If you don’t treat kids, and don’t plan to, this post might not feel relevant. But if you’re even curious about family-centered airway care, or if you’re wondering where the most aligned, self-selecting patients are coming from in the airway space, keep reading. This mom is showing up more than you think.
Why the Doom-Scrolling, FOMO Mom May Be the Future of Your Practice
I am obsessed with understanding who wants to book consults with airway and whole-health focused practices….and why.
Every week, my team and I review recorded calls and campaign data from advertising we run for dental clients.
We’re not just counting leads. We’re listening for patterns. For moments of clarity.
For opportunities to build brand value and reduce marketing risk.
We’re always asking: Are we getting the right people through the door? Are we helping practices meet them with the right message?
And one pattern keeps showing up. Over and over.
It’s a specific kind of caller. Always a mom. Often a little breathless. But sharp. Informed. Emotional, but not erratic. Scared, but not skeptical.
She’s already done the late-night research. She’s read the Reddit threads. She’s watched a TED Talk or something like it.
She knows about mouth breathing, airway issues, and tongue ties. She’s already seen the ENT. She’s already worried surgery might be too much, too soon.
And she’s not calling to ask if you “do cleanings” or how you deal with kids who are afraid of the dentist.
She’s calling because she wants to know if you see what she sees.
How One Type of Mom Is Quietly Building the Most Successful Airway Practices in the Country
We’ve given her a name around here: the Doom-Scrolling FOMO Mom.
But don’t let the nickname fool you. She’s not a problem. She’s your ideal patient. Or more accurately: she’s your ideal decision-maker.
She’s smart, wellness-aware, and totally overwhelmed by the contradictory advice she’s getting online and from well meaning, but often underinformed providers.
She’s afraid of doing too little AND terrified of doing the wrong thing – which sometimes means doing too much.
She’s often confused, skeptical and a bit fearful from information overload.
She might be looking for a “second opinion” and your practice came up when she searched “airway dentist.” (Yes, there is real search volume for that term in many communities around the United States.)
And in that tension, she reaches out. She calls your practice. Or lands on your website. Or fills out your contact form with a note that reads like a cry for help wrapped in polite curiosity.
Here’s what she’s really asking:
- “Is this place going to take me seriously?”
- “Will they rush me to a procedure or help me understand the root cause?”
- “Can I trust them with my kid?”
When she feels seen, heard, and guided, she doesn’t just say yes.
She brings the whole family. She tells her friends. She stops scrolling.
She Shows Up Every Week. Many Practices Don’t Know See The Potential
Here’s the part that hurts a little to say:
Most practices don’t recognize her when she calls.
They hear a “concerned mom.”
I hear a conversion-ready lead.
They think “maybe a consult.”
I think “this patient is the future of your practice.”
She has PPO insurance most of the time. Reimbursement isn’t her primary concern.
She’s not like general dental or sleep apnea leads, where the first question is always “Do you take my insurance?”.
FOMO Mom is different. She’ll find a way to make it happen financially…if you can instill the confidence she needs to let you help her child, her spouse, and herself.
She’s not just looking for a second opinion. She’s looking for a provider whose values match the decision she’s already halfway made.
And she keeps showing up.
Not once. Not twice. Weekly. Across practices. Across markets. Across the United States.
Same questions. Same emotional energy. Same moment of hesitation—waiting to see if the person on the other end of the phone “gets what she is talking about”.
She’s Not Testing Your Prices. She’s Looking To See If Your Philosophy Is In Alignment With Hers.
In one recent call, a mom said this:
“I just want to explore the root cause before we take the tonsils out. I’ve seen the scans. I know the adenoids are big. But I also read something about tongue ties and narrow palates. I just don’t want to miss something.”
(That’s a direct quote. She used the words root cause. She’s not an outlier. We hear that all of the time.)
She wasn’t confused. She was airway-aware.
She wasn’t price shopping. She was risk-managing.
She didn’t need education. She needed alignment.
She’s asking if your practice is willing to look deeper, at the root cause, not just the symptom.
Treating her kids is just the beginning of the customer journey for her.
This Isn’t a Lead Problem. It’s a Recognition Problem.
You build for her. Because she’s not the edge case. She’s the blueprint.
Here’s how:
1. Train Your Team to Hear Her Clearly
I can tell you from listening to the calls. This is where opportunity is being lost. Again and again.
I’m not a practice consultant. This isn’t my domain. But I know this much: if the person answering the phone can’t close on the appointment, the entire funnel breaks.
Later in this post, you’ll see how expensive that miss becomes.
Every time this mom calls and doesn’t convert, you’re not just losing one appointment, you’re losing about $20K lifetime value opportunity.
Front desk scripts should reflect that:
“You’re not the only parent asking these questions. That’s actually why a lot of families come to us. Let’s get you in for a consult and take a full look.”
2. Re-design Your Website for 1:17 AM
These moms are seeing short clips on social platforms and watching longer-form videos on YouTube.
If you aren’t making your case with easy-to-watch, emotionally intelligent videos that reflect your values and thought leadership, you are missing out on conversion opportunities.
If you don’t speak her language in the first 5 seconds, she scrolls right past you.
3. Structure Your Intake To Earn Her Trust
Not just an appointment slot. A next step in a journey she already started.
Give her an email with a warm welcome. A short, human FAQ video. Maybe even a story from another mom who walked a similar path and found clarity.
4. Align Your Brand Around Her Emotion
It’s not just about clinical competence. Consciously or not, she’s looking for emotional safety.
When she hears “we’ll take a look,” she feels dismissed.
When she hears “you’re not crazy,” she melts.
When she hears “we’d love to help you understand why this is happening,” she books.
These moms are already half convinced by what they’ve seen and heard. Whether it’s Instagram clips, Facebook posts, or 45-minute deep-dives on YouTube.
What matters is this: they’re showing up primed for your philosophy, actively looking for someone who can connect the dots for them.
The real question is does your online presence build trust, offer clarity, and say the words she needs to hear? It’s: “Does our practice feel like the next right step for her?”
The Math Works…If You Build It for the Right Person
Let’s say you spend $2,000 on Google Ads, optimized to attract moms like her. You book 7 appointments.
If 3 or 4 of those cases accept treatment, and the average case value is $3,000 to $5,000 (e.g. child expansion, adult appliance, or a starter TMJ protocol), you’ve generated $9,000 to $20,000 in treatment from a $2,000 spend.
That’s a 4.5x to 10x ROI in 60–90 days.
But it doesn’t stop there:
- She often comes back with her spouse for snoring or apnea.
- Then herself for fatigue, headaches, clenching.
- Then refers 3+ families with kids who might be suffering like hers were.
Over 18 months to 5 years, one airway-aware mom can conservatively generate $20K–$30K+ in direct and referral revenue.
You don’t need 100 more leads.
You need 7 leads like her…every month.
Final Word: This Isn’t Just About Fit—It’s About ROI
My team and I review these calls and campaigns weekly. Not just to track our performance but to find ways to build real value into our clients’ brands.
We don’t take it lightly when someone invests in paid advertising. Every dollar has to do more than create clicks. It needs to create trust. Connection. Alignment. The kind that leads to yes.
That’s why we look at every campaign through two lenses:
- How do we build brand value that compounds over time?
- How do we reduce risk and maximize return on spend?
And I’ll say this without hesitation:
For airway practices, the gold standard of return is the FOMO, doom-scrolling mom.
She calls because she’s serious.
She converts because she’s aligned.
She refers because she’s relieved.
And she comes back because she finally feels safe.
If your practice wants more of that kind of patient—then everything from your website to your intake flow to your staff training needs to be designed with her in mind.
You don’t need to chase more leads.
You need to build for the one who’s already calling.
And she’s not slowing down.
Want help aligning your practice around her?
Let’s review your call recordings and website together. I’ll show you where you’re already close—and where you’re silently turning her away.
