Denplan rotten teeth ad knocked out by watchdog

denplan 2Dental health insurance firm Denplan has been smacked in the face by the ad watchdog over a TV ad which suggested that consumers who took out a policy could get cosmetic work done, too.
The ad featured a man with a set of gnashers that would make Austin Powers look like Donny Osmond and showed him using various objects to hide his hideous teeth in order to take a selfie.
Created by Brothers & Sisters, a voiceover stated: “Love your teeth. Ask your dentist about Denplan,” while onscreen text flashed up: “#doitforyourselfie”.
The Advertising Standards Authority launched an investigation after receiving 11 complaints about the ad; all of them challenged whether it was misleading, because they understood cosmetic dentistry was not covered by Denplan.
In its defence, Denplan said its ad was intended to promote its preventative dental care plans and encourage consumers to take a proactive approach to oral health.
It denied the ad suggested that it would rectify teeth like those featured, adding that the actor’s prosthesis was modified and approved by a Denplan dentist to exclude any purely cosmetic interventions.
The prosthesis was designed so that all the visible conditions would be considered by dentists as requiring restorative or prophylactic care, and not primarily as cosmetic procedures, Denplan stressed.
However, the ASA remained unconvinced, ruling that as cosmetic dentistry was not available under Denplan, the ad was likely to mislead viewers.
Banning it from appearing again, the ASA said: “We considered that viewers were unlikely to know exactly which treatments the man required to make his teeth look good again, and were likely to assume, given that his teeth were stained yellow, crooked and cracked, that some of the treatments would be cosmetic.”