Most manufacturers of tooth whitening products promote the effectiveness by number of shade ”steps” improvement on a particular measurement scale. There are different type of scales very much like the difference in measuring temperature on a Centigrade and a Fahrenheit scale. A 5 step difference between 20 and 25 on the Centigrade scale is equivalent to a 9 step difference in Fahrenheit.
There is no standard that the industry is forced to follow when reporting effectiveness, however the American Dental Association (ADA) have published guidelines on how to measure and report whitening results to the public and in scientific studies. The only scale that is compliant to their guidelines and approved in scientific reports is the VITA Shade Guide. It is a standardized scale that was introduced in the 1980´s and divides natural tooth shades in 16 different nuances – from the whitest 1 to the darkest 16. Beconfident use only the Vita Shade Guide in our marketing and scientific studies. See illustration.
When Beconfident states 7 shades whiter – we mean that on average the teeth color has moved 7 steps towards the whiter end of the scale from the original shade.
Many manufacturers market shade improvements using the TruByte scale or a digital measuring device which makes it impossible to compare results. From a marketing perspective it is of course advantageous to report a higher number. However without the knowledge on which scale, the consumer is easily mislead to believe that the higher number is more effective. The truth is that 8 shades improvement on the TruByte scale is actually equivalent to 4 steps on the Beconfident VITA scale.
It is very important that our customers are satisfied with our products and that they live up to your expectations. The perception of tooth color and whiteness is highly subjective which makes it even more important to promote potential results in the most objective way possible. That is why we at Beconfident follow and are compliant to the American Dental Association guidelines.
Your safety, satisfaction and confidence is important to us.