When you’re trying to promote a service, your instinct might be to only highlight the benefits. In some cases it’s best to emphasize the pain points. Why focus on the negative instead of the positive? When someone is suffering from the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea or temporomandibular joint disorder, the first thing they identify with is their struggles.
Each Journey Begins With a Struggle
If someone is suffering from constant exhaustion and has hypertension in addition to weight gain, they will NOT instinctively research sleep apnea. Instead, they will thoroughly investigate which disorders include the symptoms that are affecting them. From WebMD to Wikipedia (the most frequented sites used to research health conditions), symptoms are the most direct way to find out what ails you. Headaches, ear-popping, shoulder tension, and snoring are not only symptoms, they are search terms that will help those in need identify you as someone who can provide relief.
Use This to Your Advantage
When a potential patient worries that their jaw pain may be an indication of a greater problem, the first thing they will type into a search field is “jaw pain.” This is your first opportunity to help sufferers learn all of the symptoms associated with TMD and exactly how you can help. The same goes for sleep apnea. Those who think they’re getting a full night’s sleep yet feel exhausted during the day are going to enter their problem into the search field and hope that the internet provides them with answers.
Your mission as a dentist is to provide your patients with relief from anything that detracts from their smile or their quality of life. While your instinct may be to offer solutions to their problems, sometimes the best course of action is to help patients find a name for their pains.
