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I just read an article that was mentioned on the American Academy of Cosmic Dentistry’s blog about the company Groupon being banned in Oregon from offering deals for dental services.  Groupon has become very popular for offing great deals on local services and has even made its way into the dental world.  The reasoning for the ban is pretty complicated about Groupon accepting commissions for referrals, which is illegal, at least in Oregon.  It will remain to be seen if Groupon will be allowed to offer deals for dental services in other states, but either way, patients must look carefully at each deal.  I have seen many of the offers and they are usually for consults or cosmetic services such as teeth whitening.  The value that is shows for the service seems to be inflated to make it seem that you are getting an 80% or 90% discount.  I would recommend patients, if they have a dentist, inquire with them about consults that may be offered at a courtesy.  Many practices, including ours, offer courtesy consults for treatments such as Invisalign or veneers and whitening.  Some practices will offer great deals on teeth whitening as a lost leader to get new patients in the door and this can be a great way to get a deal, but make sure you are comparing apples to apples.  There are many different types of teeth whitening procedures and variations even on the popular big name ones such as ZOOM.  The bottom line is to check what you are paying for and make sure its a good deal.

To see the full article about the ban click here.