JOHN REED, vice chairman and co-founder of BriteSmile Inc, in Bangkok yesterday to launch a BriteSmile teeth-whitening spa centre.

BriteSmile Inc, a teeth-whitening chain, yesterday announced the opening of its first BriteSmile centre outside the United States.

John Reed, the company’s vice chairman and co-founder, was in Bangkok to launch the BriteSmile Teeth Whitening Spa located on the second floor of the Siam Paragon shopping complex. He said that the company had been planning to expand into Asia when it was approached by Suchada Charnsethikul, chief executive of Accord Corp Ltd, which has been importing dental products for nearly 30 years.

He said the company bought her pitch to open an outlet in Bangkok because of her “vision”. The new outlet cost Bt50 million to open.

“Thailand is a leader in terms of healthcare and beauty treatments,” said Reed. “The country also has a great population and people who have good working ethics.”

He said that the country also had a harmonious society, as well as economic and political stability. Thailand is a beautiful place for business and tourism and Siam Paragon is also the best shopping complex in the Far East, he added.

The outlet will be run by BriteSmile Whitening Spa (Thailand) Co Ltd, a joint venture between BriteSmile Inc, which owns a 49-per-cent stake, and its Thai partner Dental Spa (Thailand) Co Ltd, which owns the rest. The latter is owned by Suchada and her family.

BriteSmile opened its first outlet in Walnut Creek, California, in February 1999. Today, 18 BriteSmile spa centres dot the US and the Siam Paragon shopping centre is its 19th branch. The company also provides its BriteSmile teeth-whitening system through more than 6,000 dental offices in 70 countries.

The BriteSmile teeth-whitening treatment uses a gel infused with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide, which is activated by a special, patented light-blue light, which shines on a customer’s teeth while they watch television or listen to music. The treatment can make teeth nine shades brighter in one hour, according to the company. At the Bangkok centre, an one-hour treatment costs Bt18,000.

“We have served over one million clients so far in the US – or between 400 and 500 clients a day,” said Reed.

Suchada said that Thailand was enjoying a strong trend in teeth whitening and beauty spas and BriteSmile fit perfectly into this concept.

“We expect the centre to attract between 15 and 20 clients a day,” Suchada said. She said that the company planned to open another three to four BriteSmile outlets in the next five years.

“We also have the exclusive right to franchise the BriteSmile system to local dental offices. The franchising will start in the next few months,” Suchada said.

There are currently more than 2,000 dental offices in Thailand and the minimum cost to start a BriteSmile system franchise will be about Bt1 million. The company expects to franchise about 20 systems this year.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation