Are You Looking Forward to the Dentist? You’re Not Alone!
Does everyone still hate going to the dentist?
For most of us, paying a visit is usually not on the top of the wish-list of fun things to do. Many people associate a trip to the dentist with feelings of apprehension, fear and guilt, coupled with anxiety over how deep of a dent to the wallet one can expect to have after a dreaded appointment. However with the introduction of new elective treatments such as Invisalign and teeth whitening, I wondered–is the demand for dental treatment changing? Does everyone still indeed hate going to the dentist or has the advancement of dental products and procedures helped in reducing fear and anxiety and increasing avenues of opportunity for dentists as a whole?
Because of continued progress made both in technology and in products, dentistry has changed dramatically over the past decade. Dr. Sara Creighton, dentist and co-founder of the group practice, Washington Square Park Dental, in San Francisco, CA wanted to evaluate the current opinions of dental treatment and care and find out if the perception of dentistry was also changing. After discovering that the existing data was extremely outdated, we turned to SurveyMonkey Audience for help in assessing the overall contemporary perception towards dentistry, and in measuring current views of dental treatments. Could the data collected from her survey zero in on areas of opportunity in terms of types of products and services offered?
The results of our survey were dramatic and signified that consumer perspectives of dental treatments were indeed shifting. Results showed that 77.8% of respondents would like to have a dentist whom they visit on a regular basis.
That’s quite different from the long held assumption that everyone hates going to the dentist, period. A still more impressive finding was the amount of data related to Invisalign. The survey results showed that 41.7% of respondents would like to have straighter teeth and a staggering 95.6% of respondents had never had Invisalign.
Hear that, dentists? A huge opportunity for these types of treatments lies before you! It’s true, most folks would love to have a brighter, whiter smile. Dentists have yet another opportunity to reach out to current and prospective patients by offering whitening treatments or increasing awareness of the product for patients. 78.2% of the panel reported wanting whiter teeth while only 17.0% of respondents had in fact had their teeth professionally whitened.
This all-things-dental data from Dr. Creighton’s survey serves as the most up-to-date proof of consumer perspectives on dentistry. Dentists can rejoice knowing that people are becoming more open-minded and willing to try out new products and services in order to keep their choppers bright, shiny and healthy. For Dr. Creighton, her survey helped guide them in their decision-making process with regards to opening additional practices throughout the Bay Area.
Do you live near the Bay area and are looking for some dental magic? For more information on Dr. Creighton’s newest practice, Studio Dental, which is a mobile dental office that will show up at your employer, click here!
