Teeth whitening may be a simple process to many people but what they do not know is that if done improperly by unqualified people, it can cause irreparable damage to the teeth and gums.
There are now cases of illegal teeth whitening in the UK this year as offered by some beauty salons. British regulators and law enforcement agents have apprehended and prosecuted a total of 24 of these practitioners, which was more than the number last year, notes BBC.
The UK General Dental Council (GDC) is the local government body in charge of prosecuting entities engaged in illegal teeth whitening. The punishment of which comes with a fine of thousands of pounds.
The increased in the number of cases obviously indicate that the popularity of teeth whitening is now soaring in the UK too, which means that people should really be very careful when undergoing such procedure.
In a recent study by a UK research firm, it has found out that one out of three British adults is considering undergoing teeth whitening.
Teeth whitening is actually a simple process of bleaching a person’s teeth. The whitening products contain either of the two kinds of bleaches, hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide, which break strains on the teeth into smaller pieces thereby making the color less concentrated and the teeth looking brighter.
Teeth whitening products can be categorized into two major groups – one is the peroxide-containing bleaching agents and the other one are those called dentifrices or whitening toothpaste.
When a product bleaches the tooth, it works on removing the deep and surface stains on it. But there are also non-bleaching products which work by physical or chemical action to help remove surface stains on the teeth only.
While many would find it surprising, but it is actually possible to have stains inside the tooth called intrinsic stains. These can be caused by exposure to too much fluoride as a child while the teeth are developing as well as medications and possibly injury.
The risks of teeth whitening
According to the British Dental Association (BDA), teeth whitening is perfectly safe if it is done by a registered dental professional.
However, if the process is done by unqualified people who do not have the right training or knowledge about the proper methodology, it can actually cause permanent damage to one’s teeth and gums.
One of the most common reported problems of teeth whitening has something to do with the mouthguard. If the mouthguard containing the bleaching gel does not fit properly on the mouth, some of it may leak and cause pain chemical burns on the mouth of the individual.
There have been recorded cases where people have been sick after swallowing the bleaching product. It is for such reason that the BDA, in cooperation with the GDC, is saying that beauticians are not properly trained to take a medical history and thus cannot do teeth whitening on beauty salons.
What the law says
According to the GDC, the Dentists Act of 1984 is quite clear when it said that it is illegal for anyone other than dentists or dental health professionals to carry out teeth whitening.
But its subsequent investigation proved that some beauty therapists in some beauty parlors are actually doing the procedure illegally. Based on the agency’s apprehension this year, the highest fine that was levied to those who broke the law reached £4,450 or about US$6,770,
GDC said that handling an individual a tooth-whitening tray and advising him on the application, among other things, could constitute the giving of advice or attendance and is thus considered illegal.
Meanwhile, there is a new way to do teeth whitening and it is not as invasive as the usual procedure that people have come to know of.
It’s actually a non-invasive laser teeth whitening procedure where a dental professional can alter the normal color of the tooth enamel of the person and make the teeth shine brighter and whiter too.