6 Creative Campaigns Sure To Spread Healthy Smiles and Holiday Cheer

Print & Go GuidanceBy Genni Burkhart

The holiday season is a busy and joyful time for patients and practices. From Thanksgiving feasts to New Year’s parties, there are endless reasons to celebrate—and plenty of opportunities for patients to neglect their oral health.

As a dental practice, you can tap into the festive spirit with holiday-themed campaigns that encourage good habits and keep your appointment books full. Let's review creative and fun ways to engage patients during the holidays and ensure they start the New Year with healthy, beautiful smiles.

Do Holiday Campaigns Work?

The short answer is yes! Patient engagement campaigns over the holidays have shown:

• Targeted marketing emails offer an average of $36 for every $1 spent, making them an efficient marketing tool during the holiday season.
• Short message service (SMS) is a form of marketing that sends customers promotions via text message. SMS messages have a 36% click-through rate, which makes them effective reminders to book appointments.
• Multichannel outreach strategies (combining emails, SMS, social media, and personalized offers) boost engagement by capturing patients' attention through various mediums. This approach aligns well with patient behavior, where 60% prefer booking appointments online or via mobile platforms, a trend focused on efficiency during the busy holiday season.

1. “Smile Bright for the Holidays” Whitening Campaign

The holidays are filled with moments worth capturing, from family photos and office parties to gatherings with loved ones and celebrating time-honored traditions. It’s also the perfect time to promote teeth whitening treatments so your patients can confidently smile through all their holiday festivities.

• Promo Idea: Offer a limited-time discount on whitening services in November and December.
• Example Slogan: "Give yourself the gift of a radiant smile—just in time for holiday gatherings!"
• Bonus: Include a travel-sized whitening kit with bookings made before Thanksgiving.
• Engagement Tip: Encourage patients to share their holiday photos using your branded hashtag (like #BrightHolidaySmile) and tag your social media channels. You can also offer prizes for the most festive entries.

2. 12 Days of Dental Giveaways

Bring some holiday cheer with 12 days of giveaways. Patients (all of us) love freebies, and this campaign creates excitement while encouraging appointments.

Ideas for Giveaways:

• Day 1: Free fluoride treatment with a cleaning.
• Day 2: Discount on electric toothbrushes or in-office products.
• Day 3: Complimentary holiday dental goodie bag (toothbrush, floss, mini toothpaste).
• Day 4: Promotional gifts, including mugs, tumblers, t-shirts, key chains, pens, lanyards, and reusable hot/cold packs.

How to Engage Patients: Run the giveaways on social media and reward bonus entries for patients who book an appointment or refer a new patient. This strategy keeps patients engaged and motivates them to make an appointment before the year ends.

3. “No More Naughty Plaque” Holiday Cleaning Campaign

The holidays are full of indulgent treats, so why not encourage patients to stay off Santa’s “naughty plaque” list with a thorough dental cleaning? This campaign can be incredibly entertaining for pediatric and family dental practices.

• Example Slogan: "Don’t Let Plaque Put You on the Naughty List!"
• Promo Idea: Offer a discount on select services or promote dental cleanings and hygiene visits, emphasizing the importance of a fresh, healthy smile for the holidays.
• Marketing Tip: Use fun visuals, like Santa brushing his teeth or a "Healthy Smile Checklist" featuring oral care tips.
• Patient Engagement: Send holiday emails reminding patients of cosmetic services to brighten their holiday smiles with special offers for cleanings and check-ups before the year ends.

4. Thanksgiving Gratitude Campaign: “We’re Thankful for Your Smile”

Kick off your holiday campaigns before Thanksgiving. Use the season of gratitude as a welcome opportunity to show appreciation for your patients and staff by keeping everyone engaged and acknowledged. It's a great way to build loyalty, improve morale, and strengthen the patient-provider connection.

• Patient Idea: Send personalized thank-you emails to your patients with a "holiday discount." As a gesture of gratitude, give patients with appointments during the holiday season a small gift (coffee mugs or tumblers with your logo and a thankful message).
• Example Slogan: "Grateful for You and Your Smile!"
• Staff Appreciation Idea: Have a potluck or team lunch where everyone receives a playful and personalized recognition/award, such as "customer service crown jewel," "molar maven," or "floss boss."

5. Year-End Insurance Countdown Campaign

The end of the year means many patients still have unused insurance benefits or FSA funds that will expire on December 31st. Promoting patients to maximize their insurance benefits and use their remaining HSA/FSA funds before they expire allows practices to boost revenue while transitioning into the first quarter of the new year. If possible, open up " same-day" or "next-day" appointments for those who've neglected their oral health until the last minute.

• Slogan: "Use it or lose it—book your appointment today!"
• How to Maximize Engagement: Send personalized emails reminding patients about their unused benefits. Include available appointment times (or same/following-day appointments) to make scheduling flexible and accessible.
• Patient Engagement: Offer a small discount on any additional treatments patients may need (like sealants or whitening) to make the most of their visit, adding services they might otherwise overlook.

6. New Year, New Smile Challenge

The new year is the perfect time for a fresh start—and for many, that means making resolutions for better health, including oral health. This campaign should focus on cosmetic treatments like whitening, aligners, and veneers.

• Promo Idea: To kick off the new year, offer limited discounts or a "free cosmetic consultation" to encourage patients to schedule appointments.
• Slogan: "Make 2025 the year for your perfect smile!"
• Patient Engagement: Share before-and-after stories of patients who’ve transformed their smiles (with permission). Post these on social media to inspire others to schedule a consultation.

Year-End Wrap-Up: Spread Holiday Cheer While Promoting Healthy Smiles

With these holiday-themed campaigns, your practice can strengthen connections with staff and patients, promote good oral hygiene habits, and keep your books filled through the arrival of the new year. These campaigns will surely spread joy, health, and holiday cheer through fun giveaways, engaging social media contests, or practical reminders about year-end benefits.

A little festive fun goes a long way—so don’t miss the chance to help your patients ring in the new year with bright, healthy smiles.

Author: With over 14 years as a published journalist, editor, and writer, Genni Burkhart's career has spanned politics, healthcare, law, business finance, technology, and news. She resides in Northern Colorado, where she works as the editor-in-chief of the Incisor at DOCS Education.