At the Dentist's Office, X-Rays, Root Canals
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&atffitwm,v tvnrNE t I' r SPENDING At the Dentist'sOffice, X-Rays,Root Canals And, No*, Pampering No. 1 requested service. Patients might pay By J ENNIFER ALSEVER $300 to $600 for it, an expense t)?ically not " covered byinsurance. The desire for pertect teeth is not limited AT her dental appointments, Dem Ro' lI manick sips green tea and takes in to t]le dental office. Consumers have flocked n the scent of lavender md the sounds to over-the{ounter teeth-whitening prod-. of New Age music. She gets a free paraffin ucts. Together, sales for Crest WhitestriDs hand wax treatment, blankets,a warm neck ild Crest Night Effects, fwo whitening pad and video eyeglassesin which she can products from Procter & Gamble, tripled {," watch "Seinfeld" episodes while the dentist from 2001to 2005.to $300million. works on her teeth. "Now more than ever people are looking The pampering eased her through a root to improve their smiles," said Dr. Irwin canal and a tooth replacement, and now, Smigel, a Manhattan dentist and founder 'i: president Americm Society of ' with her fear of dental work gone, she has md of the Y,,'i,{{, moved on to more elective procedures. Ms. Dental Aesthetics. Rommick,34, a graduate student from Ger- Technology has improved, and reality "&a:;, mmtown, Md., spent $399 for teeth whit- makeover television shows have helped to ening and next plans to straighten her teeth ma&e mbre consumers aware of it. And with removable plastic braces, which cm many people - including baby boomers - cost up to $3,500. have the cash to spend. "I was totally afraid of the dentist," she "The baby boomer Beneration has put good priority," said. "Now I Bo to the dentist every six looking good and feeling as a months md I just cm't wait." said Kimberly Harms, a spokeswoman lor What's that? Enjoy the dentist's office? the American Dental Association and a den- That is the hope of a growing , tist in Farmington, Minn. "It number of dentists who are goes along with people getting turning their practices into Botox, exercising md dyeing "dental spas" that offer such their hair." perks as fresh-baled cookies Wateffalls. Dentists say that when a pa- and overstuffed couches and tient is relded, mesthesia services like body waxing, fa- faCials and works betrer md procedures cials, massage and pedicures. About 5 percent of the Ameri- rresh-baked Sffi if,:":}fj,'I;,,H:i'r:i,9n cm Dental Association's mem- cookies.open l?il'li,jl bers have declared their offices 'wide ;3ff.'e*;,",-lj:i;Y; as "spas." And their new serv- and SaV. watilabe, a dentist who opened ices may open the door to more Dental SDa lnc. in Pacific Pal- elective cosmetic dentistry * an 'This isn't so isades,catif. additional revenue source for an .Dr. Watanabe md her hus- industry that historically has bad.' band, Johri chien, started their been restricted by what Pa- d€ntal spa in 2002,after watch- tients' insurance will cover. ing fearful children run from the For dentists, the changes can office. Since tien, theyhave se€n mean tbat patients see office visits as more their business and the spa'phenomenon routme. grow, even licensing the Dental Spa name to "Going to the dentist shouldn't be this bad other dentists in San Francisco. New York thing," said Dr. Kimherly Raer, who did Ms. City and Ann Arbor, Mich., along with the Romanick'S Uental work. "it should be like slogan, "Your teeth, body and mind will feel going to get your hair done." great." The couple also started the Interna- Dr. Baer opened the Bethesda Dentdl Spa tional Dental Spa Association - it now has in North Bethesd4, Md., two years ago, in- l0 member s - and are cornlng uP vii}I guidelines for what'serviies constitute a DeannRomanick used video eyeglasses to watch * stalling hardwood floors md waterfalls and " "n"*'.lo'J.;J ilffiii decorating i-n muted lavenders and greens. dentat spa. Already, Dr. Watanabe said, hand ws treatment during a teeth-whitening procedure by Dr. Kimberly Baer. All Datients receive hand waxes before their they have received interest trom dentists in Dubai, souti Korea, Russia and Brazil who appbintments. For additional tees, they cil lower half of the face. 1'I Cil build out lips, in New York who saw a flier about want to start dental spas. Quick- get follow-up pain treatment from il acu- raise the cheekbones," he said. bleach and decided to have his teeth whit- The trend goes beyond dentistry. Medical puncturist, md eyebrow waxes frbm a staff R. Dotsa!-a dentist in Chicago, ened therc. Mr. Conlin's wife, Carollm, spas have become a fast-growing segment -Timothy aesthetician. This summer, the office Plans offers computerized "smile imaging" at his joined him and received a computerrzed of the spa industry, Doctors, including podi- to add free l5-minute facials ild massages. practice, Perfect Smile Spa. He takes pho- smile aDalysis,porcelain veneers, gum re- atrists, gynecologists and general practi- "l view it as a marketing expense," Dr. tographs of the patients md lhen, using a contouring (which evens out the gum tis- malies other people go tioners, are opening medical spas in malls Baer said: "It's,what computer, alters the photos to show them sue), and skin Brafting (which patches den- and hospitals nationwide, offering extras back to their olfice and talk about their what they would look like if they had cos- gums with tissue from other parts of the like laser hair removal; Botox injections and tal appointment." metic work. His oftice also gives patients mouth). The couplespent $7,000. facials, said Hannelore R. LeaW; director of The strategy has.paid off. Dr. Baer says free lo-minute massages in the waiting "It's really a vanity issue, no question patients a the International Medical Spa Association in the spa receives about 45 new room md paralf in hand waxes, among other about it," Mr. Conlin said. "Our teeth look to go be- Union City, N.J. She estimates that there are month, With many ot them'willing servlces. labulous. It was all that was promised." yond dentistry and spend to about 1,500 hedical spas worldwide, more traditional $400 , Dental Spa and Boutique, a Dt_J.Ose:i9UIg, a dentist who is Quick- procedures _ tian triple tlie number three years ago. Quickbleach $16,000out ol pocket for various street-level spa on the East Side of Manhat- bleach's owner, says that since he over- porcelain "This is all cash for the doitor," she said. - whitening teeth or attabhing v9- tm, literally offers a menu of services to hauled his practice, he has doubledhis mnu- "There is no insurance, no pap€r,work. This neers, for example. Sales at the oflice dou- walk-in customers, including veneers - al revenue,to $3 million, and can accommo- year, is a very lucrative business for them." bled in tlle last to $1.5million. she said. tooth caps the thickness of a baby's finger- date twice as many patients as before. services go hmd in hand with tlle citing surveys that say. people jqdge one The spa nail - at $750 a tooth - and onehour whit- "When people walk in, they're amazed," growth of cosmetic dentistry. Dentists sur- another by their smiles, dentists now offer a ening procedures for $399. Quickbleach is Dr. Soutosaid. "They say, 'This doesn't look Academy wide range of services. veved last vear bv the American more akin to a trendy store or salon than a like a dentist's office.' Little by little, people tne aes- Dr. smigel says he has patients who pay of Cosmetic Dentistrv reDorted that inonsurgiial dental office, with its modern decor md Lat- wili think of the dentist's office as a positive proaddilrs rose by upT6-$ffi16r f ace-lif ts" ihai thetic fi their offices h- and Arabic-influenced music. place where they can be more beautiful md past five use bonding, veneers, crowns, implants, 12.5 pelcent, on average, in the "lt's serious dentistry with a spa atmos- not a place where the], re going to be pun- was the bridges and even dentures to buitd out the years. Tooth whitening, they said, phere," said Jimmy Conlin,59,a songwriter ished ard lose a coupleof teeth " tr.