The Smile Boutique in the DentistÌs Office
January 10, 2008
By ALIX STRAUSS
The New York Times
DR. PIA LIEB, a cosmetic dentist, held an unusual food tasting last month in a Chelsea loft. Plenty of red wine and gobs of delectable nibbles were on hand, including beet and goat cheese salad and raspberry mini-tarts. Dr. LiebÌs aim wasnÌt to delight guests but to discolor their teeth.
It was all a stunt to have the three dozen guests fall for a new version of SexySmile, a product designed by Dr. Lieb that combines a tooth whitener, lip gloss and lip plumper in one package. By April the product, whose whitener she claims is safe to use up to three times daily, will be available for $36 at stores like Sephora and BergdorfÌs and, of course, at her Upper East Side office.
ÏI love beauty and I wanted to combine the two,Ó said Dr. Lieb, who intends to roll out an entire product line, including an oral beauty travel kit, by 2011. ÏYou canÌt have white teeth and not take care of your lips. Besides, IÌm a woman and that gives me a different insight than a male who is selling a teeth-whitening product.Ó
First, dermatologists came out with skin-care lines to attract a higher tier of clientele and tout their multitasking. Now, more dentists than ever dabble in research and development to create so-called Ïsmile beautyÓ lines they hope will make them a mint.
No organization tracks how many oral-care products are designed by dentists. But industry analysts say more than a dozen doctors have brought out items in the last year or plan to this year.
ÏCosmetic dentistry was an under-served market and another beauty target,Ó said Michele Harris, the chief executive of Smarti Solutions, a marketing consultancy. ÏTeeth-whitening woke everyone up and set the platform for new products and innovation. Along with that comes the need to differentiate and brand yourself.Ó
Which is why the second-generation of dentist-designed toothpastes, whitening gel pens and deluxe mouth rinses are coming to fruition now. Dentists vying to have their products noticed argue that they offer active ingredients that are a cut above drugstore brands. But critics say that is not always the case, and why buy products from a doctor who stands to profit from the sale?
Regardless of whether dentist-made brands are more effective, some consumers think they are, according to an online survey last year by Mintel, a consumer research company. Eighty-seven percent of 2,000 respondents nationwide thought that store-bought products were not as effective as a whitening product from a dental office.
ÏNo question thereÌs an increased demand for appearance-enhancing dental products and procedures,Ó said Dr. Mike Fleming, who is on the dental products advisory panel at the Food and Drug Administration. ÏA number of dentists with an entrepreneurial flair have responded to this demand by developing and marketing toothpastes, bleaching systems and mouth rinses that appear at first glance to be novel in their approach and superior in effectiveness.Ó
Take Dr. Debra Glassman, a cosmetic dentist on the Upper West Side. She spent $250,000 developing, designing and packaging her StarBrite toothpaste, which contains xylitol, an ingredient Dr. Glassman says fights cavities and bacteria.
She also lobbied to have it sold at the Wynn hotel and the Venetian in Las Vegas. ÏI flew out to Vegas, met with the hotels, got the toothpaste into their gift shops and now weÌre talking about placing it in the rooms,Ó she said. VictoriaÌs Secret also carried $6.50 StarBrite tubes during its first few months in 13 stores. (It has not decided whether to re-order for 2008).
Roughly 300 tubes are sold monthly at the practice that she shares with her husband, Dr. Steven Glassman. In May, she will add dental floss, mouthwash and whitening gel pens to the StarBrite brand. Like her toothpaste, each will contain the crystalline sweetener xylitol, which Ïmakes enamel stronger,Ó she said.
Some dentists turned product developers say their brands improve upon messy trays and ill-fitting strips, or cut alcohol out of mouthwash, or detergent or synthetic materials out of toothpaste.
Dr. Jennifer Jablow, a cosmetic dentist in Midtown Manhattan, created her own whitener (making its debut in April) after numerous patient complaints about drugstore brands and her own disappointment. ÏPaint-on products donÌt always adhere to the teeth,Ó Dr. Jablow said. ÏMany products can cause gum and tongue irritation. People also get sore throats because theyÌre ingesting 7 percent worth of peroxide.Ó
But without adequate comparative studies, it is hard to say a dentist-made whitener is more effective than, say, the 51 whitening toothpastes and 14 whitening kits sold by the Duane Reade chain.
ÏThe active ingredients that dentists market in their products are often very similar to what Crest and Colgate are offering,Ó said Dr. Fleming, who practices in Durham, N.C.
Both drugstore and dentist items must conform to F.D.A. standards for proper labeling and use, but no studies compare the two.
Dr. Fleming said, ÏDentist-created products might lack certain additives like preservativesÓ or be sweetener-free, which could appeal to label-conscious consumers.
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
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cosmetic dentistry says: | 2010-10-15 04:15:00 |
| Smile is very powerful indeed! But as long as you have those perfectly aligned and white teeth that you can share to everyone by showcasing them your gorgeous smile. valleycosmeticdentist@gmail.com |
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