Dental holidays are social media-friendly awareness days and months that offer natural moments to educate, entertain, and connect with your customers and potential patients.
Whether you’re a solo practitioner or managing multiple dental clinics, leveraging key dates like World Oral Health Day and National Dentist Day can boost visibility and bring new patients to your practice.
In this article, you’ll find a full list of dental holidays in 2026, plus post ideas and planning tips to help you turn awareness days into patient engagement.
Table of contents
- Why dental holidays matter in your social media strategy
- The ultimate list of dental holidays for 2026
- How to plan content around dental holidays
- Templates and examples you can use
- Keep your calendar full year-round
Quick Reference: 2026 Dental Holiday Calendar
We’ve included more details on this below, but here is a quick reference list to keep as your guide for social media planning purposes:
26 January – Dental Drill Appreciation Day
February – Children's Dental Health Month
28 February – Tooth Fairy Day
1–7 March – Dental Assistants Recognition Week
6 March – National Dentist Day
20 March – World Oral Health Day
7–11 April – Dental Hygienist Week (US)
13 May – Root Canal Day
12 May – 12 June – National Smile Month (UK)
15 June – Smile Power Day
22 August – Tooth Fairy Day
October – Dental Hygiene Month
October – Orthodontic Health Month
2 October – World Smile Day
1 November – National Brush Day
Now, let’s look into dental holidays to celebrate in 2026 in more detail, including post ideas.
Why dental holidays matter are essential in your social media strategy
You don’t have to post every day to stay top-of-mind with current and future patients — but showing up consistently does matter. That’s where dental holidays come in as an important part of social media management for dentists.
Here’s why they work:
- They make planning easier. You don’t need to come up with new ideas from scratch — holidays give you a ready-made theme to build content around.
- They boost engagement. People love celebrating and sharing posts that feel timely, fun, or thoughtful — especially when tagged in them.
- They educate. Awareness days like World Oral Health Day give you a platform to promote healthy habits and demonstrate your team’s expertise.
- They show your human side. Featuring your staff on National Dentist Day or giving your hygienist a shoutout can go a long way in building trust.
Source: @riversidedental_norwich
The ultimate list of dental holidays 2026
Here are key dates to add to your content calendar, plus post ideas you can adapt for Instagram for dentists, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, and beyond:
|
Holiday |
Date (2026) |
What it celebrates |
Post idea |
|
Dental Drill Appreciation Day |
26 January |
How important dental drills are in maintaining dental health |
Share posts that make dental drills seem less scary, especially to children, and show how helpful they are |
|
Children’s Dental Health Month |
February |
Promoting dental care habits in kids |
Share paediatric tips, activity sheets, or parent-friendly advice |
|
Tooth Fairy Day |
28 Feb & 22 Aug |
A light-hearted day to highlight children's oral health |
Share fun facts or a giveaway for families |
|
Dental Assistants Recognition Week |
1–7 March |
Celebrating the work and positive impact of dental assistants |
Post a team photo, share patient thank-yous, run a “Meet Our Dental Assistants” series |
|
National Dentist Day |
6 March |
Celebrating the work and impact of dentists |
Post a team photo, share patient thank-yous, run a “Meet Our Dentists” series |
|
World Oral Health Day |
20 March |
Raising awareness of global oral health |
Share oral hygiene tips, bust myths, or run a quiz |
|
Dental Hygienist Week (US) |
7–11 April |
Spotlight on hygienists and preventative care |
Feature your hygienists, share a tip-a-day series |
|
Root Canal Day |
13 May |
The impact of getting root canals and endo appreciation |
No one wants a root canal, so use this to show how they help improve dental health when they are needed |
|
National Smile Month (UK) |
12 May – 12 June |
Promoting healthy smiles and habits |
Post smile-friendly foods, educational videos, and before/after photos |
|
Smile Power Day |
15 June |
Promoting healthy smiles and habits |
Post smile-friendly foods, educational videos, and before/after photos |
|
Dental Hygiene Month |
October |
Educating about brushing, flossing, and regular checkups |
Run a Reels series, highlight top hygiene FAQs |
|
World Smile Day |
2 October |
Promoting healthy smiles and habits |
Post smile-friendly foods, educational videos, and before/after photos |
|
Orthodontic Health Month |
October |
Awareness around braces and orthodontics |
Share “Did you know?” content or team stories |
|
National Brush Day |
1 November |
It’s the day after Halloween, so this is critical for dentists, especially those with lots of children patients |
Showcase/remind people of the importance of brushing teeth |
Dental holidays content planning in 2026
Whether you’re managing content for one clinic or twenty, a little planning goes a long way. Here’s how to make dental holidays work for you:
1. Choose holidays that align with your goals
If your focus is family care, highlight Children’s Dental Health Month. If you specialise in cosmetic dentistry, use National Smile Month to showcase transformations. You don’t have to pick every holiday, but you can, as that would make it easier to fill days and weeks in your social media content calendar.
2. Make it personal
Feature your team. Show behind-the-scenes moments. Let your audience get to know your people — that’s what builds trust.
3. Prepare in advance
Use templates, batch content creation, and schedule everything in advance.
4. Use varied formats
Try Reels, Stories, carousels, and even polls. The more interactive and visual, the better.
Want to make posting this easy all year long? Learn more about evergreen social media content and Sendible's Smart Queues.
What should I post for dental holidays in 2026?
To make it even easier, here are a few plug-and-play content prompts for your next holiday post. Put them into your social media content calendar for 2026:
Caption template for World Oral Health Day:
It’s #WorldOralHealthDay 🦷
Did you know that flossing just once a day can improve your gum health?
Our team is here to help you smile with confidence — drop your top dental questions below 👇
#HealthySmiles #OralCare #DentalTips
Image ideas:
- Staff holding fun signs or props
- Before/after transformation (with signed patient consent, especially if children are the subject of any images)
- Illustrated tips or facts about oral health
Reels/Story prompts:
- “One oral health myth we hear all the time…”
- Time-lapse of a toothbrushing demo
- Quick team interviews: “What’s your #1 tip for a healthy smile?”
Keep your dental social media calendar full year-round
Dental holidays are a great content pillar — but they’re most effective when paired with a strong, balanced content strategy that includes:
- Educational content
- Testimonials and reviews
- Behind-the-scenes moments
- Promotional campaigns
- Community involvement
Use holidays to spark engagement and keep the conversation going with patients and prospects.
Learn how to turn content into conversions with our guide: How Dentists Can Get More Patients Using Instagram and Facebook. We don’t recommend overusing AI, but for certain posts, social media AI can be helpful and save you time.
Dental Holidays Social Media Planning: Key Takeaways
Social media doesn’t have to be complicated — and dental holidays are one of the easiest ways to show up online with purpose.
Use them to build trust, educate your community, and spotlight the great work your team is doing every day.
Need help keeping everything organised?
📥 Download the Dental Social Media Strategy Template and take the stress out of planning.
Want to grow your dental clinic's social followers, customers, and patients across all locations? Sign-up to Sendible: From scheduling to reporting—manage everything in one place, build engagement, and grow your dental clinic.


