teeth whitening Archives - The Wealthy Dentist

Tooth Whitening: Demand Is Decreasing

March 7, 2021 By Jim Du Molin

In this survey, we asked dentists if over-the-counter bleaching products have changed demand for in-office bleaching.

Two out of three dentists said there’s less interest these days. One out of six felt there had been no change, and another one out of six actually felt grocery store whiteners had actually increased demand for professional tooth bleaching.

“I can’t seem to give it away at 50% off!” complained a Massachusetts dentist. A Washington dentist disagreed, saying, “Over-the-counter bleaching often stimulates interest in other cosmetic treatments, especially when the patient does not get the result they want from whitening.”

Here are some other comments from dentists:

“Over-the-counter methods work! :-(” (Saudi Arabia dentist)
“Patients who have interest in whitening talk about it, creating more interest in the procedure. Ultimately, we dentists are asked about whitening.” (Texas dentist)
“When the OTC whitening products first came out I noticed a decrease in in-office bleaching. Now the level seems to remain pretty constant.” (Washington dentist)
“OTC methods are good maintenance products for after in-office bleaching.” (Illinois dentist)
“If a patient is obviously concerned with our fee for whitening, I recommend that they try White Strips or whatever. I explain that the effectiveness of whitening depends on concentration and length of time on the teeth. I explain why our procedure is better than over-the-counter solutions. I leave it up to them to decide.” (Utah dentist)

White Teeth Not a Priority When Times Are Tough?

March 7, 2021 By Jim Du Molin

Two out of three dentists say they’ve noticed a decrease in demand for tooth whitening since the recession began.

Some doctors have had to come up with new dental marketing strategies to counteract the decline in consumer interest for tooth whitening, cosmetic dentistry, and virtually anything else that costs money.

“We dropped the price by $50 during February for National Children’s Dental Health Month and Valentine’s Day,” said one general dentist. “The response was so good, we continued through March! In addition, we are receiving now referrals from these patients for more bleaching and new patients. That is a hell of a ROI on the bleaching!”

Here are some other thought from dentists:

“Teeth whitening is the least costly way to improve the appearance of the entire mouth.” (General dentist)
“If it costs money, there is less demand these days.” (Indiana dentist)
“I have actually seen an increase in the number of bleaching cases that I have delivered in the past months. Recently, males have out numbered the females.” (California dentist)
“I think it’s also the availability of many OTC choices.” (Texas dentist)
“Once the illegal whitening kiosks in the malls and spas are closed, we will see another increase in whitening demand.” (General dentist)

Filed Under: Dental Surveys Tagged With: teeth whitening

Dental Survey: Do Dentists Recommend Teeth Whitening At-Home?

March 7, 2021 By Jim Du Molin

Dentists are still the trusted source for patients who want whiter teeth, even though whitening toothpaste and rinses, and over-the-counter teeth bleaching kits are easily available to consumers.

Of course, some tooth stains don’t respond to these methods, and every case is different.

The Wealthy Dentist wanted to know what dentists tell their patients when asked about the best way to whiten their teeth.

Here’s what our survey asked:

What method of teeth whitening do you most recommend for your patients?

The results were overwhelmingly in favor of dentist-prescribed in-home tooth whitening.

Only 4% of dentists recommend over-the-counter whitening products; and only 9% recommend in-office tooth whitening from a dentist.

“We actually recommend all of the above. The best results are found in patients between 18 and 40 years of age and using a combination of in-office and tray whitening.” Nevada dentist

Here’s what dentists had to say about in-home, dentist-prescribed teeth whitening:

“This method has the quickest results, years of proven safety and a resource for any questions or problems.” Texas Dentist

“Severe cases, KöR Whitening,” recommends a general dentist.

“We have tried and done them all even on ourselves. I still like the trays and gel the best.” Wisconsin dentist

What method of teeth whitening do you recommend for your dental patients?

Filed Under: Dental Surveys Tagged With: dental survey, Teeth Bleaching, teeth whitening, tooth whitening

Has Over-the-Counter Teeth Whitening Demand Gone Up or Down? (Video)

March 7, 2021 By Jim Du Molin

Teeth whitening has gone mainstream, with lots of different tooth whiteners now available over the counter.

But tooth whitening from a dentist is still the quickest and most effective way to quickly get whiter teeth.

“A lot of patients have whitened their teeth. It seems that the ones who wanted whiter teeth have already done it,” said an Oklahoma dentist.

“With the cost of in-office whitening treatments going down, we have seen the demand for over-the-counter whiteners decrease,” said a Wisconsin dentist.

We conducted a survey asking dentists about the popularity of over-the-counter tooth whitening methods.

h3<>Jim Du Molin and Julie Frey report on whether demand for at-home whiteners gone up or down.

Dentists are pretty evenly split. In this survey, 43% said demand has increased, while 35% feel it’s decreased, and 22% say demand has held steady.

Some of these tooth whiteners can have far higher levels of peroxide than they’re supposed to. Do dentist have patients who have damaged their teeth with OTC whitening methods?

Most haven’t but, 18% have noted issues here and there.

At-home teeth bleaching can be a mixed bag for dentists. It raises the overall profile of tooth whitening, but it leaves patients with a lot of options outside of the dentist’s office.

“White Strips have had a significant impact on our office’s billings for cosmetic procedures. Revenues are down as patients use these instead of chair-side and tray whitening,” said a Georgia dentist.

“At-home whiteners are the best place for patients to start if they have had a dental exam to rule out contraindications to whitening,” said a New York dentist.

“With over-the-counter products, patients can run the risk of over-whitening their teeth and making them susceptible to brittleness and sensitivity, which can lead to bigger issues down the road,” said a general dentist.

“We have had many patients complain that over-the-counter whiteners did not whiten their teeth enough or did not whiten interproximally very well. Take-home professional whitening with trays is one of the best available because we can whiten the whole tooth on all surfaces to get the tooth the whitest in can be,” said an Ohio prosthodontist.

Patients in the US these days are very interested in having whiter teeth.

While they have plenty of options they can buy at the grocery store or pharmacy, none of these are as safe or effective as in-office whitening.

Filed Under: Dental Videos Tagged With: dental videos, teeth whitening, tooth whitening

Teeth Whitening… at the Airport?!?

March 7, 2021 By Jim Du Molin

Teeth whitening isn’t just for Americans… it seems the whole planet wants white teeth.

Well, that just got easier for UK travelers, who can now get tooth whitening at the airport. Yes, the airport.

Passengers can make appointments at the Manchester and Birmingham airports for a 20-minute laser teeth whitening session before their flight departs. Patients can book online ahead of time, or even drop in for whitening at one of the 5-chair clinics.

The teeth bleaching program, launched under the name of “Smile Company,” is an offshoot of Brighter White Teeth Company, and uses a tooth whitening process developed in the US.

And of course, while patients get rid of their yellow teeth at the airport, they’re also welcome to pick up at-home teeth whitener products…

“Coffee, anyone? Peanuts? Teeth whiteners?”