Like any well known consumer brands you have to make a decision whether the appeal of that brand is worth paying slight more for and this is true for teeth whitening brands.With the power of marketing on TV,magazines and the internet brands are positioned in the way that appeals to us and therefore sometimes prices becomes a secondary issue. With teeth whitening the industry is still quite new and therefore marketers are starting to flex their muscles and create brands that appear to offer a product or service that is far better than it is in many cases.
Consumers rarely know this and it is not until they have done further research they find this out to their cost!
Teeth Whitening currently comes in three categories –
Dentist bleaching trays
The trays themselves are pretty straight forward but the whitening gel used in the trays there are some developing brands that are marketing directly to consumers to help the dentists promote the products and use language that consumers relate and understand. The bleaching tray market is all about the recurring sale so having an affiliation with a brand you know, trust and ultimately whitens your teeth is the key this business.
Laser teeth whitening
This is an area that is over subscribed with sales and marketing hype about their brand and products. Do not get me wrong them will work in the main but some of the marketing is not just targeted as consumers as there is a huge market for business opportunities or franchise in laser teeth whitening. Some of these business opportunities sell for around £15,000 so the marketing message is strong and direct and occasionally stretching the truth about results customers can expect.
Home kits
This is currently shark infested waters as there has been some bad press recently about consumers signing up for subscriptions without even realising. The home kit market is massive and many of the products work very well but some oversell the benefits and many of the companies do not make enough attention to the young using home kits too early as this can damage the enamel or gums of youngsters less than sixteen years old.
In time I am sure regulation of the products will be introduced and this will control the supply and distribution of the products or the trading standards or advertising standards agency will step in and ensure the message is accurate and has the necessary terms and conditions associated to ensure consumers have a balanced approach.
Like anything do your research and then do some more research before making a decision and speak to the company offering the product or service before you decide.
The desire for whiter teeth is not going to go away and I am sure more companies will come in to the arena once the size of the market is known. In the UK the market compared to the USA is still small but is growing as consumers get know the products on offer and also see or hear about people who have had their teeth whitened with great results.
Like anything just go in to it with eyes open and do your research!