Advice on Teeth Whitening Discussion Thread

Toothsmith

The GDC is as big an authority as I ever come across.

How do you relate the Lords V Optident judgement to the legality of whitening salons anyway?

I had a idea what the optident judgement was about, and I just googled and read it.

I don't understand the way it is set out, but Optident are the distributors of an American product called Opalescence. This was the first whitening product to come into the country and really, the market leader.

An EU directive on peroxide levels in cosmetics made it fall outside the law.

Optident and Opalescence argued that it was a medical product, not a cosmetic product (It had all it's licences and approvals as a medication). The HoL ruled that it was a cosmetic. This pretty much has made ALL toothwhitening both at the dentist and anywhere else 'illegal' for the past 10+ years.

I cannot see anything in that judgement that trumps the dentist act of 1984 though.

Anyone doing anything to alter the appearence of a tooth is practising dentistry, and it is a criminal offence to practise dentistry without being duely qualified, and registered with the GDC.

Could you kindly point out where it states that this is not the case?

donteatthat

bairn7 wrote: »

I'm not looking to get into a debate over dentist/non-dentist whitening, I'm simply giving my unbiased opinion into the matter having conducted my own resarch at the time and speaking to both the GDC and the salons. Whilst I appreciate your advice, I got the clear impression from your previous response that any non-dentist whitening process was illegal when this is clearly not the case. Although I stand to be corrected if you can cite some authority (and, with respect, GDC guidance doesn't count as authority when you have a House of Lords decision to the contrary).

Whilst the case I have referred to is from 2001 (and recent in my view) there have been no subsequent cases the contradict the ruling. The House of Lords ruled that whitening products were "cosmetic". I appreciate that there are polarised opinions as to whether non-dentists SHOULD carry out this procedure, but no matter what your opinion is, non-dentists CAN carry out the procedure in terms of the law, at least in my view.

It all depends on whether you wish to run the risk of going to a salon as opposed to a dental surgery. I personally did not want to take the risk of something going wrong and there being no-one there suitably trained to remedy any problems...but if you are willing to take the risk, I can't see anything wrong or illegal about going to a salon.

As I say, I respect your advice toothsmith, but I think people should fully look into the situation before making the decision whether to go to a salon or surgery to have their teeth whitened. A simple google of the matter will provide a wealth of information.

PS I'd be interested about hearing other people's experiences with Zoom and other laser whitening procedures. I think it would help other people to make the decision about which route to go down for whitening.

Sorry mate, you have misunderstood the legislation. It is only products containing less that 1%hydrogen peroxide that can be considered as cosmetic products (like hair dye) can be legally supplied to the public for cosmetic procedures. Tooth whitening products fall into the cosmetics directive, despite a fight from the dental profession. As the products used for tooth whitening are much higher strength than that they are not legal for supply for tooth whitening by anyone, but given that dentists know about teeth and the likely risks / benefits etc you are in safe hands when they supply them. Given that tooth whitening falls under the "practise of dentistry" and can only therefore be done by registered dental professionals, the GDC are perusing non-dentals supplying or using these products, but the dentists take the risk of Trading Standards knocking on their door when they supply them.

Bottom line, if it goes wrong, far better to be supervised by someone who knows what they are doing ie a dentist rather than a hair dresser.

no offence to hair dressers, especially after my problems with hair colour.

Toothsmith

donteatthat wrote: »

no offence to hair dressers, especially after my problems with hair colour.

But at least in a few weeks/months even the worst disasters look fine again.

If only the same were true for teeth!!

silvercar

Idly wonders whether my tooth whitening gel would produce nice highlights.

genny

I've been trying to find a good home polisher, I have one from Dent-o-care - link: http://www.dentocare.co.uk/Specialist/Stain-Removal/SUPERWHITE-TOOTH-POLISHER

It comes with some paste, and within a few seconds of using it, it polishes off all the stains. However the tip which holds the paste is tiny and it constantly needs to be re-filled, it's not exactly top quality. assuming this doesn't cause problems to the teeth, I was wondering if you can get any better, "professional" devices.

I'm convinced listerine has caused the staining, our family started using it about a year ago, same healthy diet and since then we've all ended up with staining on the lower teeth, the ones claiming whitening powers are worse in our experience.

Toothsmith

If it removes stain that quickly, I'd be worried that the paste was quite abrasive. If it is, then I really couldn't recommend using it. You only have a couple of mm of enamel!

I'd agree with you about mouthwash. Often I see patients who usually have no trouble with staining, but have suddenly developed a problem.

On questioning, it often appears that they have just started using a mouthwash regularly, as they thought it would help their teeth!

genny

Toothsmith wrote: »

If it removes stain that quickly, I'd be worried that the paste was quite abrasive. If it is, then I really couldn't recommend using it. You only have a couple of mm of enamel!

I'd agree with you about mouthwash. Often I see patients who usually have no trouble with staining, but have suddenly developed a problem.

On questioning, it often appears that they have just started using a mouthwash regularly, as they thought it would help their teeth!

Thanks Toothsmith.

Apparently it's the same compounds as dentists use for polishing, from the detail: www.dentocare.co.uk/Specialist/Stain-Removal/SUPERWHITE-TOOTH-POLISHER
*Helps remove unsightly stains and plaque.
*Cleans effectively and safely with a method similar to that used in the dental profession.
*Supplied with 2 paste pots + rubber applicator tip.

It does spin pretty fast, but says you should only use it twice a month.
Do you think it's likely to cause damage to the enamel?

I'm convinced it's the fault of the mouthwash, none of us consume a lot of staining foods.

The dentist polishes the stains off ok (is this using a similar procedure to the polisher above?) but never seems to remove the stains from the back of the teeth only the front, we always get the impression he is in a hurry, and always gives the same advice, avoid tea, red wine, and smoking. We've never smoked, drink small abouts of tea, and rarely red wine!

We've been using some arm and hammer whitening toothpaste, but as yet it's had no effect behind the front teeth.

silvercar

gives the same advice, avoid tea, red wine, and smoking. We've never smoked, drink small abouts of tea, and rarely red wine!

My dentist says don't smoke, avoid beetroot and black coffee.

It does spin pretty fast, but says you should only use it twice a month.

A dentist would only be polishing your teeth twice a year.

Toothsmith

That's exactly right silvercar.

The paste I use is far more abrasive than toothpaste, but - as you say, We only do it to people a couple of times a year, and unless there are particular problems, I woudn't want to do it any more often than that.

You could try using the device with ordinary toothpaste genny - that wouldn't be as damaging, but if it spins round pretty fast, I would also be careful that the cup doesn't heat up your tooth too much.

A temperature of over 70 oC for a couple of seconds will do serious damage to the nerve of a tooth, and you'd be surprised how easily you can generate a temperature like that with a rotating rubber cup!

Like a lot of these 'just like the dentist uses' devices, I really wouldn't recommend them for home use unless you'd done a 5 year degree course ' just like the dentist' !

genny

Thanks Toothsmith, yes it definitely generates heat too. Although I personally used it for only a few seconds on a handful of teeth. Hmmm, probably best avoided then!

Is there any other good way of removing staining safely?