Summary: When a YouTube video is added to a MyTooth form using the video/media component, a preview appears while editing the form, but the video does not display for patients when they open the form. This happens because MyTooth.io (the patient-facing side) doesn't support embedded video playback, so the video is dropped before reaching the patient. Until embedded video is supported, use a hyperlink instead of an embed.
This method is enables the videos to "pop up" in a new tab so that the MyTooth message remains open while the patient accesses the link in case response is needed.
Process description:
These steps will outline how to send Video links to patients from a streaming source such as YouTube.
Prerequisites:
You will need to have the direct video playback link from your source streaming site.
You will need the following HTML wrapper for your video URL:
<a href="[your YouTube link]" target="_blank">Watch this short video</a>
You can use Notepad for this simple HTML editing to prep the link or you can just edit it in the MyTooth Editor..
Step-by-step instructions:
- In a text editor, prepare this snippet:
<a href="[your YouTube link]" target="_blank">Watch this short video</a> - Change the "Watch this short video" to what you want your patients to see in the message. Examples: Click Here to watch, Click here for Oral Hygiene instructions. Example:
<a href="www.youtube.com/video134" target="_blank">Why Patients Choose Us</a> In the MyTooth form builder, go to Layout and drag an HTML Element into the form.
- Open the HTML Element's Properties panel, scroll to Content, and paste your snippet — the link text will appear in the Preview pane.
- Save the form.
Tips and best practices:
HTML coding is very specific, do not delete or change any of the brackets, quotations, or characters around the URL or Label wording. If you make a mistake and something doesn't work, reference the above link to make sure it's complete.
Next steps:
Preview in MyTooth to make sure everything looks correct and is how you want it before sending to the patient.
Additional information:
Direct video embedding isn't currently supported on the patient-facing side of MyTooth.IO; hyperlinking is currently the most reliable option since it plays the video back from its source (e.g., YouTube) rather than embedding it natively into Practice or Denticon resources.
Alternative Method: The MyTooth forms editor also supports creating links within it's text boxes and attaching to words contained in the text. This method will cause the links to open in the same tab as MyTooth so it takes the patient away from the form. The above method listed will open the links in a New Tab so the MyTooth form is still open on their device once they've finished the video incase any response is expected.
