Next generation Philips Zoom is here

Philips Oral Healthcare has launched new Zoom Whitespeed, the next generation of the world's best-known professional teeth whitening brand in Australia. Philips Zoom Whitespeed is the first new product delivered by Philips Oral Healthcare since its acquisition of Discus Dental and the Zoom brand in 2010.

The main features of the new Philips Zoom is the incorporation of cutting edge LED technology to replace the previous xenon halogen light source providing greater reliability and longevity of the whitening lamp plus a new intensity setting that can be adjusted to counter any sensitivity that occurs during the procedure.

"Zoom has proven to be a great practice builder for our customers around the world since its launch in 2004 and none more so than in Australia," said Mr Muir Keir, Senior Manager Sales & Marketing for Philips Oral Healthcare. "This latest Philips Zoom Whitespeed further refines an outstanding pedigree that has seen Zoom become the number one patient requested professional whitening treatment globally.

"Zoom has essentially always delivered the results in the chair to give patients the WOW! factor and this latest generation certainly delivers on that promise better than ever. However, the new system also addresses concerns from patients and practitioners relating, in particular, to the sensitivity that teeth whitening sometimes causes.

"So in essence, the new Philips Zoom is designed to deliver all the positive effects of giving your patients a whiter, brighter smile whilst limiting or even eliminating the negative aspects of pain and sensitivity."

Mr Keir said that while Australia and the world continues to operate in economically challenging times, teeth whitening has continued to be the one way that dentists can connect with new and existing patients.

"Teeth whitening is the one aspect of dentistry that patients can immediately relate to," he said. "No one understands a root canal, let alone wants one. Conversely, patients know all about teeth whitening, they know the overwhelmingly positive benefits having whiter teeth can create and as a result, they often have a strong desire to undergo treatment.

"We can see clearly on a daily basis how professional teeth whitening is being employed by many of our customers to successfully attract new patients to their practices. If handled correctly, those patients return to the practice to have their ongoing oral healthcare needs addressed as well. More than half the battle is always establishing the trust required for the patient to be comfortable in the chair and the desire for whiter teeth bridges that gap instantly."

Mr Keir said that most practices included an exam as a precursor to the whitening treatment to both confirm candidacy and also to inform the patient of any other oral health-related issues they may have.

"There are many reasons why a patient doesn't visit the dentist regularly and whereas it's easy to point to cost of treatment as an excuse, in actual fact, many people don't visit the dentist because they simply don't believe they have a need.

"That may well be the case of course, however often when patients present for whitening, the clinician will alert them to other work that is required and in doing so, commence a long-standing relationship between the patient and the practice."

Philips purchased the privately held California-based Discus Dental in late 2010 from its owners who included well-known celebrity dentist Dr Bill Dorfman.

The focus of the acquisition from the beginning was clearly the company's market leading teeth whitening products including the Zoom, BriteSmile, DayWhite and NiteWhite brands. The fledgling endodontic segment of the business was immediately sold to Sybron Endo following the acquisition. The restorative and impression portfolio including impression materials, bite registration materials, bonding agents, bite trays, crown and bridge material and curing lights were next sold to DenMat.

Finally, the NV and SL3 lasers, Zen cordless prophy and Insight ultrasonic inserts were sold to Zila.

Philips Oral Healthcare's principal brand up until that point had been Sonicare power toothbrushes and this division has now been bolstered with the addition of Zoom, BriteSmile, Dash, NiteWhite and DayWhite teeth whitening solutions, Fluoridex fluoride toothpaste, PerioRx chlorhexidine rinse, Relief ACP gel and the Breath Rx range of oral health products (not all of which are available here).

"As the new owners of a very well-known and well-respected brand, it's always pertinent to look back at what made Discus Dental and Zoom so successful in the first place," Mr Keir said. "In the beginning, it was all about helping practices to create a certain image and environment where patients could have their lives changed with a whiter brighter smile.

"As Zoom became a household name and Discus Dental grew, more and more products were added to the portfolio and somewhere along the way, they started to become just another big dental company.

"Philips is a large multinational of course, but in terms of Zoom and our dental brands, we've purposely divested ourselves of the clutter. Moving forward, we're offering a core group of the best products and concentrating on distilling the essence of what made Zoom the best solution so that we can again offer practices a comprehensive solution to grow their practices and enhance their clinical care."