It may seem a strange question, but do your patients actually know if you offer tooth whitening in your practice? Whitening is a marketing tool that can help to grow your practice, increase revenue and work as a ‘gateway’ to other dental treatments. But to make this work you need to actively talk to and inform your patients about whitening and make them aware of the great aesthetic results they can achieve. You can achieve success by:
- Making it affordable – It’s important to set your prices so that they are profitable for you but still affordable for your patients. They need to understand the value of whitening and why quality products are a more cost-effective solution in the long-term, when compared with over-the-counter products.
- Explaining the process – It’s always wise to give patients a realistic idea of the shade level they can expect to achieve, bearing in mind their age, starting colour and lifestyle, especially if they are a smoker. Gum and tooth sensitivity can be an issue with whitening procedures, so they need to be advised about this from the start.
- Embracing seasonal trends – Awareness of personal appearance heightens in the lead up to key events, such as a graduation. It is usually a time when many start to actively seek out treatment.
- Being engaging – Having a video promoting your whitening treatments in the waiting room or in reception will grab the attention of your patients whilst they wait for their appointment, or if you post on social media then you can start to engage with them outside of practice hours too. And make sure your team, especially those on reception, are well informed to promote whitening at any given opportunity!
- Investing in marketing – Ask your whitening system manufacturer if they can provide your practice with free of charge customisable marketing and education materials templates. Implementing posters, flyers, videos and DVDs that can be personalised with your practice logo and message within your practice can help to assist in promoting whitening to your patients.
Your tooth whitening business is a great patient retention tool. Those who undertake treatment are far more likely to take better care of their oral health, to return to you for hygiene appointments and whitening top-ups and are most likely to go on to have other procedures they may not have considered before. Remember, if patients are not made aware of what is on offer, they will more likely turn to somewhere that does, taking their valuable business with them.
Book your FREE ‘Lunch & Learn’ with SDI’s range of professional pola tooth whitening systems here, or find out more by visiting our product page.
