Americans’ dental care habits revealed in survey

Data shows that most patients prefer more “modern” dental practices – ones that send both appointment reminders and payment requests via SMS. The study also reveals several bleaker data points illustrating some respondents’ poor oral health habits, based on laziness or forgetfulness, when it comes to good oral hygiene.

“Being a dentist is difficult, not only because taking care of teeth is a complex profession, but because most patients don’t like going to the dentist. Many people are afraid of dental visits because their poor oral hygiene habits almost always end in painful treatments,” said Jeff Lyman, chief product officer at Weave.

Here are some key data points from the study:

• 41% of patients would forget to schedule a cleaning if they didn’t receive a reminder from their dentist.
• More patients like to be reminded about their dental appointments by text message than by phone or email.
• 86% of patients say they pay attention to a text message from their dentist.
• More people say bad breath is more of a dating dealbreaker than being broke.
• Nearly 60% of people who avoid going to the dentist regret it later.
• 41% of patients would prefer to pay their dental bill by SMS, but only 12% say their dentist accepts SMS payments.
• Nearly 70% of patients would gladly leave an online review if their dentist sent them a link to do so.
• 74% of respondents want someone else to tell them if they have bad breath, but 77% are definitely not comfortable telling someone else they have bad breath.
• 30% of people have had their day ruined because they walked around with something stuck in their teeth without knowing it.
• 23% of patients want more laughing gas but are embarrassed to ask.
• 50% of people avoid smiling because they don’t like their teeth.
• 53% of patients went more than three years without having their teeth checked.
• The best moments ruined by food stuck in your teeth include job interviews, first dates, work presentations, sex, family photos, wedding photos, and public speaking.

Weave commissioned independent market research firm TrendCandy to survey a random sample of 1,137 dental patients in the United States. The study was conducted in February 2020 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9% at the 95% confidence level.

(Source: Weaving)