Cosmetic dentist Cardiff area, recommendations or any to avoid please. 7 August 2011 at 6:59PM in Wales 4 replies 3K views

Christabel

I'm thinking of having my teeth whitened and there is such a choice of cosmetic dentists in Cardiff that I don't know where to start.

Has anyone had any good or bad experiences that I should be aware of please?

Gazzamania_2

I use a very good clinic that cover Cardiff and Bristol, they have amazing genuine testimonials and get great painless results. They are called brightwhitesmiles.co.uk

rjh090384

please do not go anywhere but a dentist to get this done. in my experience the trays that you wear at home are more effective long term than the "laser" whitening but its personal choice - just make sure it is a dentist doing it please. i have seen too many damaged mouths from so called qualified beauticians doing it!

Toothsmith

What about your regular dentist?

If you don't have a regular dentist, then it might not be a bad idea to go and see a 'regular' dentist first anyway.

Tooth whitening is a relatively straightforward proceedure, and most dentists offer it - you don't have to find a top-end 'cosmetic' dentist to have this done.

It's important to get it done at a dental practice though for two reasons.

1. It's only at a dentists that you'll be assessed properly and make sure that nothing else is going wrong and that the whitening process will not harm anything.

2. It's illegal for anyone other than a dentist (Or another dental professional like a hygienist or in some cases a dental nurse working under the direct orders of a dentist) to do it.

If you haven't been to a dentist for a while, you might well be pleasently surprised at the effect of just having a really good professional clean & polish. And that is a lot cheaper than a full whitening treatment.

In terms of ways to get it done - assuming you're suitable, not everybody is - then the slower, more old-fashioned gel and tray method gives far and away the best, longest lasting result. Don't be swayed by 'lasers' and swanky technology! The 'Instant' methods do not last as long (Unless backed up by gel & trays!) and are more likely to cause sensitivity.

Toothsmith

Gazzamania wrote: »

I use a very good clinic that cover Cardiff and Bristol, they have amazing genuine testimonials and get great painless results. They are called brightwhitesmiles.co.uk

Having just looked at this website - I think the banner at the top "No Qualifications Necessary" says it all.

This is a bunch of chancers that are operating illegally (Not to "GDC Industry Requirements as stated on the site - GDC requirements are that places like this are shut down!)

And Dentists Drs and surgeons (Presumably with 'No Qualifications!!) will certainly NOT be using this academy!

If this place is actually still operating - DO NOT TOUCH IT WITH A BARGEPOLE!

I have forwarded the details of the site to the General Dental Council.

If anyone has any suspicions that a non-dentist is carrying out tooth whitening, you can report them here [EMAIL="illegalpractice@gdc-uk.org"][email protected][/EMAIL]

The GDC is now having some success in prosecuting and closing down illegal tooth whitening operations. This press release from a couple of months ago is from the GDC site

5 January 2012

Court imposes fine for illegal tooth whitening

A Devon-based, ‘cosmetologist’ has been successfully prosecuted for offering tooth whitening treatment and ordered to pay a total of £1,872.
Tooth whitening is the practice of dentistry and only those registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) may lawfully offer it as a treatment.
On Thursday 22 December 2011 Mr Carl Espano, of 29 Western Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 4RJ pleaded guilty at West London Magistrates’ Court to practising dentistry when not registered with the GDC, contrary to section 38 (1) and (2) of the Dentists’ Act 1984.
He has been fined £1,000 and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge. He has also been ordered to pay full costs to the GDC of £857.
Mr Espano, in mitigation for his actions, raised the House of Lords judgement in the case of ‘Optident and Another v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Another (2001) UKHL 32. However, the magistrates’ appeared to give this argument little or no weight when determining his sentence.
The Magistrates told Mr Espano:
“This is a serious offence, particularly for potential victims as you didn’t have any indemnity in place for any damage you might have done to any teeth. In addition, should you have damaged the adult teeth, a patient only has one set. Accordingly we view this as a serious offence.”
Chief Executive and Registrar of the GDC Evlynne Gilvarry said:
“We are committed to taking action against people who offer tooth whitening unlawfully. They are a risk to the people they treat and it is our duty act to ensure public safety.”
Ends

For media enquiries, please contact Moira Alderson on 020 7344 3726 or [EMAIL="malderson@gdc-uk.org"][email protected][/EMAIL]
Notes to editors:

1. The Dentists Act 1984 makes it a criminal offence for anyone other than a registered dental professional to carry out dentistry. The GDC is committed to protecting the public by bringing cases of illegal practice to court.


2. As the UK regulatory body of the dental profession, the GDC has a duty to protect the public. Registration with the GDC is a legal requirement for dentists and the following dental care professionals:
• clinical dental technicians
• dental hygienists
• dental technicians
• dental therapists
• dental nurses
• orthodontic therapists



3. Optident was a House of Lords case in 2001 which established that opalescence tooth whitening gel was a cosmetic product and its supply was therefore regulated by the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations. The case is used erroneously by some tooth whitening companies to support the contention that tooth whitening is therefore a cosmetic procedure. This is clearly incorrect as the case was not concerned with the process of tooth whitening, only the product itself.