Specialty selling: cosmetic dentistry
Looking Good
Editor’s Note: The better you understand your customer, the better prepared you are to serve him or her. Throughout the remainder of 2009, First Impressions will look at the challenges and opportunities facing various specialties today. The following covers cosmetic dentistry.
The public wants a winning smile, and your customers have been reaping the benefits of supplying those smiles for years, Now, however, they’re probably feeling the pinch as the economy robs many Americans of dollars they might have applied toward cosmetic procedures. That said, dental patients will never stop wanting to look good, and it’s up to dentists to make sure consumers rely on them. Sales reps can help.
Cosmetic dentistry is defined as comprehensive oral care that combines art and science to optimally improve dental health, aesthetics and function, according to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. The market is huge. Based on a year-end 2007 survey of AACD members, cosmetic dentistry-related revenue climbed to an average of $495,000 per practice, or about $2.75 billion across all 5,500 practices represented by the survey sample. That was a 15 percent increase over 2005. The total number of patients in 2006, projected to all 5,500 practices, was approximately 2.69 million, a 12.8 percent increase over practice reports of patients in 2005.
On average, about two-thirds of cosmetic dentistry patients were female and one-third were male in 2006. Slightly more than half were between the ages of 41 and 60, while 16 percent were 30 or younger, and 11 percent were over 60. The mean amount spent by the average patient in 2006 was $5,640 and the median was $3,860.
The surge in interest in cosmetic dentistry dates back about 10 years, says Laura Woodruff, sales manager, West, for SDI North America, a manufacturer of composites, amalgams, sealants, adhesives, tooth whitening systems, curing lights, etc. "That’s when we really started to see an increase in cosmetic dentistry practices, where offices began marketing themselves as [such]," she says. Certainly bleaching and whitening took a big jump around that time, she adds. Other procedures, such as bonding and implants, have been on the upswing as well.
In fact, the AACD reports the following activity for the average practice in 2006:
Bleaching/whitening
The average practice performed 70 procedures, or an estimated industrywide total of 389,000. Total market revenues were an estimated $138.8 million.
Crown and bridge work
The average practice performed 333 procedures, or an estimated 1.85 million total, in 2006. Total market revenues were an estimated $1.08 billion.
Direct bonding - posterior
The number of procedures performed in 2006 were 474 on average, or an estimated total of 2.63 million. Total market revenues were an estimated $383 million.
Direct bonding - anterior
The average practice performed 234 procedures in 2006, for an estimated industrywide total of 1.3 million. Total market revenues were an estimated $238.7 million.
Implants
The average number of such procedures performed across all survey respondents in 2006 was 27, for an estimated industrywide total of 149,900. Estimated industry revenues were $144.3 million.
Inlays/onlays
The number performed in 2006 was 84 on average, or 466,200 total. Estimated industrywide revenues were $183.2 million.
Orthodontics
The average number performed in 2006 was 17, or a total of 94,400. Revenues were an estimated $61.1 million.
Removable prosthetics
The number performed in 2006 was 27 on average, or a total of 149,900. Total revenues were an estimated $111 million.
Veneers
The average number performed in 2006 was 108, or 599,400 total. Industrywide revenues were estimated to be $371.9 million.
Preparing for the future
The state of the economy makes today’s market "both a challenging time and a time of opportunity," says Woodruff. "Doctors are telling us they’re seeing a slowdown. More patients are taking a wait-and-see attitude. They’re not as eager to accept the treatment plan the doctors are [presenting]. But there is also an opportunity for doctors to differentiate themselves and set themselves up for a future." Those opportunities include digital impressioning (which is cleaner and simpler than traditional methods), laser dentistry (efficient and less painful than traditional techniques), digital radiography (which is quicker and exposes the patient to less radiation), and CAD/CAM.
Doctors also have an opportunity to creatively market their practices and position themselves within their communities, points out Woodruff. "There are lots of opportunities to get their name out there, to create a larger customer base or attract new customers," she says. Some offices attract patients by offering tooth-whitening promotions. Even something as simple as volunteering to visit the local elementary school and talk to students about brushing and flossing can help solidify the dentist’s ties to the community, she says.
Because they visit a wide variety of offices, sales reps are in a position to share success stories with their customers. But they can do more than that, says Woodruff. "Retail reps should understand the challenge that doctors tell us they’re facing - the volume of dental materials out there and the difficulty of sorting through all of them," she says. "Doctors don’t always understand which materials to use, and when. They don’t always understand the technologies behind them. It’s difficult for them to get through all that information - what, how, when and where to use products - because there’s so much, and it’s changing so fast." Hygienists and dental assistants could use some help too, she adds. Reps should make use of the best resource they have - their manufacturer reps - to get their accounts educated, says Woodruff.
Sidebar:
Common cosmetic dental procedures
Teeth whitening
Two options exist for patients. The first is in-office power teeth whitening (with a gel containing a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide). The second is at-home, dentist-supervised whitening, in which the patient wears a custom-fitted mouth tray for a few hours each day or night. Though numerous over-the-counter teeth-whitening products are now available, dentist-supervised teeth whitening remains the safest and most effective method. One reason is that the dentist will ensure that the mouth tray fits the patient properly. Often, over-the-counter teeth-whitening trays fail to fit the patient’s mouth properly. The result is that the gel can leak and result in gum irritation and a less effective treatment.
Veneers
Veneers are thin, custom-made moldings that cover the fronts of unsightly teeth. They provide an alternative to traditional crowns, and cover gaps, mask stained teeth, etc. They are intended to last for many years. The process of applying a veneer begins with reshaping of the tooth to allow for the added thickness of the veneer. A molded image is taken of the reshaped tooth and sent to a dental laboratory, where the veneer is made. The veneer is then applied with adhesive material.
Implants
Missing teeth can be replaced with fixed bridges or dental implants.
Gum lifts
Excessive or uneven gums can be corrected with cosmetic surgery, or a gum lift.
Restoring chipped or cracked teeth
They can be restored with ultra-thin, specially made laminates or veneers.
Tooth-colored fillings
Old fillings can be replaced with esthetic filling materials, such as resins and porcelain fillings or crowns.
Source: American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
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