Survey Sheds New Light on Cosmetic Dentistry Roger P. Levin, DDS, MBA, Founder and CEO, Levin Group

The youth-oriented culture prevalent in the U.S. is creating an ideal situation for cosmetic dentistry practices. In fact, a number of factors are fostering cosmetic dentistry’s growth, including millions of aging baby boomers who want to look younger, a plethora of “extreme makeover” television programs, a seemingly endless fascination with celebrity lifestyles, and the popularity of at-home whitening products (encouraged by multi-million-dollar ad campaigns).

"The information in the Levin Group Survey can help cosmetic dentists learn where to focus their cosmetic dental continuing education in areas where the value is greatest and improve their marketing effectiveness in those same areas as well," AACD President Dr. Nicholas Davis.

Last fall, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) commissioned Levin Group, Inc. to develop and conduct a survey entitled, The State of Cosmetic Dentistry. The 26-question survey, sent to both AACD member and non-member dentists across the country, has provided significant data about the current and future state of cosmetic dentistry.

Survey results released earlier this year by AACD confirm that cosmetic dentistry will continue to be a growth sector for many practices. Cosmetic production has grown on average by 12.5% during the past five years, with some doctors reporting close to a 40% increase. The vast majority of dentists (79%) expect similar or better growth during the next five years.

Cosmetic Patients

As may be expected, adults 31–40 years old (38%) and baby boomers 41–50 (32%) were the most likely to ask about cosmetic dentistry. According to feedback from surveyed doctors, young adults aged 21–30 edged out adults aged 51–60 by a slight margin (14% to 12%) for second place when inquiring about cosmetic procedures.

The survey revealed that less than 10% of all patients ask about esthetic services. In the majority of cases, it is the doctor or the hygienist who introduces the concept. This finding indicates that practices have to do more to promote cosmetic dentistry through a variety of internal educational efforts including brochures, posters and scripting. With its 20-year experience of working with more than 8,500 practices, Levin Group has found that training the entire team on practice services and case presentation can significantly increase case acceptance for esthetic procedures.

Doctors find that 96% of patients inquiring about cosmetic dentistry are female. With this in mind, practices should concentrate on strategies to interest men in esthetic services, such as asking for testimonials from male cosmetic patients. Posting before-and-after photographs of male cosmetic patients is another way to begin a dialog about esthetic procedures and increase case acceptance from a segment of the patient base that has traditionally been ignoring cosmetic treatment.

Whitening: Popular and Underperformed

It is notable that one service that ranked near the bottom of all services performed by surveyed doctors at 7% was also the most requested cosmetic service by patients – whitening (29%). The most popular procedure performed by participants was placing crown and bridges, which occurred 24% of the time in surveyed practices. In the survey, crowns and bridges outpaced such cosmetic procedures as direct bonding (19%), onlays-inlays (7%), whitening (7%) and veneers (4%).

In looking at these percentages, a question must be raised: are crowns and bridges cosmetic procedures? Or do they belong in the preventive category as a traditional treatment for missing teeth? By most dentists’ definitions, crowns and bridges would actually be considered cosmetic procedures because they enhance a patient’s appearance.

Other factors

The survey also covers such issues as doctor education, office location and case presentation skills. To advance their knowledge of cosmetic dentistry and to expand the services they offer, many dentists report that they attend continuing education courses on this topic. Approximately 40% of the dentists surveyed took 21 or more hours of CE courses in the clinical aspects of cosmetic dentistry. Of this 40%, more than half took up to five hours of CE courses covering the management aspects of a cosmetic practice.

The growth of cosmetic dentistry and geographic location are intertwined. Urban and suburban offices are much more likely to have experienced large growth in this area of dentistry. However, dentists in all types of geographic areas feel that their patients view cosmetic dentistry in a very positive light. This favorable rating by patients is supported by the fact that nearly one-third of the doctors surveyed estimate that patients interested in cosmetic services spend on average more than $600 per year on esthetic procedures in their practices.

Concerns about cost, appearance and longevity of the results are foremost in the patients’ minds, according to doctors offering cosmetic services. To promote greater case acceptance, dentists are emphasizing patient education and open communication along with offering third-party financing. Doctors responding to the survey expressed enthusiasm about the future growth of cosmetic dentistry. Surprisingly, this enthusiasm seems to transcend the doctor’s age, as more than half of the doctors responding have practiced 20 years or more. Remarkably, 98% of the doctors surveyed believe that over the next five years the growth rate of cosmetic dentistry will increase or remain at present levels.

Conclusion

I am in complete agreement with most of the doctors surveyed who are confident that cosmetic dentistry will continue to increase––often dramatically––during the next five years. Dentists who want to provide these services to their patients and profit from increased production will have to continue to take CE classes and train their teams to present more cosmetic dentistry.

To download the entire survey, go to the AACD Web site: www.aacd.com. Click “online press kit,” and then select “press releases.” For more information about cosmetic dentistry, contact the AACD at (608) 222-8583 or via e-mail at pr@aacd.com.

Roger P. Levin, DDS, MBA, is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Levin Group, a leading dental practice management consulting firm for general and specialty practices. Dr. Levin has published more than 2,700 articles and 49 books. He received the 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Consulting Services category. As a popular lecturer for the past 20 years, Dr. Levin addresses more than 22,000 dentists each year in 100-plus seminars and at dentistry’s most prestigious meetings.  For more information on the Levin Group call (888) 973-0000 or visit them online at www.levingroup.com.