Handing out dental promotional items is a proven method of delighting your patients.  Whether you hand out giveaways to say “thank you for your business” or as a way to entice new patients to come to visit your dental office, promotional dental items can be a powerful way of branding your dental office. Dental promotional items have a huge advertising potential, since most patients go to the dentist for cleanings or exams twice per year.

Giving away dental promotional products is much more than a simple marketing tactic and good public relations. By doing so, you’re also reminding your existing patients or potential patients of the importance of good oral health and care. 

Many dental practices offer their patients a small bag that contains a toothbrush, toothpaste, and some dental floss. While this is a good tactic to give out the message of good oral hygiene, it doesn’t really pack a punch when it comes to promoting and branding your dental office.

So, here are five ideas for promotional items for your dentist office that can really send out a good message and will stand out from other dental practices.

Here are five best dental promotional items that go beyond the toothbrush and toothpaste.

1. Keychain With a Custom Tooth-Shaped Dental Floss

Dental-themed promotional items are always a patient favorite. This is a unique item that many people would actually appreciate as it doubles as a keychain along with dental floss. So, now your patients can take their dental floss wherever they go, so they can floss after they eat, no matter where they are.  This promotional giveaway is a perfect way of reminding your patients to regularly floss wherever they go.

2. Goodie Bags

Just make sure you place your giveaways in a reusable goodie bags. Chances are, you’ve seen the little goodie bags that dental offices hand out. They’re usually stuffed with a toothbrush, floss, and toothpaste. But, what if you could provide your patients with a more custom goodie bag that comes with a variety of colors and features like drawstrings, and features your dental practice name, logo, colors. 

And, they are perfect for little kids. You can throw in some small toys or stickers, and, of course, the samples of dental products. 

3. A Tooth Toy or Stress Ball

A fun gift for both children and adults. Adult patients can sit behind their work desks and destress as they squish the tooth stress ball, and kids can play with it as a fun toy. It may even help reduce anxiety in kids (and adults) who fear to go to the dentist.

4. Water Bottles

Water doesn’t just quench your thirst. It’s also good for your teeth since it helps rinse away debris and sugar and fight dry mouth. You can showcase your logo and keep your patients hydrated with a customized water bottle. Water bottles are also something you can toss in the reusable goodie bags. 

5. Hand Sanitizers

Hand sanitizer is another popular promotional product and for good reason. It works against a whole range of viral and bacterial illnesses. And, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests you use sanitizers that have 60% or more alcohol content when water and soap isn’t available. 

Therefore, your dental patients will be appreciative if you include hand sanitizer as one of your promotional products. Add it along with a couple of other gifts into a nylon tote and you have the perfect giveaway to draw attention to your dental office. 

When to Give Out Your Best Dental Promotional Products?

Now that you have five ideas of dental promotional products, you should consider your timing or when you should hand them out.

When trying to decide when you should give your dental promotional items away, you’ll want to take various scenarios into consideration, such as:

• New patients: Promotional items are a great way of welcoming new patients
• After appointments: Make sure your patients don’t leave your dental office empty-handed
• Community events: If you plan on being present at an event, what items do you plan on handing out?
• Contests or promotions: You could throw a social media contest and offer a promotional item as the prize. Of course, you’ll want it to be a bit more than a hand sanitizer or a baggie of dental samples

Making the Most Out of Your Dental Promotional Products

You’ll have to keep in mind that buying dental promotional items for your dental office is an investment you’ll need to leverage. So, always include your contact information and practice name is printed on them when possible. Obviously, you might not be able to print your practice name on a bottle of hand sanitizer, but you can print it on the reusable promotional tote bag you put it in. 

You can usually receive volume discounts when you buy in bulk and you’ll save more money. Dental promotional products will make both new and existing patients feel appreciated, and they’ll help your dental practice stand out.

You can typically get volume discounts from the provider of the product by buying in bulk (call it the ‘Costco effect’ – the more you buy, the more you save). Dental promotional items will make your existing patients feel appreciated and your practice stand out.

Statistics show patients use dental practice giveaways if they find value in them. While you don’t need to be giving out Fitbits or anything like that which would definitely get costly, you should put in some creative effort to be unique in what you offer and your patients will appreciate the gesture and likely be more loyal to your practice. 

Not to mention, when your patients use your dental promotional items, it acts like word-of-mouth marketing where their friends will see the items with your dental practice name on them and maybe even start using your services as well.