Smile Bright

A CBS 2 News Special Assignment

But would it appeal to you if you could whiten your teeth during your lunch break in a place more like a spa than a dentist's office?

CBS 2 News' Thelma Gutierrez tells us about a clever marketing strategy that combines a little cosmetic dentistry and upscale retail atmosphere that will get you smiling.

Special Assignment: Smile Bright aired Sunday, June 6, 1999 at 11 p.m.

It's a blue light brand new on the market that can make yellow, dingy-stained teeth white again.

Teeth whitening is an auto-boost to the ego, said CBS 2 News' Thelma Gutierrez. A boost to the ego that is giving rise to a booming business.

There are inexpensive teeth whiteners, and laser whiteners at about $200 per tooth. Then there's the gel tray, but you wear that every night for several weeks.

"After two weeks, you're gung ho. Three weeks, your not remembering to wear it. By the fourth week, you've lost interest in it," Ina Coleman told Gutierrez.

"I think we're in a society today when we want something, we want it done right now," Jana Babb told Gutierrez.

So the folks at a company called Bright Smile came up with a new solution. Gutierrez reports it was a clever combination of cosmetic dentistry and retail savvy.

"What else could you do for about $500 to feel good about yourself?" Brite Smile Center President Linda Oubre asked. "You get your hair done a couple times a year, buy a new suit for an interview, you can go to a spa or get your teeth done at Bright Smile. And that's what our strategy is."

"With yellow teeth, I feel my hygiene wasn't good. I'd brush and brush, they would stay yellow and there was nothing I could do," Mat Feinstein told Gutierrez.

Now customers self-conscious about their smiles have a new, fast alternative.

"This really appealed to me because I can get it done in an hour and I don't have to think about it and it's done," Coleman said.

Just a year and a half ago, a NASA scientist who worked on the Hubble Telescope and developed the Lasik eye surgery, came up with a light source to whiten teeth, Gutierrez reports.

It's called a gas plasma light. It lightens all your teeth in one shot and takes about an hour and a half. The light uses similar wave lengths as a laser, but it's not a laser.

Gutierrez reports first the patient's gums are protected with a gel, then a 50 percent hydrogen peroxide gel is applied to each tooth.

After all the prep work is done, the patient stays under the blue light for more than an hour.

"We're just trying to make teeth whitening something part of a normal routine. You basically color your hair when it starts to get gray, you whiten your teeth when they start to get yellow because of staining or aging," Brite Smile Marketing Vice President Cheryl Lester told Gutierrez.

They say it's also about being pampered, not having to go to a dentist office but to a place that's designed to feel more like a spa, Gutierrez said.

"People have an aversion to dentists and novocaine. This is happy dentistry," Dr. Robert Reyto said.

Supervising dentist Dr. Reyto said patients must have healthy teeth and gums to undergo the procedure. He also said they have to have realistic expectations. Their teeth won't be stark white, but they can lighten up several shades.

Gutierrez reports the results should last between two and three years, depending on what you eat and drink. Coffee, tea and red wine stain teeth.

Also, the procedure will only work on natural teeth. It won't work on crowns or teeth that are bonded.

More Information:

• Bright Smile's phone number is 877-BRITESMILE