Packaging and teeth have something in common: At their best, they're both functional and attractive.
And as the functions of dental products change, so does the packaging.
Dental products, both for professionals and for over-the-counter (OTC) sale, are evolving in line with trends in medical packaging in general. Like many medical professionals, dentists are tending more toward single-use packaging for many of their supplies. And like many health care consumers, users of dental products want to take a more active role in their own care--and are willing to pay to do it.
Unit-of-use is one of the biggest trends in packaging for professional dental products. Dentists, like doctors and others, are open to anything that makes their jobs easier.
"If it's easier to use, that's more significant, even if it is more expensive," says Michael Bender, a dentist practicing in Elgin, Ill. Besides being easier to use, dental products in single-use packaging enable dentists to avoid application errors and cross-contamination.
Suppliers of dental products are making sure that dentists get used to single-use packaging during their training, says Howard Thau, president of Sonic Packaging Industries.
Unit-of-use is "starting with marketers in dental schools," Thau says. "More and more companies that sell to dentists are putting their products in premeasured unit-of-use packages, with of without applicators. They are then supplying these to dental schools, so the new generation of dentists are being trained in this style of packaging."
Mix masters
Many dental products consist of two substances that have to be mixed just before use. Varnishes, adhesives, bonding agents, gels for mold impressions, and other products require this kind of mixing. Unit-of-use packaging is especially useful for such products.
"In many cases, dentists are still using multiple bottles or containers that then need to be dispensed into a mixing vessel manually, and then applied," Thau says. "With several of our packaging options, the mixing action can be accomplished within the primary package, or dispensed through a static mixer or other type of applicator."
Packaging for this type of application can take several forms. For instance, Mixpac Systems Ltd. markets double-tube applicator systems with "static mixing" tips. When the dentist squeezes the trigger of the applicator gun, the products in the twin tubes are forced through a syringe-like tip with a spiral fixture inside. As the substances wind their way around the spiral, they intertwine and mix thoroughly before emerging from the orifice.
Other single-use systems integrate the applicator and product in a disposable package. Swabplus Inc. markets an applicator that consists of a small tube with a cotton swab on one end. When the user snaps the other end, the liquid flows into the swab for application.
Swabplus markets OTC oral/dental products in this application system, including pain relievers and a whitening system. (The company also sells other types of products in this packaging, including first aid supplies, skin medicine and cosmetics.) In addition, Swabplus licenses its technologies to other companies for both OTC and prescription dental medications.
One such company is Epien Medical Inc. Epien markets Debacterol, a treatment for canker sores sold to medical professionals, and HybenX, a treatment for damaged oral tissue, sold in Europe and Canada in both OTC and prescription versions.
Applicator question
Keeping the applicator out of the product until the moment of use was a primary consideration behind the choice of the
Swabplus application system, says Reg Dupre, president of Epien Medical. This was especially important for HybenX, which uses a gentle caustic action to promote "debridement," or surface removal of dead tissue.
"We did consider many alternative packages from other vendors, and even some of our own," Dupre says. "Most of the alternative packaging required that the delivery vehicle--like the swab--sit inside the solution from the date it was manufactured to the date the consumer used the product. With a two-year expiration date, that's a very long time for any product to sit in solution and not have problems. Of course, this depends a lot on how caustic a product is, which was a major concern when determining our package solution."
Another form of packaging that concerns dentists is in-office sterilization systems. Instruments typically get sterilized in a steam autoclave between uses. The dental professional usually puts the instrument in a premade pouch for this purpose.
All-paper pouches are often used for sterilization. The problem is that they can be hard to open cleanly. The use of plastic film as a component helps solve this problem. For instance, Alcan Medical Flexibles Americas markets a pouch with paper on one side and a polyester/polypropylene laminate on the other. The polyester confers heat stability, and the polypropylene gives an easy-peel seal, says Jesse Blake, marketing manager.
One development that Alcan is working on, but is not yet ready for market, is heat-sensitive inks that will change color when sterilization has been successfully completed. Currently, such inks respond to temperature only; to work as an autoclave indicator, they would have to take exposure time into account as well.
OTC: Looking good
OTC dental products share some of the packaging requirements of those used by professionals, such as product protection and a trend toward single-use portions. But as consumer products, their packaging also needs to De attractive and to promote proper use of the product.
Some of the most elaborate packaging to be found on the dental shelf these days belongs to whitening systems. These products are marketed as an alternative to expensive whitening treatment in the dentist's office. They're cheaper than professional treatment, but they're not cheap: Oral-B Rembrandt Whitening Strips from the Gillette Co. retail for $29.99.
Packaging for such systems seeks to make them as easy as possible to use--and, often, to promote cross-branding. For instance, Crest Night Effects from Procter & Gamble involves a regimen that requires consumers to apply a gel to their front teeth every night for 14 nights. Each night's gel is packaged in a separate tube, and 14 applicators with tiny brushes are included.
The gel tubes and brushes are in a thermoformed tray with flexible lidding. The tray is inside a paperboard carton, with a fold-over flap held down with reusable adhesive. A promo version of the system has this carton inside a larger paperboard carton, along with a tube of Crest Dual Action Whitening toothpaste.
Oral-B Rembrandt Whitening Strips use a different application method--and different packaging. The flexible strips, saturated with whitening agent, fit over the consumer's front teeth. Each of the 14 strips is in a thermoformed pocket, lidded with metallized paper. The strips are bagged, seven apiece, inside a couple of film pouches. The pouches, along with an instruction leaflet, go into the secondary packaging: an oval composite canister with paperboard sides and plastic top and bottom.
Flashy floss
Less elaborate OTC dental products also are using packaging to make things easier for consumers. The Reach Access Daily Flosser from Johnson & Johnson comprises a long handle with disposable snap-on heads. A piece of floss is stretched across the prongs of the U-shaped heads. The idea is to enable consumers to floss who find it hard to wind long strings of floss around their fingers.
The handle is packaged in a manner similar to razors: It comes in a snap-together peg-gable thermoformed tray and rests on a paperboard card. A dome in the tray highlights the disposable head. A second card covers the bottom; on it are printed directions visible from the back. Along with the handle, J&J markets replacement heads in similar packaging. Inside a thermoformed tray are compartments, each with seven heads.
Dental products have some unique packaging requirements, but they also share many packaging needs with other medical products--indeed, consumer products of all kinds. Single-use, extra convenience and other mainstream trends probably will continue to guide dental packaging.
For more information
The following companies helped with the research for this article:
Alcan Medical Flexibles Americas 773-399-8450; www.alcanpackaging.com
Mixpac Systems Ltd. 011-41-41-799-04-00; www.mixpac.com
Sonic Packaging Industries 201-666-4744; www.sonicpackaging.com
Swabplus Inc. 909-987-7898; www.swabplus.com
COPYRIGHT 2005 Stagnito Communications
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
