07 Jan Beauticians Prosecuted for Using “Safe” Tooth Whitening Kits
Home tooth whitening kits are becoming increasingly more popular. They are easily accessible and cost-effective, they also use less peroxide than professional whitening processes used by dentists. So why is it that more and more beauticians are being prosecuted for using them on clients if they can be purchased over the counter and used at home perfectly legally? The home kits available are from trusted high street retailers but there isn’t much with regards to safety regulations when buying the products, only warning when you are having them done by a beautician.
The amount of beauticians being prosecuted for illegal tooth whitening is rising, according to the General Dental Council (GDC). David Parsons from GDC commented saying ‘We normally receive complaints from people who have had their teeth whitened in salons or someone they know has, the first step we take is to send a warning letter to the salon owner. They normally stop after the warning and we don’t hear anything again, but if they proceed and cause any damage to a patient then they will be prosecuted’. If a beauty therapist or beautician gets reported for teeth whitening they will first receive a letter from the General Dental Council. Up until recently any one preforming illegal teeth whitening would get up to a £5,000 fine. As this has become so common and more people are being treated for oral damage from illegal tooth whitening. There is now no limit to how much a person is fined and they will also receive a criminal record.
For a person to have their teeth whitened, it involves putting bleach on your teeth and will change the colour of them, although teeth whitening may not make your teeth pearl white they can change up to several shades lighter. Tooth whitening in the UK has become increasingly popular, and has become the number one request in cosmetic dentistry. According to the British Dental Association (BDA) the products you can buy online or from high street shops often fail to declare the precise chemicals used so it’s very difficult to assess their safety. Because of this they should not be considered safe. The BDA also states that ‘In the case of GDC v Jamous the High Court ruled that tooth whitening is the practice of dentistry’. Any one who isn’t registered with the The British General Dental Council cannot provide teeth whitening services. Only registered dentists, dental therapists, dental hygienists and clinical dental technicians working to the prescription of a dentist can perform tooth whitening.
So why are tooth whitening kits available for personal use? Home tooth whitening kits are easily accessible for purchase by the general public, Peroxide is the main substance that whitens your teeth although because it is so strong it has a large amount of side effects that come along with it. The legal amount of hydrogen peroxide which a home kit can contain is 0.1%, obviously because it is a low amount and you will have a lower chance of causing any damage to your mouth and anything over 0.1% is deemed to be dangerous if not used correctly. A dental professional can legally use 6.0% peroxide. Though home kits will whiten teeth they do not give the same effect as if teeth where professionally treated. The NHS and GDC both advise that its better for anyone to get their teeth whitened by a dentist than to buy a home tooth whitening kits for safety and quality.
Home kits may have low peroxide levels but its this illegal for a beauticians to carry out the procedure. Although the peroxide levels are a lot lower than if you where to have the procedure done by a dentist, problems and side effects of the home kits still can occur. These Problems include mouth irritation, tooth sensitivity and in some severe cases burning of the gums, tongue and throat. The NHS advises that problems may occur also when fitting the mouth guards into a the mouth, if not fitted properly the bleaching gel may leak out onto the gums and this will then cause them damage. As the beautician may not have the correct training and qualification it may cause risk to a patients oral health. The tooth whitening information group who are a company who works closely with the British Dental Health Foundation, British Dental associations and other various Dental organisations to provide the correct advice and information for anyone wanting or preforming tooth whitening. Karen Smith who is an advisor for the company, spoke about the consequences a patient could face is they had their teeth whitened by a beautician, she explains that its not only the procedure that is illegal but the whole process of the tooth whitening service. ‘Even if a beautician uses a home tooth whitening kit from over the counter its still illegal as they’re prescribing to the public. The reasons being for this is firstly a beautician would have to give a medical form for the patient to fill out, on the forms the patient would have to state their medical history’. ‘Beauticians aren’t trained in knowing which different illnesses or previous dental procedures will affect the patient, anything could go wrong. For example if a client were to have a condition such as diabetes tooth whitening could make them very ill. Not only would they go ahead with the procedure but also wouldn’t be able to give the correct after treatment for this’. She goes on to say only a dentist would be able to see if their teeth would be able to handle the procedure other wise it may lead on to more problems such as cavities. ‘Its too much of a risk to get something like this done from someone who has very little or no knowledge at all about your oral health. Laws are set to protect the public’.
The law for tooth whitening is not only in place for public safety but it’s also to protect the beauticians themselves. Other than them having a large fine, prosecution and criminal record a beauticians health is also at risk along with others who work there. In a dentist surgery because of the many procedures a dentist preforms a day the surgery must be completely clean and sterilised at all times. When in a beauty salon the standards of the salon are usually clean but not sterilised. Because of this if a beautician preforms any procedures on a client the beautician could be at risk of any virus that is carried in a person’s saliva. This could infect other employees and clients if bacteria spreads which obviously dangerous for everyone and may lead to other prosecutions under different health acts. One of the most dangerous viruses which is carried in saliva is hepatitis B, this virus can be caught through not only being in direct contact of a clients mouth but also if the bacteria has been touched on any surfaces. In dentistry its compulsory for a dentist or anyone practising dentistry to have a Hepatitis B vaccination, as this isn’t compulsory for a beautician they are putting their own and others health at risk.
The amount of beauticians being prosecuted for illegal teeth whitening is rising according to the General Dental Council (GDC) but there are still many beauticians who are carrying it out illegally. There are not enough undercover inspectors who can report the beauty therapists. Karen Smith warns ‘To any one who is thinking about getting their teeth whitened it is so important that you go to a registered dentists or dental practitioner. The amount of people who are reported having their oral health damaged is increasing month by month and the side effects of it can be very painful if blistering occurs. Although its more money to get tooth whitening done by a dentist it is much safer and if anything did go wrong you will most likely pay out a lot more money getting the problem solved. Anyone who has any other health problems may suffer worsened consequences as you wont be getting the right before and after support. Never have you teeth whitened in shopping centres, beauticians or hairdressers, none of them are registered with the General Dental Council and if they claim they are than ask for proof’.
