Root canals and retailing. When it comes to merchandising activities in a dental office, dentists are their own worst critics.

As professional service providers continue to face an increasingly competitive environment, marketing becomes a more attractive prospect. One marketing activity that has emerged in recent years is the retailing of products related to one's profession directly from the office. The authors explore the retailing phenomenon from the perspective of dentists and dental patients and find that patients are less critical of the practice than dentists are themselves.