Alif Moosajee explains why a high value whitening protocol can enhance the patient journey and provide benefits for the dental practice.
I have been offering tooth whitening for 20 years now. Understandably, this has given me an opportunity to weigh the pros and cons of the treatment, and quite frankly the benefits for my patients, staff members and the practice are just phenomenal.
There is undeniably a growing demand which you can meet, whilst you are elevating your practice’s level of care. Patients don’t need tooth whitening, they want it, which makes a massive difference. Patients having tooth whitening will talk about it because of how it makes them feel. I would love people to talk about other dental procedures with that same level of excitement, but realistically, this does not happen as often!
The business case for whitening
For practice owners who are still unsure about tooth whitening, let’s explore various scenarios that illustrate the potential financial benefits of integrating whitening into the practice – starting with take-home tooth whitening:
The treating clinician – This scenario touches on whitening as an integral part of restorative treatment plans. If a treating clinician focuses on the restorative cases they complete per day, they can quickly establish whether teeth whitening can be seamlessly integrated into these cases for better patient outcomes and enhanced practice revenues. The average take-home treatment income per clinician minus lab fee and clinician split equates to £162.50.
The practice – A very encouraging figure I like to highlight is the 48% of patients likely to undertake tooth whitening in the next 12 months, according to the Oral Health Foundation. Fortune Business Insights also reports that the global teeth whitening market size, valued at about £6.67 billion in 2025, is projected to grow to £9.53 billion by 2032. This places practice owners in a very fortunate position where patients are already enthusiastic about the treatment.
Tangible benefits
The next step is to ascertain a potential revenue impact of introducing or increasing whitening treatments in a practice. If we take a four-surgery dental practice treating 60 patients per day, as an example, and whitening is charged at £450 per treatment, you can calculate the prospective monthly practice revenue it can generate:
It goes without saying that the turnover will differ depending on patient demographics and overall size of the practice.
Whether tooth whitening is a new addition or an existing treatment, practice owners ought to ensure that the workflow significantly enhances the patient journey and provides tangible benefits for the practice. In practical terms, this means putting a high value whitening protocol in place which comprises:
- A hygiene appointment to prepare the teeth for optimal whitening results by removing staining and calculus
- A desensitising protocol to reduce potential discomfort, increase compliance and overall satisfaction
- The sale of an electric toothbrush/sundries to promote effective aftercare and extend the longevity of whitening results
- A top-up protocol to ensure continued long term treatment satisfaction.
These elements provide legitimate added value to patients who benefit from enhanced results from a more thorough and tailored approach. This generates improved patient satisfaction and loyalty and leads to more referrals and positive reviews.
I personally only offer Philips DayWhite and NiteWhite take-home whitening kits, but every practice is different and will find what works for them and their patients.
Chairside whitening
We have estimated that with chairside whitening, the initial outlay can be recouped in just four treatment sessions. Profits can also increase dramatically treating just two patients a month. These calculations are detailed in more depth in a Playbook* we put together.
Whether you offer take-home or chairside or both, patients can end up with a far more effective treatment, whilst practices can add more value, and consequently generate more revenue.
*https://www.instagram.com/the.smiling.dentist/
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