Were you a 30% skeptic? You wouldn’t have been alone. To many pros, the use of 30% carbamide peroxide for at-home whitening sounded excessive. However, given the facts and the opportunity to try the product both on themselves and patients, top clinicians are coming to the conclusion that At-Home 30% is the future of whitening. Consider this:

• Clinicians started whitening using 10% only because it was originally used to treat gum disease. When treating the gums, 10% (which is Glyoxide Proxi Gel) is still the choice. But, when tooth whitening is the objective, clinicians naturally gravitate toward what works best for patients – higher concentrations for faster results and less wear time. We’ve seen the popularity of percentages move to 15%, then to 20%, and now that it has proven safe and most viable, on to 30%.

• A well-documented 1,400-patient study found an incredibly low 5% rate of pulpal sensitivity using 30% carbamide peroxide for at-home treatment.¹ Multiple shade shifts were achieved in 93% to 97% of cases within 7 to 10 days. The 30% carbamide peroxide was tested in-vivo and shown to have no soft tissue aberrations in accordance with the ADA protocol for safety.

• Consider this from the world-class clinician, Bill Strupp, Jr., DDS, who has 31 years of experience, lectures all over the country to thousands of dentists, and publishes the popular Crown & Bridge Update. Over a year ago, Dr. Strupp announced that for months he had been whitening ALL of his patients with Life-Like 30% Carbamide Peroxide. The reason, “We get a better result because we are using 30% c.p. that works faster and consequently patients are more compliant, without any downsides,” explained Dr. Strupp. When asked if he would use 30%, he replied, “That’s the only way I’ll do it, because I can’t stand walking around with that stent in my mouth. I also realize that my patients are no different and deserve the best possible option.”

• Michael Miller, DDS of Reality Magazine spoke out in support of At-Home 30% in a lecture at the Las Vegas Cosmetic Dentistry 2001 conference, February 8-9, 2001. Dr. Miller stated, “…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.”

1. “1,400-Patient Study Shows 30% Safe for At-Home Use,” Whitener, 2nd Quarter, 2000: 2

In the days of 10%, 15%, and even 20%, dual arch whitening was NOT a good idea. Two stents in the mouth for over 30 minutes was an invitation for patient discomfort and TMJ problems. Whitening over weeks without the contrast of arches is a formula for unhappy patients who can’t perceive the change. The fast whitening and short wear time of 30% changes all that.

Consider this: Dual arch whitening means whitening in just half the time. Consider the difference. Standard 15% carbamide peroxide requires approximately 14 to 21 days per arch. That’s 28 to 42 days to do both arches. That’s a lot of wear time over more than a month’s worth of days. Using 30%, a patient can whiten both arches at once for a total of 7 to 10 days. What is the likelihood of the average patient staying with the whitening regimen for 28 to 42 days with so little reinforcement? Who wouldn’t prefer to whiten in just 7 to 10 days with the instant gratification of fast, predictable results? Which would you choose?

Your patients deserve to know. You’ve got a message that needs to be shared. When you offer At-Home 30% Carbamide Peroxide, you offer the fastest, most predictable whitening that requires the least wear time, and has the best patient compliance. Isn’t it a disturbing idea to think that one of your patients could end up using a professional low-and-slow or OTC whitener? Wouldn’t it be sad if a patient didn’t whiten at all because of a common misconception, and because he or she thought the only answer took weeks – or more than a month?

Okay, you don’t have the time to be a marketing guru, nor are you comfortable with the idea of subjecting your patients to a hard sell. What you can do, however, is make it easy for your patients to make an informed decision. Life-Like is trying to help with the right set of marketing tools. Here are some tools and tips:

• New 30% Whitening Brochure - A stack of these compact brochures in your waiting room is a favor to your patients. The brochure is packed with answers to the most common questions about whitening. It provides a clear distinction as to why your professional At-Home 30% whitening will respect the patients’ time and give them the best whitening results. Best of all, the brochures are inexpensive and are often included in Life-Like specials, so you can afford to send every patient home with one to pass on to family and friends.

• Web Page – Want to educate your patients on the benefits of professional whitening and the 30% difference in living, interactive color? You’ll find the Life-Like consumer web page at www.whiterteeth.com. It’s there to support your patients with helpful consumer whitening information. Your patients can learn why your At-Home 30% whitening services are the best possible option. Don’t forget that you and your staff can also go to www.life-like.com for professional whitening information, as well as for all the back issues of the Whitener.

• New Poster – A poster is a great way to get patients asking your staff about whitening. Life-Like polled dental offices to find out what would be most helpful in a poster. The result is a poster that promotes smiling, is attractive, is light hearted, and that includes a before-and-after shot.

• Placards, Buttons, & Statement Stuffers – Subtle but effective marketing tools are a way to open the subject of whitening. The placards are 5” X 8” and can be free-standing on a counter or hang on the wall. The buttons worn by the staff ask the question: “Why go another day?” to initiate a quiet sense of urgency. The statement stuffers are a great way to help patients remember that their dentist is the source for whitening.

To learn more about how you can help your patients make the informed choice and keep your practice a step ahead, visit www.life-like.com/marketing or call (800) 543-3545.

Kim Herman of Ventura, California has become a fan of At-Home 30%. Says Kim about her At-Home 30% whitening experience, “I really like that it takes less time. I haven’t had any sensitivity. I’ve used other whitening products before and I did not see an instant result with them. I didn’t like sleeping with trays in my mouth. I had sensitivity using those other products that took so long, and I didn’t get good results. I like the 30% so much better!”

Kim also liked how the short treatment times allow whitening to fit into her busy life. She explained, “With the Life-Like 30%, I can load bleaching trays and then wear them in the shower and while doing my bathroom routines.”

It’s not a problem. It’s an evolution.

The over-the-counter (OTC) WhitestripsTM are hastening the natural progression of professional whitening towards its inevitable destination – At-Home 30% Carbamide Peroxide.

A May 4, 2001 USA Today article announced that Procter & Gamble plans to spend $100 million on its rollout marketing for their $44 Crest WhitestripsTM kits. That’s more than a gentle push; it’s a shove – for professional whitening to evolve. What does this do to the old 10%, 15%, and even 20% carbamide peroxide whitening market? There are still significant benefits to professional whitening regardless of the percentage used – the supervision, the complete whitening, etc. However, to clearly establish professional whitening as being head-and-shoulders above OTC products, it will take the fast and predictable results of At-Home 30% Carbamide Peroxide.

Natural evolution? Yes. Think how whitening started out with 10% c.p. Life-Like introduced 15% and the dental community was slow to adopt it as safe and more effective. Then Life-Like was again first to introduce 20% that then went through the same slow adoption process. Now it has been over two years since Life-Like was first to introduce 30%. The adoption rate has been phenomenal. Why? Patients want the product with the fastest, most predictable results that are safe – and 30% has proven to be the right balance for at-home use, exhibiting a mere 5% rate of pulpal sensitivity.

The extent of the impact of low-cost OTC products remains to be seen. Chances are, it will have the following effects:

Market Expansion – Now whitening will be affordable to thousands of people who would have never considered it before. Whitening will move more into the mainstream beyond the 5% of the population currently whitening their teeth. Proctor & Gamble expects that number to grow to 50%!¹

Fall Off – Many of these new whitening cases are sure to trickle back into professional whitening. They are sure to gain a whitening consciousness and they will be dissatisfied with the shortcomings of the one-size-fits-all approach of the strips. Think how many people will use them without regard for existing caps or veneers and end up in your office. Many are going to get “horse-mouth,” and will want distal whitening of all visible tooth surfaces. Many are sure to be frustrated with the long number of days it takes to whiten with the strips.

Need for Speed & The 30% Difference – More dental offices will see the need to set their whitening services above professional low-and-slow or OTC products. Therefore, At-Home 30% Carbamide Peroxide will become the most widely used professional at-home whitener. OTC products will be seen as the budget whitener that can take months. More and more people will be drawn to the faster and more effective professional whitening that takes only 7 to 10 days for both arches. The word will get out as people will struggle with OTC product compliance and likely take months to whiten. They will be walking advertisements for how not to whiten. The fastest at-home whitening solution will be the clear professional distinction over low-and-slow whitening alternatives.

1. Horovitz, Bruce. “Crest Markets White Teeth to the Masses.” USA Today. 4 May, 2001.