Get the Whitening Edge: Strategies for Thriving Practice

Why Your Practice Needs Teeth Whitening!

With a growing market for cosmetic and aesthetic treatments, dental procedures that help enhance appearance and smile are not far behind. Professional teeth whitening services are sought after for their quick, effective, and long-term results, often giving people much-needed dramatic makeovers in just a couple of hours. While teeth whitening under the supervision of trained professionals is beneficial to patients, it is just as advantageous to dental practices.

Here are a few reasons why your practice requires teeth whitening services:

  • Increases patient satisfaction, motivating them to undergo other procedures

  • It can be combined with other dental procedures

  • They are easy to market, making them an excellent tool for promoting your practice

  • It helps boost your revenue

  • It is a high ROI procedure

Key Factors to Plan for Creating a World-Class Whitening Practice

  • Marketing
  • Bouquet of teeth whitening services you wish to offer
  • Procedure steps
  • Cost and fees
  • Tracking patients and their progress
  • Appointment scheduling

How to Build and Run a Successful Teeth Whitening Service in Your Practice?

Step #1: Undertake adequate training

The first step in preparing for a successful teeth whitening service in your practice is to undertake adequate training—for yourself and your entire dental team. It is important to understand how teeth whitening works, its types, indications, and the latest available materials. 

While you receive the essential training, it is also important to train your team. Continuously update your knowledge to ensure you provide the best and use the latest whitening techniques for your patients.

Step #2: Listen to your patient

Before you undertake any type of aesthetic treatment, listen to and understand what your patient is requesting. Patients may often have unrealistic expectations, so explaining the procedure and the probable outcome beforehand is important. The patient’s commitment to the procedure and the expected result are essential.

Step #3: Determine the type of teeth whitening treatment

Different types of tooth discolourations require different teeth whitening techniques. Diagnosing the reason for tooth discolouration will affect the method, the length of the treatment, and its outcome. Determining the type of teeth whitening treatment also helps you plan the sequence of treatment and its cost.

Step #4: Source and use the best teeth whitening materials available

A key component of your successful teeth whitening practice is using the best and most innovative materials. Use teeth whitening products that have been well-researched to be:

  • Safe
  • Effective, and
  • Give long-lasting results

Step #5: Plan to manage any complications that may arise during or after treatment

Around half the patients who undergo in-office teeth whitening experience tooth sensitivity, which usually lasts for 2 to 3 days.1

There are several theories about why dentinal sensitivity occurs after teeth whitening, but it is a known side effect. Hence, it is essential to know how to manage it and other complications, like pain. 

There are many ways to make the process comfortable for your patients, from using desensitising agents to managing abrasion cavities and applying gingival protectors.

Step #6: Create a smile book with Before & After photographs of your treated patients

Teeth whitening is a customised treatment, and the results vary for each individual. To help educate your patients about the results of teeth whitening and gain their trust, create a smile book with before-and-after photographs of patients who have undergone the procedure in your clinic.

Step #7: Gather patient testimonials

In addition to a smile book, gathering reviews and testimonials from your patients in written or video is helpful. This will help other patients learn more about your practice.

Step #8: Develop marketing materials

Since whitening is a popular cosmetic dental procedure, your patients will have many questions about them. It is helpful to prepare marketing material -leaflets, brochures, commonly asked questions and others to give your patients and help them learn more about the procedure, techniques, cost, etc.

You can attract more patients by allocating special days for teeth whitening or running special deals and offers on the treatment for a few days.

Extend the effects of your teeth whitening results with this must-have tool in your arsenal.

Colgate Visible White Pen

 It gives 3 shades of whiter teeth in just 2 weeks!

  • Powered by active oxygenated whitening technology
  • Safe on enamel and ideal for sensitive teeth
  • Reduced overall treatment time

Enable your patients to unleash the real visible white with –

Colgate Visible White Toothpaste

  • Starts whitening teeth in just 1 week*
  • It contains powerful whitening accelerators that remove stains gently
  • Clinically proven to be safe on enamel

*by removal of surface stains when used as directed on the pack. Results may vary. Based on Clinical Study (2009)

References:

  1. Krishnakumar, K., Tandale, A., Mehta, V., Khade, S., Talreja, T., Aidasani, G., & Arya, A. (2022). Post-operative sensitivity and color change due to in-office bleaching with the prior use of different desensitizing agents: A systematic review. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.24028

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