Boomers fuel quest for whiter teeth

By Adam Geller
Associated Press

NEW YORK — There are things people do in pursuit of beauty that Beverly Presley can't fathom doing. Tummy tucks and face-lifts spring to mind, she says.

But Presley, a 56-year-old librarian in Worcester, Mass., and newly single again, acknowledges she's been thinking more about the way she looks — and that led her to the dentist's chair.

In August, Presley spent 45 minutes and $895 to have her dentist whiten her teeth using a bleaching agent and the light of a laser. The results, she says, were worth it.

"People say to me, 'Your face looks so much brighter,' " Presley said. "I wouldn't go for the face-lift or body sculpting sort of thing. But this is more, I would say, on par with having your hair colored."

Presley's quest for more pearly whites speaks to the surging popularity of tooth whitening — reflected in sales of over-the-counter products and in-office treatments by dentists and largely fed by demand from appearance-conscious baby boomers.

Sales of over-the-counter whiteners jumped 86 percent in the past year to $358.6 million, according to Information Resources Inc., a Chicago market research firm.

The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry found in a survey of its members that in-office tooth bleaching more than tripled between 1996 and 2000. The trade group expects that an upcoming survey will show growth continuing to spiral, noteworthy since such cosmetic treatments are not covered by insurance and consumers must pay out of pocket.

Whitening is gaining popularity across the age spectrum. The biggest-selling over-the-counter product, Crest Whitestrips, has done particularly well with younger consumers, according to a survey last year by market research firm Mintel International Group Ltd.

But consumers 40 and older are the most likely to have undergone treatment by a dentist, and to have used other over-the-counter products, according to Mintel.

"We have an aging baby boomer population that is now more than ever focused on looking better and this is a product that clearly falls within that trend," said John McIndoe, an Information Resources spokesman.

Baby boomers — a demographic swath technically including Americans born between 1946 and 1964 — are reaching a point when signs of age are beginning to show in the mirror. But even more than preceding generations, many boomers appear intent on fighting back; they've already helped propel the growth of products such as hair replacement remedies and botox treatments for wrinkles.

The appeal of teeth-whitening, say some who have tried it, is a smile that helps in personal and business relationships.

"They're trying to recapture something that they don't have a lot of control of," said Dr. Lawrence Addleson, a San Diego cosmetic dentist, who estimates that boomers make up 70 percent of his whitening practice.