Consumers may not necessarily know that moving teeth is a complex biological process, but rather think it’s only cosmetic. A video campaign from the AAO Consumer Awareness Program (CAP) aims to provide an easy-to-understand look at the science behind orthodontic treatment and the transformations members can provide for patients.

Each video features an AAO member and positions orthodontists as the ultimate authority for beautiful, healthy smiles and correctly aligned bites, also addressing other common questions, based on keyword searches on the AAO consumer website, Google and Bing. The first two videos in the “Science of Smiles” campaign launched in April with the third and fourth videos in the series now being deployed via digital channels employed by the CAP:

● “How do Aligners Straighten My Teeth?”
The video features Dr. Greg Jorgensen, who explains in brief, lay-friendly language what clear aligners are and how they work to address orthodontic issues.

● “What Happens at Your First Orthodontic Appointment
In this video, Dr. Jashleen Bedi briefly presents the purpose and process for each of the three typical components of a first orthodontic appointment: clinical evaluation, X-rays and in-person consultation.

The rollout of the nine Science of Smiles videos will continue over the next few months, with subsequent releases scheduled every eight weeks. In addition to the two newly released videos the series includes:

● “Why Do In-Person Consultations and X-Rays Matter?” (Dr. Greg Jorgensen, released in April)
● How Much Do Braces Cost?” (Dr. Alyssa Emory-Carter, released in April)
● What is an Orthodontist?
● When Do I Take My Child to The Orthodontist?
● How Do Braces Work?
● How Old is Too Old for Orthodontic Treatment?
● How Long Do Braces Take?

Science of Smiles Content Available for Members to Share
Watch the eBulletin and AAO social media pages for the debut of each video in the Science of Smiles campaign (see below). AAO members are encouraged to share content from the series:
 
● Digital tools for each video, including social media posts, web banners and shareable links to the videos,  will be available on the member Practice Marketing Toolkit page
● In addition, for each Science of Smiles video, a “What’s Trending” post on the consumer website blog, Smile Insights, will address the video topic.  

2023-24 Consumer Marketing Brought Record 10 Million Visitors to aaoninfo.org
The all-digital AAO Consumer Awareness Program engages viewers to learn more by clicking to visit the AAO consumer website. The Science of Smiles series debuted with the first two videos shortly before the end of the 2024 fiscal year.

Over the course of Fiscal Year 2024 (June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024) AAO Consumer Awareness Program video campaigns, media outreach, consumer information initiatives and influencer collaborations brought a record 10 million visitors to the consumer website. Metrics included: 

  • 1.2+ Billion impressions (views) achieved – CAP ads appear across platforms like Google display, Paid Search on Google and Bing, YouTube online video, Facebook, and Instagram.  
  • Over 143 million video views – a 70% increase over FY 2023.
  • 14 million-plus+ ad clicks – an 80% increase over last year.  
  • 15 million consumer website page views – a 15% increase over last year 
  • During 2023-24 the CAP drove over 10 million users to the AAO consumer site (the highest recorded for the AAO) and 2.6 million visits to the site’s Find an Orthodontist locator.