In 2014, I recognized that social media was transforming other industries and dentistry was slow to adapt. Synonymously, social media was creating a cultural change in consumer behaviors in one particular market, the millennials. Millennials are a generation who document their lives online. Consequently, the pressure of having your perfect smile has never been greater. On paper this creates an ideal business landscape for the dental industry, but shockingly the associations with dentists and hygienists were negative and focused around pain, high cost and inconvenience. Few associated their perfect smile with their local dentist or hygienist. Instead, quick fix toothpastes and gimmicky products promoted online by influencers, resonated highly. I wanted to change that, so I developed my own personal brand. #LiveToSmile launched in 2015 as a dental lifestyle brand, focusing on the importance of living to smile. By creating a relatable online presence, advocating an aspirational lifestyle from a confident female finding her way in business, I aimed to educate and influence millennials. Through showing my personality, values and dental knowledge via social media, I started to build trust and breakdown the negative cliches of dentistry. I gained hundreds of new patients who were willing to pay a premium to take care of their smile. In 2016 I proudly launched #LiveToSmile into a third practice on the famous Harley Street, London. In 2017 I became a key opinion leader for the global brand Philips. All of which has been as a result of my social media campaigns and goal of challenging the perception of dentistry.
