, at an average case value of £3,800, or roughly £38,000 in new case revenue.
Step 2 — Targeting. Two core groups: parents of teenagers within about 8km, and adults aged 25–45 considering Invisalign. Both are researching and comparing two or three practices before deciding.
Step 3 — How they choose. Meadow accepts that reputation and visible results come first, payment plans second, convenience third, and consultation availability last. They make sure each of those is addressed before spending on ads.
Step 4 — Channel. Google is primary. Meadow targets searches like "Invisalign Bristol", "braces for teenagers Bristol" and "orthodontist near me" through Google Ads, with a fully completed Google Business Profile catching local map searches.
Step 5 — Communication. The message is consistent everywhere: proven results, flexible monthly payment plans, an experienced team. The website leads with a genuine before-and-after gallery and a one-click consultation booking.
Step 6 — Tracking. Meadow needs about 20 consultations to close 10 cases, which means roughly 400 enquiry-stage visitors a month. They put around £1,000–£1,400 into Google Ads to supply about half, and rely on their Google Business Profile, reviews and patient referrals for the rest. They track cost per consultation and the consultation-to-case rate every month.
Step 7 — Optimise. After two months, "Invisalign Bristol" is producing cases cheaply, so Meadow increases its budget. A broad "braces cost" campaign attracts clicks that rarely book, so they cut it and move the money across.
Within a few months, Meadow has a predictable, measurable system — and knows exactly what a new orthodontic case costs them to win.
A worked example turns an abstract framework into a diary full of consultations — the numbers only feel real once you map them to your own practice.
The Activities That Work for Marketing for Braces — In Order of Priority
Based on the process above, here is exactly what to do — and in what order.
1. Your Website — The Foundation Everything Is Built On
Before anything else, you need a website that works. It must load fast on mobile, look trustworthy, showcase real before-and-after results, explain payment options plainly, and make booking a consultation effortless. Every other activity sends patients here first, so a weak website wastes every pound you spend elsewhere.
Your website is your hardest-working team member — and for braces, its job is to turn researchers into booked consultations.
2. Google Business Profile (Google Maps)
Non-negotiable. This is where local searches for an orthodontist land first. Keep it complete — hours, services, finance information, booking link — and stock it with genuine photos and reviews. An incomplete profile makes you invisible to patients comparing local practices.
If your Google Business Profile is incomplete, you are missing the patients already searching for an orthodontist near them.
3. Reviews and Referrals
For a long, expensive treatment, reviews are the most trusted source patients have. They are built through a great experience and a finished result patients are proud of. A simple, friendly follow-up after key appointments, and a clear way for happy patients to refer friends and family, compounds over time at no cost.
A patient who loves their new smile is your most persuasive advertisement — make it easy for them to talk about you.
4. Google Ads and Bing Ads
The fastest way to appear when someone is actively searching for braces or Invisalign right now. You pay per click, and orthodontic clicks cost more than general dental, but these are high-value patients. Bing Ads are often overlooked and typically cost less. This only works if your website and consultation booking are fast and frictionless.
Paid search is not an expense — it is the most controllable way to put your practice in front of patients ready to research braces.
5. Social Media and Before-and-After Content
For braces, social media earns a higher place than it does in most healthcare niches, because results are inherently visual. Before-and-after transformations on Instagram build trust and reach with patients still deciding. It still rarely beats Google for patients actively searching, so treat it as a genuine supporting channel — kept local, genuine, and consistent — rather than your foundation.
Social media works best when you have something worth showing, and a transformed smile is exactly that.
6. Organic Search / SEO
SEO builds long-term visibility and credibility in Google's natural results. Allow three to six months before meaningful traffic arrives. Your Google Business Profile is the fastest local SEO win. Run it alongside paid activity, never instead of it.
SEO will not fill your diary this month — but neglected long enough, it will cost you next year.
7. Follow-Up and Retention System
Braces treatment runs over many months, so a structured follow-up system keeps patients engaged throughout, brings undecided enquiries back, and turns finished cases into reviews and referrals. A message after key appointments, a check-in for those still deciding, and a simple referral path do the work quietly.
A patient mid-treatment or recently finished is your warmest source of referrals — do not let them go quiet.
8. Letterbox Flyers With a Strong Offer
Underrated and effective, especially for newer practices building local presence. Target homes and workplaces within a short radius, and lead with a compelling consultation or assessment offer. You may not profit on the first visit, but a signed orthodontic case is worth far more than the cost of the flyer.
A great offer gets them through the door for a consultation — a great result keeps the referrals coming.
Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing for Braces
These are the questions orthodontic practices ask most often when they start marketing seriously. The answers below give you a clear starting point for each.
The practices that win are not guessing at these answers — they have a process behind every one of them.
What is the fastest way to get new braces patients?
Google Ads targeting your local area. You appear at the top of results the moment someone searches for braces, Invisalign or an orthodontist nearby, and you only pay when they click. For a considered treatment like braces, it reliably fills your consultation diary faster than any other channel.
Because braces is a researched decision, treat a booked consultation, not an instant booking, as your immediate goal.
How much should a braces or orthodontic practice spend on marketing?
A practical starting point is 5–10% of your target monthly case revenue. If your goal is £35,000 in new orthodontic cases per month, a marketing budget of roughly £1,750–£3,500 is reasonable. Start with what you can commit to consistently, measure your cost per case, and scale from there.
How important are reviews for an orthodontic practice?
They are often the single most important factor. Braces are a long, expensive commitment, so patients lean heavily on the experiences of others before booking a consultation. A steady flow of genuine, positive reviews builds trust, improves local search visibility, and directly influences how many patients choose you.
Make collecting reviews a structured habit, prompted at the end of treatment when patients are happiest with their result.
Does a braces practice need a website?
Yes, without question. Your website is the foundation every other marketing activity is built on. Ads, SEO, your Google Business Profile and referrals all send patients there first. For braces, it must also showcase before-and-after results and explain payment options clearly, or you lose patients before they enquire.
What is the difference between Google Ads and SEO for braces marketing?
Google Ads places you at the top of results immediately; you pay per click, but bookings can arrive within days. SEO builds visibility in the natural results over months and costs nothing per click once established. The strongest approach uses both: paid ads now, SEO growing in the background.
What is a Google Business Profile and why does it matter for orthodontists?
A Google Business Profile is the free listing shown on Google Maps and local search, displaying your name, address, hours, photos and reviews. For an orthodontic practice it is often a patient's first impression. Keeping it complete and full of genuine reviews is one of the highest-return activities available.
How does a follow-up system help a braces practice grow?
It keeps patients engaged across a long treatment and turns finished cases into reviews and referrals. A message after each appointment, a check-in for those still deciding, and a simple referral path mean satisfied patients send others your way — your cheapest and most trusted source of new cases.
How local should braces marketing be?
Very local. Patients attend many appointments over 12–24 months, so they rarely travel far for orthodontic treatment. Focus your ads, SEO content and any physical marketing within a realistic radius of your practice. The tighter your local targeting, the more cost-effective every pound of your marketing becomes.
How long does braces marketing take to show results?
It depends on the channel. Google Ads can fill consultations within days. SEO typically takes three to six months. Reviews and referrals build steadily over months and years. Because braces is a considered decision, expect a longer gap between first click and signed case than with urgent dental treatment.
Can a braces practice grow without paid advertising?
Yes, but it takes longer. A strong Google Business Profile, consistent reviews, before-and-after content and SEO can build a full caseload over time without paid ads. However, paid advertising is the most direct way to accelerate growth, especially for a new practice. The two approaches work best together.
What is the biggest marketing mistake braces practices make?
Spending money without a clear goal or a way to measure results. The second is treating braces patients like urgent dental patients, when they are making a considered, researched decision. Marketing without a process is expensive guesswork; a clear goal and the right channel beat any single tactic.
How do I market a new orthodontic practice?
Three priorities first: build a fast, trustworthy website with before-and-after results and clear payment options; set up and fully complete your Google Business Profile; and launch a targeted local Google Ads campaign. Add a strong introductory consultation offer to build your early caseload before adding anything else.
Should an orthodontist invest in social media marketing?
More than most healthcare niches, yes. Braces produce visible before-and-after results that perform well on Instagram and TikTok, making social a genuine support channel. It still rarely outperforms Google for patients actively searching, so treat it as a complement, not a foundation. Keep it local, genuine and consistent.
How do I market Invisalign and clear aligners?
Lead with the benefits patients search for: discreet, removable and comfortable. Target keywords like "Invisalign near me", show real before-and-after results, and be upfront about cost and payment plans. Adults researching clear aligners compare carefully, so trust signals and finance options matter more than urgency or speed.
How important are before-and-after photos in braces marketing?
They are among your most persuasive assets. Braces patients are buying a result they cannot yet see, so genuine before-and-after images give them the confidence to book. Use them, with consent, on your website, Google Business Profile and social channels. Authentic results build more trust than any claim.
If you take one thing from this guide, let it be this: braces patients decide slowly and deliberately, so your job is to earn their trust before they ever pick up the phone. Build the website, complete the Google Business Profile, gather genuine reviews and before-and-after results, then let paid search put you in front of the people already looking. For the wider framework that sits behind every niche, read our cornerstone guide to marketing for clinics.