Last time I asked my dentist about teeth whitening (before the "Great Pause"), he offered me a take-home kit so I could do it myself. I was honestly surprised and a little disappointed. It's like going to a restaurant and having to cook my own meal. I had bought strips and kits at the store and felt too much irritation and experienced poor results. My dentist wasn’t really offering anything better or different at the time but that's just changed.
I spoke with a friend whose wife and son are dentists in Chicago and he explained that whitening takes too long (too much precious chair time), cost too much and that patients feel discomfort and are rarely fully satisfied with the results.
Statistically, more than 90% of people want whiter teeth, yet less than 10% seek treatment. And, most of those whitening treatments are performed at home rather than the dentist office. In fact, the percent of in-office whitening procedures has dropped dramatically over the past 10 years. And the reason is simple. Technology to whiten teeth hasn’t really changed or improved much over the past 30 years. Offices are still employing peroxide syringes activated by UV lights in 30 to 45-minute sessions and that’s too long to deliver a decent patient experience and they often cause zingers (i.e. painful tooth sensitivity). It also means that dentists are forced to charge more than the average at-home treatment, which makes it hard for them to compete. But the reality is that patients would prefer someone else whiten their teeth rather than do it themselves. No matter how easy or fast ads make it seem, whitening at home takes days or weeks to deliver visible results, they can be irritating, and compliance is extremely poor.
Damon Brown, founder and CEO of Dentovations, a Boston based company specialized in hygiene (ACTIVA Hand Sanitizers) and immunity products; along with David Wuchinich, a global renown expert in ultrasonic research saw this as a unique problem that had to be solved.
“Teeth whitening belongs in the dental office, under the care of a trained specialist to deliver fast and optimal results. We knew that peroxide worked well and could work faster with the right activating technology. So, in 2016, we set out to reinvent the category, starting with the technology” said Brown.
The solution required setting aside all preconceptions of what had worked in the past and develop a new technology from the ground up that could meet the needs of dentists and their patients. It had to whiten teeth by 4-8 shades in under ten minutes, including prep time. Otherwise, dentists wouldn’t be interested, and patients would find it cumbersome. David Wuchinich, and inventor with many patents to his name, had the solution and it came in the form of sound, not light. Wuchinich had been a lead ultrasonic researcher for Cavitron and had a unique understanding of the potential of this technology to remove teeth stains in a completely new way that would be safe on teeth and enamel.
Damon Brown David Wuchinich
After nearly 4 years of R&D, the team developed Uphoria Teeth Whitening. Uphoria applies ultrasonic cavitation at a patented frequency and resonance that activates peroxide up to 10X faster than UV lights. Patients can achieve 4-6 shades in under ten minutes of chair time and at a fraction of the cost. Given the lower exposure to peroxide, the #uphoriasmile whitening treatment circumvents the irritation and discomfort of light-activated treatments.
“In-office teeth whitening is back” says Dr. Adam Diasti founder of Coast Dental a leading group of dental practices across the Southeast. “Uphoria makes it possible for dentists to offer patients with dramatically whiter teeth each time they come in for a cleaning or procedure. Its quick, easy and affordable. In fact, since we started offering Uphoria, we’ve increased our daily whitening treatments by over 800% in some offices. We offer it as a perk to new and returning patients at a fraction of the cost of other treatments. Cleanings and repairs are important for our patients’ oral health, but whitening makes them feel good about coming to see us. Uphoria makes that possible again.”
The new revolutionary Uphoria systems is available to dental offices directly through Uphoriasmile.com and nationwide through Henry Schein.
I'm all for DIY gardening and decorating, but when it comes to my health and my teeth, I'll leave it to the professionals!
#uphoriasmile #dentovations @uphoriasmile
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