GlamSmile the solution to veneers

Dentists looking to increase their treatment plan acceptance for cosmetic procedures have been enthusiastically awaiting the arrival of the latest development in veneer placement technology for some time according to Peter King, managing director of GlamSmile's new Australian and New Zealand operation.

GlamSmile Veneers are the latest innovation to reach our shores, developed by Belgium company Remedent. GlamSmile uses CAD/CAM technology to precisely craft a set of up to 10 ultra-thin veneers that are applied with little or no preparation of the dentition in under an hour.

"GlamSmile veneers represent a real breakthrough in the cosmetic dentistry market," Mr King said. "Next to tooth whitening, veneers are the most popular aesthetic procedure and GlamSmile have developed a system to make their manufacture and placement far easier.

"Using GlamSmile, dentists are able to offer patients an outstanding, high quality aesthetic solution at a more affordable price. The affordability aspects of the procedure are driven by the efficiency of the process which reduces the total chair time to as little as an hour over two appointments with the patient leaving with up to 10 porcelain veneers.

"Once our advertising and marketing campaign informs consumers of the benefits and availability of GlamSmile Veneers, we believe dentists will be swamped with interest."

Mr King said that from a business perspective, GlamSmile has arrived at a perfect time as many consumers start to question spending on elective procedures. With GlamSmile, the cost of treatment to the patient is less than a traditional approach and the return to the practice is higher as the time saved is immense.

"GlamSmile will effectively do for veneers what Invisalign has done for orthodontics," he said. "Minimal or no preparation veneers have already begun to revolutionise the US market and we believe that success will be replicated in Australia and New Zealand.

"GlamSmile veneers offer patients a pain-free, minimally invasive solution to achieving a better smile. The fully reversible procedure requires minimal or no preparation of the dentition and hence temporaries are not required.

"GlamSmile utilises state-of-the-art CAD/CAM and digital scanning technologies to craft a perfect veneer for each tooth. The custom created veneers are ultra-thin, super strong and flexible to achieve a natural look.

"The veneers are made of time-tested pure porcelain in Remedent's facilities in either France or Belgium and are guaranteed against manufacturer defects for 10 years."

Two visits to the practice are required; the first for impressions, photos and a bite registration and the second for placement. Up to 10 veneers can be precisely placed in well under an hour onto natural teeth or directly over old crowns and/or bridgework thanks to a revolutionary tray delivery system that replaces one-veneer-at-a-time placement. The simple, smooth, all-in-one-tray seating technique together with the precision crafted veneers are responsible for much of the efficiencies gained.

The cost to the patient is up to a third the cost of traditional veneers.

"We're developing a network of practitioners who will be fully trained in the GlamSmile system under a franchise model," Mr King said. "We will effectively sell geographically-exclusive territories to committed practitioners and use a large portion of the franchise fee to start educating and marketing to consumers.

"We have considerable experience in marketing dentistry to the public and will embark on our own advertising and promotional campaign as well as providing dentists with a comprehensive range of marketing materials for their own use.

"From experiences in other markets, participating dentists receive significant interest from the moment the marketing commences and this grows exponentially.

"There are likely tens of thousands of patients out there who have been treatment planned for veneers already who have not proceeded for reasons including cost so once we let people know GlamSmile veneers are available, the response will be immense.

"From a clinical perspective however, we have used the franchise model because we don't want a free-for-all. We want to work with practitioners who have been comprehensively trained and are committed to the system.

"Our franchisees will each have a geographical territory and we will drive business to those practices. The longevity of our business will be based on patient satisfaction so we need committed professionals delivering treatment. The more cases a dentists completes, the better the results for all concerned."