Scottish Teenager Shares Teeth Whitening Horror Story
A teenager from Renfrew has shared her horror story after suffering third degree burns following teeth whitening treatment.
Abbie Kilbride, 18, was left devastated after experiencing severe burns on her lips. The teenager wanted to treat herself to whitening treatment after having her braces removed. She saw that a couple of friends had visited a local lady on Facebook and booked herself an appointment.
When Abbie went for her treatment, the lady applied several coats of gel to her teeth over the course of an hour. Abbie was never asked her age, or whether she’d had whitening treatment before. After the treatment, which took around an hour, Abbie noticed that her lips felt swollen. When she asked the lady about it, she was told that it was normal and would settle down quickly.
The next morning, when Abbie woke up, her lips had doubled in size and were very painful. She went to her GP and a local pharmacy and was given antihistamines for the swelling and Bonjela to treat blisters. After a short while, two large blisters developed on her top lip and at its worst she could barely speak.
Abbie was eventually treated at Glasgow Dental Hospital, where doctors concluded that she had suffered a severe allergic reaction to the whitening gel. She also had third degree burns in her mouth.
She is now taking medication prescribed by experts at the hospital. Doctors were shocked to see the outcome of whitening treatment and urged other patients to be wary of non-dentists offering the service. Abbie said she had no idea that teeth whitening treatment could be so dangerous and said that this experience had served as a lesson for the future.
Under UK legislation, whitening treatment should only be provided by trained, qualified, registered dentists. Anyone who offers illegal teeth whitening is liable for prosecution by the General Dental Council.
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