This month’s newsletter features a new monthly marketing idea, as well as the introduction of a new continuing education section for aestheticians.

Keep reading for more valuable information on teeth whitening and BEYOND™ WhiteSpa!

It happens all too often: The day’s schedule is full and everyone is prepped and ready to handle a busy day of back-to-back appointments. Then it starts to rain. Or snow. Or for a variety of other reasons, people start cancelling. What can you do to salvage the day in this kind of a scenario?

One of our clients told us that when they have a day like this, they quickly send out a mass email to all of their clients advertising a special whitening treatment promotion for that day only. Appointments are taken on a first-come, first-served basis and the promotion is good for that day only.

They said that the first time they offered this promotion; they filled up an entire day’s worth of whitening appointments within two hours. And the calls kept coming in. So they told the waitlist customers that if they paid for the whitening treatment on that day, they could come in at another time and get the whitening done for the special price.

With the full schedule and pre-paid treatments lined up, they actually ended up making more from the day than they would have with the original schedule!

You can prepare for a cancellation day by having all of your client’s emails loaded into a mass emailing system, such as www.constantcontact.com, and a form email ready to go.

If a client expresses concern over sensitivity from the treatment, how should you react?

Ask the client if they have ever tried any other whitening products. If so, have they experienced sensitivity while using those other products? If not, then they should be fine during the WhiteSpa treatment.

Sensitivity from whitening can be caused by several factors (or the combination of these factors). One is exposure to excess heat during the treatment. This is not an issue with the WhiteSpa system because our light has an advanced light filtration system in the lamp head that removes all harmful heat and UV light from the light before it reaches your teeth. This significantly reduces the risk of a client experiencing sensitivity during the Beyond WhiteSpa treatment.

Sensitivity can also occur when higher percentages of hydrogen peroxide are used in the whitening gel. The BEYOND™ WhiteSpa treatment uses a gentle, over-the-counter strength 6% hydrogen peroxide whitening gel. So in most clients, there is little risk of sensitivity associated with the treatment. Most over-the-counter whitening products use between 6-10% hydrogen peroxide (or the equivalent in carbamide peroxide), so if they have not had any problems with other over-the-counter or take-home products, then they should be fine during the WhiteSpa treatment.

Longer exposure to hydrogen peroxide-based whitening gels can also cause sensitivity. However, with the short, 60-minute WhiteSpa treatment, this cause of sensitivity is also removed. Again, if they were fine with using take-home whitening products over the course of several days, then they will be fine with the hour-long WhiteSpa treatment.

When you hold a pre-treatment consultation with the client, let them know that you will be careful in applying the whitening gel along their gum line and that the gel should not actually come into contact with their gums during the treatment at all. An advantage with the WhiteSpa treatment over other whitening systems is that there is very limited, if any, contact between the whitening gel and the gums. The use of a cheek retractor during the WhiteSpa treatment means that the lips are pulled away from the surface of the teeth and the application of the whitening gel is more accurate.

Clients can also be instructed to brush with an anti-sensitivity toothpaste, such as BEYOND™ Pearl White Sensitivity Formula, following the treatment. The most popular anti-sensitivity ingredient in toothpastes is potassium nitrate and this will help to sooth sensitive teeth.

Last issue we covered the differences between hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide. To reference this article, please see The BEYOND™ WhiteSpa Messenger: February 2008 here.

Keep in mind that carbamide peroxide is hydrogen peroxide and urea combined, so it follows logically that the percentages needed to whiten effectively are higher. Pure hydrogen peroxide as an active ingredient requires a lower percentage of the total gel composition because it is more concentrated. This means that a 6% hydrogen peroxide gel is the same strength as 18% carbamide peroxide gel. It is also important to understand that whitening with the 6% hydrogen peroxide gel will actually be faster than the 18% carbamide peroxide gel because the hydrogen peroxide can break down and react faster. Make sure that your staff and clients understand this difference! Many people are confused over the difference between these two different active ingredients.

To ask Dr. Jenny a question, please send an email addressed to her to info@beyondwhitespa.com.

Q: If a client has cold sores or “fever blisters”, can they use BEYOND™ WhiteSpa?

A: For clients with cold sores or fever blisters, they should avoid the WhiteSpa treatment while they have an open sore or inflamed area. This is because the treatment involves the use of a cheek retractor which will stretch the skin of the lips and may further irritate the inflamed area. The treatment itself will not cause cold sores or fever blisters. Liberal use of lip protection cream should always be used to ensure that the lips are moist and supple during the treatment.