Megan Fairhall explains how to get the most out of tooth whitening from a business perspective as part of a thriving practice.
If you are already offering tooth whitening, how confident are you that this is reaching its full potential as a business adjunct? Out of 10, how do you score yourself and your team?
The business of tooth whitening represents a low investment opportunity which reaps a high return. However, there are some fundamentals which need to be adhered to maximise results.
Megan Fairhall is an experienced whitening clinician at mydentist and one of seven members of the mydentist Clinical Advisory Board. She helped guide the group to implement tooth whitening into its 550 practices. Megan has also trained over 600 dental hygienists, dental therapists and dentists over the past six years through her tooth whitening training courses which are run in association with Philips.
She says: ‘I think we are at a stage where the discussion is no longer about countering the suggestions that tooth whitening is a not viable business proposition, many practices across the UK and also Europe have been incredibly successful and shown that tooth whitening can easily be built in as a highly successful business add-on.
‘Whitening is a powerful tool’
‘However many of the dental practice owners I speak to are still under-utilising team members instead of up skilling them with whitening responsibilities. The premise of a successful strategy which enables the practice to grow, is that it needs to be able to build on each team member’s strengths and abilities, to encourage communication and drive recommendations to patients about whitening.
‘Whitening is a powerful tool for practices to create a progressive impression and engender lasting relationships with their patients. Whitening provides a positive experience and treatment time for all concerned, and with repeated patient visits it helps to build trust and loyalty.
‘Clinical confidence is still an obvious barrier and not all cases are the same when it comes to whitening, so tailored treatment planning is recommended for each patient. In my courses I show clinicians how to achieve great results, however challenging their cases might be. I have also developed simplified protocols and workflows that can easily be incorporated into practice, for both simple and complex whitening. My model works and has been recognised by the profession.’
Looking forward
‘The feedback I get every week from peers suggests that many tooth whitening business models are still peppered with shortcomings, with the Achilles heel often being the lack of strategic planning, combined with a poor understanding of existing human assets. I ask you to consider the following questions: Is your tooth whitening model robust enough? Is your current profitability matching your forecasts? Would you agree that there is room for improvement?
‘If you feel that you are not able to answer these questions affirmatively and could benefit from some guidance or you need a few tips and adjustments to master the business of tooth whitening, then I invite you join me on one of my upcoming tooth whitening training courses for dental hygienists, dental therapists and dentists.
‘I am delighted that Philips will be continuing to support my tooth whitening training courses for 2025. The course covers; the theory and science of tooth whitening, individual case management, laws and prescriptions, clinical workflow, sensitivity prevention and management, take home whitening trays, Zoom in-chair whitening, as well as marketing – on and offline.
Every delegate is granted a certificate for six hours of eCPD and a free trial Sonicare sonic toothbrush. In addition, you will also have access to ongoing support from the Philips team to help make sure you are supported when implementing whitening into your practice after the course to ensure you are achieving successful results with your tooth whitening business.’
2025 course dates
- Saturday 8 February 2025 10:00 GMT (online)
- Saturday 22 February 2025, 10:00 GMT (online)
- Friday 25 April 2025 (in person at Philips’ head office)
- Saturday 24 May 2025 10:00 GMT (online)
- Saturday 26 July 2025 10:00 GMT (online).
This article is sponsored by Philips.
