With global markets seizing up, it might seem silly to focus on the state of chairside whitening in America. But with whitening procedures forming the basis of many GPs’ entry into cosmetic dentistry, it’s important to think strategically about how to make the most of elective procedures at a time when budgets—at home and in the office—are tightening.

In October 2008, Dental Products Report fielded a survey asking readers about the whitening procedures they offered, both chairside and take-home, as well as what trends they saw developing in their communities. After years of steady growth in patient interest in whiter smiles, 64% of respondents claimed demand for chairside whitening had decreased or stayed the same, while over-the-counter or take-home products have gained popularity. As one respondent put it, “Financial reasons are the No. 1 reason for opting out of chairside whitening and going with at-home bleaching.” Another survey participant agreed, stating, “The economy has played a role, but more significantly, home bleaching products have decreased the interest in chairside whitening.”

For those practices that have made an investment in order to offer chairside options to interested patients, establishing a cohesive marketing plan is critical to maintaining ground in light of reduced disposable income and the saturation of OTC whitening products. In drilling down answers to how best to spread the word about chairside advantages, we looked at the three companies our readers cited as stand-outs in chairside delivery: Discus Dental (discusdental.com), Ultradent (ultradent.com) and Den-Mat (denmat.com).

The foundation

In terms of advice, the best place to start is with practices that have seen an increase in the last year. According to Steve Clark, Senior Brand Manager for Ultradent Inc., “We’ve been able to maintain our numbers, and I think the biggest reason for us is that the doctor doesn’t have to make an investment in costly equipment…Whether you are a dentist that believes in the light or not, the light is an investment dentists have to make. With our line of Opalescence products, you don’t have a hefty cash outlay.”

But what if you do have a light? For example, owners of a Zoom! lamp from Discus Dental still make up a large segment of chairside pros and they are facing competition from copycat lamps in shopping malls across America. A good place to start is by taking advantage of marketing collateral offered by the company: posters, buttons, direct mail pieces, videos or DVDs to show in the reception area, etc. But desperate times call for creative measures, and Discus is helping its Zoom! network rise to the task using “co-op” ad buys in bridal magazines. Simply put, Discus’ corporate marketing team purchases an ad in say, InStyle Weddings—brides, grooms and bridal parties are prime whitening candidates—and for a small fee, Zoom! doctors can have their name, location and practice listed as part of the ad.

But before any practice goes full-throttle on marketing, you have to be able to go beyond clinician and salesperson to whitening consultant. “So many doctors know how to do the whitening procedure, but they don’t always have the marketing tools,” Clark says. “They don’t want to ‘push,’ so whitening ends up being the practice’s best-kept secret. The entire staff should be able to answer simple questions around how it works, what it does and what it costs, and then implement a pricing structure that makes sense.”

Don’t assume

Because Wall Street is experiencing turmoil, it is natural to assume elective procedures will be a low priority until people’s finances stabilize. Whitening, however, may not be so easily classified as “elective.” According to Clark, “Whitening teeth used to be seen as an add-on luxury, but now, it’s just a way of leveling the playing field. We hear of offices that set up 6-month recalls for whitening along with 6-month recare visits.”

Clark also suggests dentists not be put off by the take-home trend, but rather, use it to their advantage. “Chairtime is so valuable that if a patient is interested, you can offer them a ‘jump start’ chairside treatment that lasts just half an hour or 45 minutes, and then send them home with a take-home product, allowing the practice to get more people through quickly.”

Maximize time

If you can make the case to patients that chairside whitening neutralizes the user error and lack of compliance issues surrounding OTC products, then you’ve taken one big step towards a dedicated office “whitening day.” “Again, chairtime is valuable,” says Clark, “and having these whitening-focused days allows the staff to move quickly; set-up and take-down can end up costing the office a lot of money when it’s not streamlined in this fashion.” An added benefit to a whitening day is the ability to send out a focused promotion to your patient base with a clear call to action on a timetable you can control.

Customization

The bottom line of any effective chairside whitening marketing campaign is customization—tailoring a plan that fits what the patient needs. Whether it’s fitting them in before a wedding or combining chairside and take-home elements, it’s critical to remember the patient comes first.