Dr Kiran Shankla questions why, despite the rise in demand for tooth whitening, the volume of procedures within practices doesn’t reflect this. Here she advises how to attract patients and increase uptake to positively impact your bottom line.
As one of the fastest-growing cosmetic procedures, the teeth-whitening industry is estimated to be worth over £ 40 million annually, according to the Oral Health Foundation. With more consumers inspired by celebrities and influencers endorsing whitening brands and treatments, this increase in demand isn’t necessarily reflected in the volume of procedures performed in dental practices.
In fact, recent research has shown that most dentists perform as few as one to five treatments per month. When you compare that to the volume of patients coming through the practice doors and the fact there have reportedly been 576,000 online searches for ‘teeth whitening’ yearly in the UK alone (ExpressDentist.com) there is huge potential to take advantage of this interest.
As an accessible elective treatment, both chairside and take-home teeth whitening can add a consistent revenue option. Here are some strategies to consider if you want to increase the uptake of tooth whitening in your dental practice, encouraging and reassuring patients to use professional and legal dentist-led options that can ultimately grow your business.
1. Choice of professional whitening
Tailor your whitening solutions to accommodate diverse patient needs and lifestyles. Whether through rapid in-practice whitening, take-home day and night treatment, or more modern portable LED light solutions, having a range of options, like the pola advanced tooth whitening system, can ensure every patient finds a suitable treatment. They may even appreciate the option of a handy brush-on “top-up” whitening pen to use on the go. With pola, you can give your patients the freedom of choice regarding their whitening treatment.
Highlighting unique features, such as built-in desensitising properties that inhibit post-operative sensitivity, to cater to individual preferences can reassure patients they’re a suitable candidate.
2. Take advantage of the marketing materials on offer
Make your patients aware that you offer whitening treatments. If they don’t know, they won’t ask. Take advantage of the promotional materials available, such as posters, patient information leaflets, and before and after stands, to promote whitening treatment to patients.
Ensure different touchpoints are visible throughout the practice: in the waiting areas, at the reception desk, and during surgery. You could also offer special incentives or seasonal offers to attract first-time patients who are considering whitening. Please speak to your whitening provider about the support they can provide for marketing materials.
3. Be active on social media
Using regular and engaging social media posts to promote your whitening solutions not only boosts treatment visibility but can also improve your outreach and patient engagement. As mentioned previously, teeth whitening searches are common, so using hashtags and being active on social media will make you more visible.
Be sure to create a content plan that effectively combines attention-grabbing promotional solutions with educational posts to address common whitening concerns, e.g., FAQs. Plus, if you gain consent from a patient, you could also share before-and-after treatment images to highlight further the success of teeth whitening in your practice. A blog is also a great way to educate patients about whitening, for example, how it can only be performed by a registered dental practitioner.
4. Leverage word-of-mouth recommendations
A successful way to grow any practice’s whitening business is to let the results speak for themselves. If you have great results and a happy patient, you can expand your reach through their word-of-mouth recommendations. Encourage satisfied patients to share their experiences on social media or through feedback forms. For example, exploiting video content across social media or the patient waiting room TV can help encourage patients to enquire.
5. Provide an exceptional patient experience
Looking to feel more confident in being able to provide an excellent experience for your patient? Then why not schedule a ‘Lunch and Learn’ session? Distributors such as SDI offer these group workshops to develop the team’s knowledge on whitening, help you identify suitable candidates, and teach you how to talk confidently to patients.
The result is that your team feels more confident “selling” whitening, and the patient receives an exceptional experience. If patients realise you are knowledgeable and understanding, they will likely warm to you, feel comfortable, and trust you and your advice more.
Key recommendations…
Maximising tooth whitening in your dental practice to positively impact your bottom line requires a patient-centric strategy. Tailor your whitening options, use marketing materials, take advantage of word-of-mouth, and prioritise an exceptional patient experience.
Leaning on your whitening provider to support you in adopting these measures can help fast-track you to increase the volume of whitening procedures in your practice so that you can go from one to five treatments per month to one to five per week.
Book a Lunch & Learn or contact us now to learn more about the support you can get from a professional teeth whitening system that has a solution to suit all your patient’s needs.
Reference
1. ExpressDentist.com compiled a list of global countries to analyse and translate the term for ‘teeth whitening’ in each country’s respective language using a reliable translating tool. ExpressDentist.com partnered with Ahrefs to discover each country’s monthly results using the respective translation terms. Results were then multiplied to retrieve an average annual figure and the top 50 countries were subsequently ranked. All data was collected at the end of April 2021 and is correct as of then.