Dentists Support Tooth Whitening: The Wealthy Dentist Survey's Unsurprising Results
Most dentists fully support tooth-whitening, and don't feel like consumers who overdo it are a significant problem, according to a survey conducted by The Wealthy Dentist. Only one out of six dentists worries that too many consumers are over-whitening their teeth, leading to artificial-looking smiles.
Tiburon, CA, May 29, 2007 --(PR.com)-- The average dentist is a big fan of modern tooth whitening techniques. In a recent dental consulting survey conducted by TheWealthyDentist.com, dentists were asked if they feel today's consumers are over-whitening their teeth. Five out of six dentists in this poll felt that, whether done at home or in the dental office, modern tooth-whitening technology is only improving people's smiles. The 16% minority opined that home bleaching kits and too-eager dental practitioners have left many people with 'toilet bowl teeth.'
Geographic differences were remarkable. One out of three rural dentists expressed serious concerns about over-bleaching. By contrast, only one out of thirty urban dentists voiced the same worry. (Suburban dentists fell in between the two groups at one out of four.) Sometimes stereotypes do prove to be based on a kernel of truth: Urban dentists care more about cosmetic factors.
Some dentists did feel that tooth-whitening can easily become too much of a good thing. "I had one patient who became so addicted to bleaching that her teeth resembled bright white copy paper — and she still was not ready to quit!" recounted a California dentist. "Too many people have the Regis Philbin look: teeth that are too big and too white that look too fake!" complained a Missouri prosthodontist.
Others feel that perhaps one can never have too much of a good thing. "Whitening is a patient's choice. If it makes them feel better and causes no problems, why not?" declared a Pennsylvania dentist. "If people want 'toilet bowl teeth,' so what?" asked a Georgia dentist. "Too white? Isn't that like being too rich?"
Tooth whitening is safe and effective, a point highlighted by many dental practitioners. "Some people will overdo whitening no matter what, so I think the dentist has a role as professional counselor," commented a California dentist. "But based on what I have seen in the literature to date, I believe whitening is both safe and efficacious."
As with anything, some people will always go to excess. "Like everything in this world, too much of anything is not good for you," said one Florida dentist. "Too much whitening on the same set of teeth will be too much and can cause problems, even darkening the same teeth we are trying to lighten."
One thing is crystal clear: the demand for tooth-whitening procedures is not likely to abate anytime soon. "I still see 5-10 patients daily asking about bleaching who have never done any bleaching previously," mentioned a North Carolina dentist. "In my practice, 'toilet bowl teeth' are few and far between."
"I can't say that I'm surprised to find dentists in favor of tooth whitening," said The Wealthy Dentist founder and dental management consultant Jim Du Molin. "But I am a little surprised that so few dentists are concerned about the possible harmful effects of over-bleaching. Of course, that's why dentists prefer to be in control of tooth whitening procedures — it lets them ensure that patients don't damage their teeth and give themselves fake-looking smiles."
For additional information on this and other Wealthy Dentist surveys, as well as more dentist comments, visit www.thewealthydentist.com/survey.
The Wealthy Dentist is a dental marketing and dental practice management resource featuring dental consultant Jim Du Molin. The site’s weekly surveys and dental newsletters are viewed by thousands of dentists across the United States and Canada. The Wealthy Dentist is a sister company of the Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (www.internetdentalalliance.com). IDA is the largest provider of websites for dentists, email patient newsletters and dental directories in North America.
http://www.thewealthydentist.com
Contact:
Jim Du Molin
http://www.thewealthydentist.com/contactinfo.htm
415-435-2820
###
Geographic differences were remarkable. One out of three rural dentists expressed serious concerns about over-bleaching. By contrast, only one out of thirty urban dentists voiced the same worry. (Suburban dentists fell in between the two groups at one out of four.) Sometimes stereotypes do prove to be based on a kernel of truth: Urban dentists care more about cosmetic factors.
Some dentists did feel that tooth-whitening can easily become too much of a good thing. "I had one patient who became so addicted to bleaching that her teeth resembled bright white copy paper — and she still was not ready to quit!" recounted a California dentist. "Too many people have the Regis Philbin look: teeth that are too big and too white that look too fake!" complained a Missouri prosthodontist.
Others feel that perhaps one can never have too much of a good thing. "Whitening is a patient's choice. If it makes them feel better and causes no problems, why not?" declared a Pennsylvania dentist. "If people want 'toilet bowl teeth,' so what?" asked a Georgia dentist. "Too white? Isn't that like being too rich?"
Tooth whitening is safe and effective, a point highlighted by many dental practitioners. "Some people will overdo whitening no matter what, so I think the dentist has a role as professional counselor," commented a California dentist. "But based on what I have seen in the literature to date, I believe whitening is both safe and efficacious."
As with anything, some people will always go to excess. "Like everything in this world, too much of anything is not good for you," said one Florida dentist. "Too much whitening on the same set of teeth will be too much and can cause problems, even darkening the same teeth we are trying to lighten."
One thing is crystal clear: the demand for tooth-whitening procedures is not likely to abate anytime soon. "I still see 5-10 patients daily asking about bleaching who have never done any bleaching previously," mentioned a North Carolina dentist. "In my practice, 'toilet bowl teeth' are few and far between."
"I can't say that I'm surprised to find dentists in favor of tooth whitening," said The Wealthy Dentist founder and dental management consultant Jim Du Molin. "But I am a little surprised that so few dentists are concerned about the possible harmful effects of over-bleaching. Of course, that's why dentists prefer to be in control of tooth whitening procedures — it lets them ensure that patients don't damage their teeth and give themselves fake-looking smiles."
For additional information on this and other Wealthy Dentist surveys, as well as more dentist comments, visit www.thewealthydentist.com/survey.
The Wealthy Dentist is a dental marketing and dental practice management resource featuring dental consultant Jim Du Molin. The site’s weekly surveys and dental newsletters are viewed by thousands of dentists across the United States and Canada. The Wealthy Dentist is a sister company of the Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (www.internetdentalalliance.com). IDA is the largest provider of websites for dentists, email patient newsletters and dental directories in North America.
http://www.thewealthydentist.com
Contact:
Jim Du Molin
http://www.thewealthydentist.com/contactinfo.htm
415-435-2820
###
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415-435-2820
www.thewealthydentist.com
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415-435-2820
www.thewealthydentist.com
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