“Get straighter, whiter teeth – painlessly!” Who wouldn’t want that?

With a multi-million dollar marketing campaign in full swing more patients than ever are calling their dentists to request “no prep” veneers. How are you handling those inquiries in your office? Even though we all know that relatively few no-prep cases can really be completed with “awesome” results, this marketing campaign is creating an increased awareness of aesthetics. This is a good thing, so why not ride on the coattails of those spending lots of the marketing dollars! Be excited about the opportunity to talk to your patients, or perspective patients, about all of the options for enhancing the beauty of their smile.

Why are patients so intrigued by the concept of no-prep veneers? Most patients don’t even know what “prep” means. I believe the power of the campaign is built around saying the procedure is “painless” and these “veneers can transform your smile without removal of sensitive tooth structure”. Fear of pain, is and always has been, the primary reason patients avoid dentists and optimum dentistry. Even though patients say they don’t want their teeth “ground down”, what they are really communicating is, they don’t want “pain”.
So, if lack of pain is the real motivator, then that’s the issue we need to address when communicating with patients requesting this procedure.

But first, we have to help patients realize that fear of discomfort may be what’s motivating them to want this type of veneers, since they may not be consciously aware it’s what prompted them to inquire about this product. Ask them how they heard about no-prep veneers and what about the advertisement prompted them to ask you about them. Usually the “no drilling” or “no pain” issue will come up during this discussion. Then talk with them to discover what they don’t like about their teeth and what their aesthetic goals are. Next, we must explain how their desired results can be accomplished “painlessly”, even if requiring tooth preparation. This requires gaining trust and confidence and it is a critical step. Here is where your self-confidence and communication skills will shine. Patients go to the dentist of their choice (you) because of their respect for and belief in your ability to give them “the best”. If the patient is not a good candidate for no-prep veneers and you tell them why, make confident recommendations of what would work to achieve their goals, and show them, in some way, a simulation of the end result, everyone wins.

Published by BECDEN Dental Laboratory 131 E. 13065 S. Draper, UT 84020 888-344-9991 toll-free 801-576-9991 phone

The editor of this newsletter is Emily Webb of Becden Dental Laboratory, Inc. Please send any questions or comments about this newsletter, or suggestions for articles to: emilyw@becdendental.com ©2007 BECDEN Dental Laboratory, Inc.