Michael Miller, DDS of Reality Magazine has spoken out about the future of whitening. When lecturing on five-star products, research and evaluation at the Las Vegas Cosmetic Dentistry 2001 conference, February 8 and 9, 2001, Dr. Miller discussed whitening’s future in the context of his ratings of the various bleaching materials and techniques.

During his evaluations he stated that Dr. Ogrin (owner of Life-Like Cosmetics Solutions) had introduced a new at-home 30% carbamide peroxide. Dr. Miller said, "I have to give him a lot of appreciation because a lot of us stick our heads in the sand and we don’t look at different concepts when we should, and I’m the same way. We get real busy, and when I first thought of somebody doing home bleaching with a 30% carbamide peroxide, I said, ‘You’re out of your mind. This’ll never work, it’ll blow out teeth, they’ll be sensitive, it’ll be this, it’ll do that.’ Well, I can tell you, it doesn’t do that."

Dr. Miller went on to explain, "And, what’s very nice about this product is that you can have patients wear the tray twice a day for 20 minutes and you can go from a C3 to a C1 in one week -- in one week, 20 minutes a day -- driving to and from work. So this 30% carbamide peroxide, as long as they keep the wear time down to a minimum and you don’t cover any of the gums, so you scallop the trays very nicely, I am firmly convinced that this is the way that home bleaching is going to go."

How many times lately have you seen professional tooth whitening "just like you can get from your dentist" being offered directly to the consumer? Such TV ads and infomercials abound, countless newspaper and magazine ads are everywhere, the numbers of on-line offers are multiplying, mall kiosks are popping up, and now the Crest WhitestripsTM are moving onto your local drug store shelves. Add this to the news from the financial page of fluctuating consumer confidence/spending and you’ve got one potentially scary picture for the prospects of your tooth whitening services.

Yes, these are shifting times for professional tooth whitening, but these trends can be cast as crisis -- or point to opportunity:

Trend: Crest WhitestripsTM are now available as a mass-marketed, low cost OTC whitener.
Crisis: Any patient can opt to whiten for a fraction of the cost of professional tooth whitening.
Opportunity: Proctor and Gamble will help continue the trend toward tooth whitening and will bring whitening to hundreds of thousands of people who may not otherwise be able to afford tooth whitening. More people will whiten their teeth and many of them will be driven to professional tooth whitening once they see the limited results they get with the strips. The strips are small, cumbersome, and bunch up on the teeth. There is a potential to get the "horse mouth" effect, where the front teeth are whitened while very visible back teeth are left untreated. Additionally, patients who have caps and veneers will use the strips without realizing they will create a mismatch of shades to their smile. They will, again, need to see their dentist to resolve such mistakes. The strips will also usher in a hierarchy of tooth whitening; there will be those who have to deal with horse mouth, slow whitening, and mixed results. On the other hand, professional tooth whitening offers a comprehensive oral care program, fast whitening, and dentist-supervised results.

Trend: Professional Tooth Whitening materials are becoming available over the internet, through TV campaigns, and in consumer ads in newspapers and magazines.
Crisis: Carbamide peroxide percentages of 10%, 15%, and even 20% are being sold directly to consumers using one-size-fits-all or boil-and-bite trays. They are to some extent undermining the current professional dental market.
Opportunity: Professional whitening has critically key advantages starting with speed, safety, and effectiveness. It takes only one big mistake to put professional fees into perspective. When dealing with something as important as one’s teeth and oral health, why would someone want to gamble? That is why Life-Like will absolutely not sell products directly to consumers and turns away calls and internet requests daily.

• Fast 30% carbamide peroxide bleach clearly distinguishes your whitening services from the lower concentration professional gels being sold directly to consumers. Which would you rather use, 10% that takes 10-28 days per arch for a total of up to 56 days, or fast 30% that supports dual arch whitening to be completed in just 7 days? And, with fast 30%, you can bleach during your bathroom routines (two 20-30 minute treatments) as opposed to hours or overnight with the lower concentrations.

  The 30% is proven to be safe, causes less sensitivity, requires the least amount of wear time, and produces the fastest and most predictable results. Once you’ve tried it and proven to yourself this is true, you’ll never want to use anything else. Your patients are no different.

• It isn’t less expensive if the patient isn’t compliant and is therefore unsuccessful. Patient compliance tends to fall after 7 to 10 days. Long wear time also promotes sensitivity. What is the likelihood of patient compliance when the process takes from 20 to 56 days requiring hours of stent time a day using the lower concentrations? When your patients use fast 30% bleach, they see dramatic results quickly and have to stick with it for only 7 days. Your patients’ time counts!

• You won’t ever see 30% being sold directly to consumers. A custom, properly-trimmed stent is absolutely required along with some patient screening and proper instruction. Fast 30% bleach is truly the future -- the At-Home professional product of the third millennium.

Trend: The recent downturns for Wall Street and other economic indicators have been gnawing at consumer confidence. Crisis: The uncertainty in consumer spending could translate into a lower demand for cosmetic dentistry procedures such as whitening. Opportunity: The fact is, people still want whiter teeth and the trend toward whitening continues to grow. So it becomes a matter of timing -- of when people want to make the investment. Here are some points to keep in mind:

• Whitening isn’t like a new car -- requiring a long-term commitment of payments.

• Whitening is a small use of discretionary dollars that results in extremely visible and tangible results.

• Whitening can affect patients’ self-esteem, social lives, and career prospects -- making it a very good investment during all economic times.

• Those who market as though there is no economic slowing should step forward as the leaders -- and grab vulnerable market share. To lead, update your marketing materials. Add the next marketing tool to your mix (visit www.life-like.com/marketing or call (800) 543-3545 and ask about our latest marketing materials).

• At-Home Whitening, Cleaning, & Debriding can be a component of a larger treatment plan and can fall under some insurance categories.

• Whitening is often used by some practices as a loss leader to bring in more cosmetic and restorative patients. This is a good time for such a strategy to help boost overall business.

• When consumers tighten their belts, it’s a good time to emphasize the value per dollar spent for your services. Professional whitening is a better all-around value than other whitening options, since it is safer, faster, and more predictable. It is a better value, especially when packaged with other dental services.

Tongue Cleaner
The Toothbrush should not stand alone

Virtually all bad breath comes from bacteria living in your mouth and should be overcome using proper oral health solutions - elimination of bacteria producing volatile sulphur compounds. Of course there’s tooth decay and gum disease to be handled in the dental office. Then there’s brushing, flossing, and At-Home Cleaning & Debriding to be performed at home. The tongue cleaner is a home oral health aid destined to work alongside the toothbrush.

Tongue cleaning scrapes away the bacteria that breeds in the nooks and crannies of the tongue. It can remove up to an additional 60% of bacteria in the mouth on top of tooth brushing. It reduces plaque formation on the teeth and helps prevent passing bacteria back to the teeth and gums from the tongue after brushing and flossing.

Tongue cleaning is not new, but is growing in popularity. It dates back to the Roman Empire and was well practiced in China and other Asian cultures. The practice has been becoming more popular in recent years and is recommended by a growing number of dentists.

Tongue cleaners offer your patients better overall oral health and have other significant benefits. Approximately 80% to 90% of all bad breath comes from the rancid waste of bacteria in the mouth. A good tongue cleaner acts like a squeegee to remove the coating of plaque and bacteria on the tongue. A tongue cleaner is more effective at reducing halitosis than even brushing. Unlike a toothbrush, it avoids causing the gagging reflex. Additionally, tongue cleaning offers your patients a cleaner palate to better taste, enjoy, and appreciate food.

Life-Like has introduced a new high quality, high value tongue cleaner for distribution exclusively through dental offices. This stiff, thick, yet flexible U-shaped cleaner is professional grade and designed to clean the surface of the tongue with the least amount of abrasion to the tissue. Your patients will love its reusable strength, gentle yet highly effective scraping edge, and ease of cleaning and storing. A great value, the professional wholesale price is just $.65 each and comes in packs of 12. Call Life-Like at 800-543-3545 and ask about a FREE SAMPLE and the introductory offer.

Making the world and our communities a better place is everyone’s business. Life-Like Cosmetic Solutions is running a program to help you give something back to your community. And, it’s good business.

For a limited time, Life-Like will give you up to 15 FREE 10% Carbamide Peroxide Whitening Kits a month to be used exclusively for charitable promotion.

Run an ad or distribute a flyer promoting a program where you donate your full whitening fee to a local or national charity (501c3 non-profit organization) of your choice. Life-Like will provide the whitening kits free of charge. It is best if you submit a press release to your local newspaper, radio, and television media a month in advance. The program is a great way to reach out and contribute to your community, gain important exposure for your practice, and attract new patients.

To qualify, find supporting materials, and learn more, call Life-Like at 800-543-3545.