Referral Marketing for Oral Surgeons: Working With Dentists

Referral marketing for oral surgeons means making it easy for general dentists to send you the right cases, then making them glad they did. That comes down to a clear referral path, a front desk that books the patient quickly and warmly, a thank-you that closes the loop, and a monthly count of referrals by office.

On my way to jaw surgery I sat through consults with dentists, orthodontists and surgeons, so I know how much a patient decides in the gap between one office and the next. Here's how I'd set up that handoff for your practice.

Know who refers to you today

Start with a list of every office that sent you a patient in the last year and how many patients each one sent. Your practice management software can usually pull it, and a simple spreadsheet works fine. Sort it and you'll see your steady referrers, the offices that used to send cases and stopped, and the nearby offices that have never sent one.

Our free referral tracker by referring office gives your team a ready layout.

Make referring easy for the dentist's team

The person who actually sends the referral is usually a front desk coordinator or assistant at the general dentist's office, not the dentist. Make their job simple:

• One phone number and one way to send the referral, printed the same on every slip and on your website.
• A short referral page on your website that tells the patient what happens next, who they'll talk to and what to bring.
• A named person on your team the referring office can call with questions.

Book the patient while they're still motivated

A referral only turns into a case if the patient calls and your team books the consult. Write down what your front desk says when a referred patient calls, answer the questions patients ask most, and make sure calls are answered or returned the same way every time. Our front desk scripts are a starting point, and dental call tracking shows you which calls were missed.

Close the loop with the referring office

Referring offices want to know their patient was looked after. Let the referring office know the patient was seen, and thank them. Our free referral thank-you letter for doctors is ready to copy and sign. Share patient details with the referring office only in the ways your privacy policy and your attorney allow.

Gifts, lunches and events for referring offices can raise legal questions. Ask your attorney before you plan any of them.

Measure referrals the same way every month

Once a month, look at referrals by office next to last month's. Watch for a steady referrer who goes quiet; a quick call from you often tells you why. Put the count beside your Google and AI search numbers so you can see which source sent each case, which is how we report at Double Jaw. You can read more in marketing strategies for oral surgeons.

Questions oral surgeons ask about referral marketing

Should we still market to patients directly if most cases come from referrals?

Yes. A referred patient may look you up before calling, so your website, Google Business Profile and reviews are part of the referral. They help the patient decide to call.

Who should own referral relationships on our team?

Pick one person, often the office manager or a referral coordinator, to keep the tracker current and be the contact for referring offices. The surgeon still makes the personal calls that matter.

How do I know if referral marketing is working?

Count referrals by office every month and compare them with the same month last year. A rising count from the offices you focused on is a good sign, and a quiet month from a steady referrer is worth a call.

Want a second set of eyes on your referral path?

Book a free Practice Marketing Review. It's 15 minutes with me by phone or Zoom, and afterward you get your written Double Jaw Method Plan, yours to keep whether or not we work together. Book a free review.

See how we work with OMS practices on our oral surgeon marketing page, and how the pieces fit together in the Double Jaw Method.

General information, not legal or medical advice. Rules differ by state and change, so have your attorney review before you use it.