Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have become popular avenues for medical professionals to share information beyond their practices.
The use of these platforms is especially favored as a way to fight back against COVID-19 misinformation. During the rise of oral health issues during the pandemic, dental practitioners have found that social media is a helpful tool for combating harmful trends and encouraging positive dental care habits to people nationwide.
Here are five dental professionals with a following on social media to know :
1. Aaleeyah Alim, DMD. In between seeing patients at Crusader Community Health in Rockford, Ill., Dr. Alim posts content on her Instagram, @doctorleeyah, for her more than 18,000 followers. Dr. Alim's posts include oral healthcare tips, peeks inside her daily life as a dentist, and her partnership with Crest sharing the oral healthcare company's products and initiatives.
2. Zainab Mackie, DDS. Dr. Mackie has more than 1 million followers on her TikTok and Instagram pages. Her content includes tutorials such as how to whiten teeth using dental floss and reactions to do-it-yourself trends, which have also been featured on several news outlets, including ABC News and The Washington Post.
3. Ryan Savage, DDS. Dr. Savage operates a multispecialty dental practice in Orange, Calif., and provides teledentistry services via Smile Virtual. His TikTok and Instagram have a combined following of more than 380,000 people.
4. Ben Winters, DDS. Dr. Winters goes by @TheBentist on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. The orthodontist is the owner of Wincrest Orthodontics in Plano, Texas, and Something Nice, an oral care brand that sells electric toothbrushes and toothpaste dispensers. He has more than 15 millions followers across his social media platforms.
5. Iman Zayed. Ms. Zayed, a dental hygienist, has a combined following of more than 275,000 people on her TikTok, Instagram and YouTube channel. Her platforms focus on sharing dental care tips and information about becoming a dental hygienist for aspiring practitioners. She served as director of marketing and patient experience for Chicago-based DSO United Dental Partners and director of partnerships for Boka, an oral care product company.