Orthodontic Marketing for Parents, Teens and Adults
Orthodontic marketing is three campaigns, because the person deciding is different each time: a parent choosing for a child, a teen with a parent paying and an adult choosing for themselves. Each needs its own ads, landing page and offer.
A single "braces" campaign treats the parent of a 7-year-old and a 38-year-old professional as the same person, and they aren't looking for the same thing.
Below is what each campaign needs, how to offer a free consult under Florida law and how to keep general dentists referring.
- Parents of young kids, teens and adults are three campaigns with their own ads, pages and offers.
- The AAO recommends a child's first orthodontic check-up by age 7. Build the parent campaign on it.
- "Invisalign near me" gets 135,000 US searches a month, against 18,100 for "braces for adults."
- A free consult ad in Florida needs the 72-hour statement from Fla. Stat. 456.062, in capital letters.
- Use "clear aligners" in ad copy unless Align's provider guidelines let you use the Invisalign name.
What are the three orthodontic marketing campaigns?
Run three: one for parents of young children, one for teens (and the parents paying) and one for adults. They search different things, worry about different things and respond to different offers.
| Patient | Who decides | What they search | What they worry about | What the page answers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child (from about age 7) | Parent | "orthodontist near me," "when should my child see an orthodontist" | Is it too early, will it cost a fortune | Why an early check, what the exam involves, cost |
| Teen | Parent pays, teen has a vote | "braces cost," "invisalign for teens" | Price, how long, how it looks | Braces vs clear aligners, price range, monthly payment |
| Adult | Themselves | "braces for adults," "invisalign cost," "invisalign near me" | Looking like a teenager, time, cost | Adult options, discretion, cost, visits that fit a work schedule |
Aligner searches outnumber braces searches. Semrush's US database shows "invisalign near me" at 135,000 searches a month and "invisalign cost" at 74,000, against 18,100 each for "braces for adults" and "braces cost."
Source: Semrush US database, retrieved 2026-10-14
How do you market to parents of young children?
Build the campaign around the age-7 check-up and the question "is it too early." The American Association of Orthodontists recommends children complete their first check-up with an orthodontist by age 7. Not every parent knows that, so tell them, cite the AAO and explain what the first visit involves.
- Ads: search on "orthodontist near me" and "kids orthodontist," plus Facebook and Instagram ads to parents in your area with a short video of the doctor explaining the age-7 check.
- Landing page: what happens at the first exam, what it costs, what "watch and wait" means and a booking calendar.
- Offer: the exam itself. If it's free, the page needs the Florida 72-hour statement covered below.
Parents also arrive through the pediatric dentist. The referral section below covers that.
A free 15-minute call with Blake by phone or Zoom. You get a written Method Plan for the cases you want, with the first fixes in order. It's yours to keep whether we work together or not.
What does a teen braces campaign need?
It needs price and options, aimed at the parent, with creative the teen won't be embarrassed by. The parent searches "braces cost." The teen has an opinion about brackets versus aligners.
- Ads: search on "braces cost," "braces for teens" and "invisalign teen," plus social ads with real patients from your office (with signed consent) instead of stock photos.
- Landing page: braces and clear aligners side by side, a price range for each, what's included and monthly payment stated as an option.
- Offer: the consult, with a written plan and price the same day.
Any fee you state has to follow Fla. Stat. 466.019(3)(g), which requires fee information to say the fee is a minimum only. Rule 64B5-4.003 adds two more conditions. The advertised service has to be described by its ADA procedure code wording or number, and the fee has to either state its period or stay available for at least 90 days after the last ad.
A range with "starting at," the required disclosure and the service named the way the rule wants covers what both ask for. Have your attorney check the final wording.
What does an adult orthodontic campaign need?
It needs a clear aligner campaign, with a page that looks like it was made for a 38-year-old. Adults search aligner terms, and they may be comparing you to mail-order kits as well as to the orthodontist across town.
- Ads: search on "invisalign near me," "clear aligners" and "braces for adults," plus social ads with the doctor on camera and no kids in the frame.
- Landing page: what the doctor does that a mail-order kit doesn't (the exam, the scan, in-person adjustments), a cost range, the visit count and evening or early appointments if you offer them.
- Offer: the consult, with the scan included if that's true.
Keep the creative inside Meta's ad standards. The Personal Attributes standard prohibits ads that assert or imply a person's health condition, and Meta's Health and Wellness standard says ads must not try to create negative self-perception. Here's the difference in one line each:
Out: "Embarrassed by your crooked teeth?"
In: "Clear aligners for adults. Book a consult with Dr. [Full Name]."
I'm writing this one partly from the patient's side. I had orthodontic treatment as an adult, along with my double jaw surgery. An adult reading a site built for parents, with kids in brackets and a page about "your child's smile," still has no answer to the two questions they came with: what it costs and how many visits it takes. Build the adult page as if the adult is the only one reading it, because they are.
How should an orthodontist offer a free consult in Florida?
Offer it with what the patient gets spelled out and the required statement on the page. Fla. Stat. 456.062 requires any ad for a free or discounted service to carry a statement, in capital letters that stand out, about the patient's right to refuse, cancel or be reimbursed for payment for other services performed within 72 hours of responding to the ad.
"Free consult" in a headline with no statement on the landing page is a compliance miss worth checking for in every orthodontic ad. If you'd rather skip the statement, "Schedule a consultation" with the price listed needs nothing extra. I'm not a lawyer, so run the offer and the creative past yours.
- Any "free" offer carries the 456.062 statement in capital letters
- Any fee says it is a minimum only, per 466.019(3)(g)
- Priced services use ADA code wording, and fees state a period or hold 90 days
- No copy that implies the reader's health or looks need fixing
- Patient photos have a signed HIPAA authorization and likeness consent
- "Clear aligners" in copy unless Align's guidelines allow the name
Source: Fla. Stat. 456.062 and 466.019, Rule 64B5-4.003, Meta ad standards
How do orthodontists get referrals from general dentists?
Make the handoff easy and report back on every patient. A pediatric or general dentist refers to the orthodontist who takes the call, sees the patient fast and tells them what happened. Keep anything of value out of it, because Fla. Stat. 456.054 prohibits kickbacks for patient referrals.
A one-page referral sheet, a named referral coordinator, same-day acknowledgment and a post-consult report cover it. The oral surgery marketing post lays out the full referral program, and it transfers straight to orthodontics.
When should orthodontic campaigns run?
Don't assume the same calendar for all three. Parents may book around the school year, and adults around their own schedule. Set each budget to your own curve, using your own new-patient numbers by month.
What to do next
In the Double Jaw Method™, the top jaw is thinking: name the patient you want more of. The bottom jaw is action: attract them and wow them. Each of the three campaigns names a different patient first: the parent, the teen or the adult. A Method Review applies both jaws to your practice.
- Open your website on your phone and count how many images show adults.
- Split any single "braces" campaign into parent, teen and adult, each with its own landing page. The Google Ads for dentists post covers the campaign setup.
- Read every ad that offers a free exam or consult and check its landing page for the 456.062 statement.
- Pull new-patient exams by month for the last two years, split by age group.
The orthodontist page explains how we build the three, and the Facebook ads for dentists post covers the social side.
FAQ
Can orthodontists use before-and-after photos in ads?
Yes, with the paperwork. The patient signs a HIPAA marketing authorization and a likeness consent first. On Meta, the Health and Wellness standard allows before-and-after transformations for cosmetic procedures when the ad doesn't try to create negative self-perception, and cosmetic procedure ads must be targeted to people 18 and older.
Should orthodontists use the word Invisalign in their ads?
Invisalign is a registered trademark of Align Technology. Use "clear aligners" in your own copy unless you're a provider following Align's brand guidelines, which aren't public, so ask your Align rep what your provider tier lets you say. Once the ad books the consult, the orthodontic consult follow-up post covers turning it into a start.
How do orthodontists get more adult patients?
Give adults their own aligner page and ads that answer cost, visit count, discretion and scheduling. Keep kids out of the photos on that page.
Can an orthodontist advertise a free consultation in Florida?
Yes, as long as the ad and the landing page carry the statement Fla. Stat. 456.062 requires, in capital letters that stand out, covering the patient's 72-hour right to refuse or cancel payment for other services.
Book a Method Review
Book a Method Review: a free 15-minute call with Blake by phone or Zoom about the three campaigns for your practice. You get a written Method Plan with the first fixes in order, yours to keep whether we work together or not.
