There’s an old marketing story about a barber shop in a small town that has provided high-quality haircuts and service at a fair price for many years. One day, a new chain barber shop opens up across the street and starts advertising haircuts for $5. The other barber is quite concerned because he knows he can never compete with that price and provide any kind of quality for his customers. And he has no interest in compromising his standards.
He knows the $5 haircut barber is not providing the same quality service that he is, since it’s simply not possible at that price. So he comes up with a brilliant plan to get his customers back. He places a sign in front of his shop that says, “We fix $5 haircuts.”
The story underscores what many of us struggle with as consumers. We want the best service for our money and (especially in this economy) we must carefully manage that aspect of our lives. Cosmetic dentistry has always been subject to price competition, and because of that the quality providers tend to be very close in their fees.
As with all services though, there are those that offer discount bonding and veneers and try to make it work by increasing volume and using suspect dental labs and inferior materials. Considering the state of the market it would be tempting for any cosmetic dentist to employ these tactics and provide that type of service. Sometimes for the patient it is just the only way at the time. At some point, we have all been a position where we have had to make compromises based on price.
The problem arises when people do not understand the differences, and what they are getting into, and end up with something completely different than what they expected. They learn quickly that there are huge differences in materials, techniques, laboratory fees and case design. All of this affects the final outcome in terms of appearance, functionality and longevity. Porcelain veneers should look natural and age appropriate and it can be done with proper experience of the doctor.
If you have been disappointed with the results of your cosmetic dentistry, gives us a call and see if we can help. A lot of what I do is re-doing old work or work that didn’t come out so well. There is no need to hate your smile and the solution might be easier than you think.
