The latest news on COVID-19:

During the COVID-19 crisis, get updates and information at ADA and your state’s website. Please follow the official guidance, stay safe and help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Contact Us if you have more questions and thank you for your cooperation.

The latest news on COVID-19:

During the COVID-19 crisis, get updates and information at ADA and your state’s website. Please follow the official guidance, stay safe and help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Contact Us if you have more questions and thank you for your cooperation.

The Dental Geek Meets Dr. Paul Crane, Founder of IBBC – A Unique Website for Dental Professionals and Their Patients

Author: Dr. Paul Crane
Dr. Paul Crane

Dr. Paul Crane

Dr. Paul Crane has been practicing periodontics on Long Island, NY for almost 30 years. His belief and passion that interdental brushes are regrettably underutilized led to the creation of the IBBC. The IBBC method offers a winning outcome for consumers (patients), dentists, interdental brush manufacturers and the IBBC mission.
05.16.13 / 9:46 am

The IBBC, which stands for the Interdental Brush Buyer’s Club, was developed by a colleague periodontist, Dr. Paul Crane. Through partnerships with leading interdental brush manufacturers including G•U•M®/Proxabrush®, Piksters™, TePe® and Staino®, a novel marketing approach has been created which offers a winning outcome for patients, dentists, the IBBC mission and interdental brush manufacturers.

IBBC Logo

The Dental Geek: Hi Dr. Crane. First of all, we’d like to thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. We’re eager to learn about the IBBC and how it benefits us “dental geeks” who are passionate about the industry and providing the best possible oral care for patients.

To get started, would you mind giving us a brief summary of what the IBBC is all about?

2 1

Dr. Paul Crane:

Sure, I’d love to. The Interdental Brush Buyer’s Club is a “one of a kind” dentist and patient-friendly information website and web store developed to solve interdental brush compliance problems.

Our mission is to improve periodontal, dental and general health through incentives, education and promotion of interdental brushes. The IBBC recognizes and addresses the many reasons why interdental brushes have been so underutilized.

The Dental Geek:  As a periodontist, why did you see the need for a system like this?

Dr. Paul Crane:

My passion to promote interdental brushing starts with a firm belief that when embrasure space allows and when used correctly, interdental brushes are considered by a majority of dental professionals to be an easier and preferred means to clean in-between teeth and consequently maintain dental, periodontal and overall health. On the website, you’ll find a bibliography and abstracts of many clinical studies that support this position.

For years I’ve been thinking about a better way to help myself, my fellow dentists and all of our patients to overcome obstacles inherent to the way interdental brushes have been brought to market.

  1. The first obstacle is the overhead costs to dentists for a sufficient sample supply of interdental brushes to properly introduce their patients to the habit with instruction, appropriate sizing and trial and error.
  2. The second obstacle is that too frequently patients are only briefly introduced to interdental brushes and are told to find “whatever” brand is available. Pharmacies typically have poor selections, limited sizes and are most often overpriced.
  3. The third obstacle is maintaining long-term compliance in that even patients who are doing well with the habit often lose the routine if and when they forget to repurchase a new supply.
  4. The fourth obstacle is the extensive amount of time and effort required from dental professionals to educate and adequately reinforce this lifelong quality habit for their patients.

The Dental Geek: What are you hoping the IBBC brings to dental professionals?

Dr. Paul Crane:

The IBBC website is framed on a unique (patent pending) marketing method. It starts by recognizing that since dental professionals are the gateway to patients, promoting interdental brushes, they should receive their sample brushes at no cost. The use of online purchasing and custom shopping cart software makes this possible. The method includes a partnership with “best quality” interdental brush manufacturers (including G•U•M/Proxabrush, Piksters, TePe and Staino) and the ability for dentists to accumulate credit towards the purchase of their office supply of samples. This will create an allegiance to the represented brands and give incentive for the dentist to recommend the brand most suited for a particular patient.

In participation with the IBBC, the dental professional introduces the preferred brand of brush to their patient with adequate instruction, sizing and supply of samples. The patient is then instructed to purchase their brushes from the IBBC website and enter a dentist-specific discount code (we suggest the easy-to-remember dentist’s office telephone number) which will persuade the patient to purchase on the website and allow tracking. The dentist then accumulates purchase credits (7% of their patient’s accumulated purchases) towards samples of any of the brands on the website. Free samples will enable improved education and utilization of interdental brushes. Disclosure of dentists’ credits for patients’ purchases is not only ethical but may create further compliance in that the patient will know that the dentist will be receiving a secure report on the quantity of their interdental brush purchases. I think patients will appreciate having dentists receive samples for their purchases as payback for the samples they have received themselves.

The Dental Geek: What benefits are unique to the patient?

Dr. Paul Crane:

The IBBC facilitates continued compliance and long-term periodontal dental and general health by promoting reduced pricing, encouraging larger quantity orders, and specializing in automatic shipments of interdental brushes. Finally, a web store where patients can find the exact size and brand recommended providing a stress-free experience.

3 4 5

We also provide unequaled education and instruction through text and the following original 3-D videos:

In summary, the IBBC website strives to make it as easy as possible for patients to learn how to use interdental brushes and to remain compliant with them.

Prescription pads are provided to the dental office, making it simple to direct the patient to the website, view the instructional videos and purchase the size and brand recommended.

We also offer a toll free customer service number to help patients who prefer a live voice to answer any questions and assist in joining and purchasing.

For incentives, the IBBC provides patients with a 5% discount for using a doctor’s referral code, a 5% discount for ordering with recurring shipments and free shipping for purchases over $49.

The Dental Geek: Why does the IBBC offer an incentive discount for automatic shipments?

Dr. Paul Crane:

IBBC emphasizes automatic shipments because I’ve found that a “weak link” regarding the continued use of interdental brushes is that patients who are doing wonderfully with the habit often lose the routine if and when they forget to repurchase an adequate supply.

The IBBC offers additional discounts to patients if they select an automatic shipment option, as this would be a good start to help solve this compliance problem. Patients will no longer have the need to remember to repurchase and they will be enticed to buy in larger quantities. The idea is that if patients have them readily available… they will use them!

It’s also a way for dentists to passively pyramid their sample purchase credits, with encouragement to suggest an automatic shipment option for a 2-, 3-, or a 4-month larger order. The most important thing is that this is what our patients truly need!

The Dental Geek: How can dental professionals sign up?

Dr. Paul Crane:

Participation with the IBBC requires a no-obligation, no-fee membership. Registration is simple and can be completed either directly on the website or by phone. All we ask for is your name, office/mailing/email address, telephone number and to create two passwords. One password is to distribute to your patients to use as a discount code.This will track your referred patients’ purchases and link them to your credits for samples. The second password is for your secure log-in page which will show a ledger view of how many credits you have collected and used as well as a description of your patients’ transactions, including automatic shipment selection. You can then use these credits instead of money to obtain your supply. Isn’t this a great idea?

The Dental Geek: What questions should a dental office ask when deciding whether or not to join the IBBC?

Dr. Paul Crane:

  1. Would you recommend interdental brushes more to your patients if they were easier to properly introduce, easier to find and were more affordable?
  2. How much do you currently spend each month providing interdental brush samples to your patients?
  3. Do your patients already think you get your interdental brush samples for free?
  4. Would you be interested in an easy-to-join, risk-free program that would provide your office with free interdental brush samples and at the same time provide unparalleled education and instruction to reinforce your in-office introduction?

If you answer yes to any or all of the questions, I think it’s a simple choice!

The Dental Geek: The IBBC slogan, WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN refers to patients, dentists, the IBBC mission and manufacturers. What do manufactures gain by participating in the IBBC?

Dr. Paul Crane:

The IBBC method offers manufacturers the opportunity to expand their marketing base and advertise to dentists and their patients. The IBBC promotes participating brands by enabling distribution of samples to dental offices at no additional cost to the manufacturer. Certainly more interdental brushes will be sold.

Each brand has its own web page offering product and parent company information. We presently represent four of the highest quality interdental brush manufacturers available. These brands include G•U•M/Proxabrush, which will be launching its new design in June 2013, Piksters, TePe and Staino. The Interdental Brush Buyer’s Club is the perfect site for dentists and their patients to make comparisons and have a wide selection to choose from.

 

Dr. Paul Crane

Dr. Paul Crane has been practicing periodontics on Long Island, NY for almost 30 years. His belief and passion that interdental brushes are regrettably underutilized led to the creation of the IBBC. The IBBC method offers a winning outcome for consumers (patients), dentists, interdental brush manufacturers and the IBBC mission.

Dr. Paul Crane

Dr. Paul Crane

Dr. Paul Crane has been practicing periodontics on Long Island, NY for almost 30 years. His belief and passion that interdental brushes are regrettably underutilized led to the creation of the IBBC. The IBBC method offers a winning outcome for consumers (patients), dentists, interdental brush manufacturers and the IBBC mission.

One response to “The Dental Geek Meets Dr. Paul Crane, Founder of IBBC – A Unique Website for Dental Professionals and Their Patients”

  1. Dear Dr.Paul,
    Glad to see that you are focussing your energy on the market of interdental brush.
    Our company is a leading manufacturer of interdental brush pruducts in China.

    The famous American brand DR. Fresh is our customer,their AIM brand interdental brush are provided by us.

    I suggest that you take a look at our web,and maybe we can have a close work in these products.

    For example,sell your owen brand.

    Pls contact us if any questions.

    Best regards

    Owen

    ——————————————————————————–

    Qingdao Loolink Industrial Imp.&Exp. Co.,Ltd.

    Tel:86-532-5550182

    MP:86-015859219626

    E-mail:loolinks.owen@gmail.com ; owen@loolink.com;

    Website:www.loolink.com

    Add:No.271,Changcheng Road,Chengyang,Qingdao,Shangdong,China.

Leave a Reply to owen Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

WordPress Anti-Spam by WP-SpamShield