Trading Standards Issues Tooth Whitening Warning
Cardiff Council’s Trading Standards has issued a warning to members of the public to avoid tooth whitening unless they have seen a trained dentist.
Tooth whitening has become incredibly popular in recent years and whitening treatments are widely available, including illegal whitening products, which contain a large quantity of bleaching agent, which can damage the tooth enamel.
The General Dental Council is particularly worried about people taking up discount treatments and special offers from practitioners who do not have dental training and expertise. The GDC believes that patients should always see a trained dentist for whitening treatment, as complications can occur during dental treatment and dentists can check for underlying dental problems before administering whitening agents.
Cardiff Trading Standards has already successfully prosecuted one company for providing clients with home whitening kits, which included 10% hydrogen peroxide. It is believed that some kits contain 30% hydrogen peroxide, which would effectively strip the enamel from the teeth.
Whitening agents with high bleach content possess a real danger to oral health and nerve damage is also possible, especially if treatment is administered by people who have no background or experience in dentistry.
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