Last Updated on 12th November 2018
If, like us, you watched the BBC’s Watchdog programme in June you will have seen some shocking facts revealed about illegal tooth whitening practices in the UK.
The undercover report showed that for about £1,000 any Tom, Dick or Harry could access very limited training – over webcam no less – as well as being able to buy tooth whitening gels. Worse still, some chemicals found in the whitening gel shown on the TV show were known to be carcinogenic and are banned in the EU, and others were 360 times stronger than are legally permitted.
It is illegal for anyone other than registered dentists, dental therapists, dental hygienists and clinical dental technicians working to the prescription of a dentist to perform tooth whitening in the UK. So, patients at the Dental Health Team in Evesham, Worcestershire can rest assured that their tooth whitening procedure is completely safe – and legal!
The levels of hydrogen peroxide in tooth whitening products used by reputable dentists like ours are strictly monitored and must not exceed certain levels. The General Dental Council (GDC) says:
“The use of tooth whitening or bleaching products containing more than 0.1% and up to 6% of hydrogen peroxide present or released from other compounds or mixtures in these products may be safe if the following conditions are satisfied:
- an appropriate clinical examination is carried out in order to ensure there are no risk factors or any other oral pathology of concern and
- that exposure to these products is limited so as to ensure that the products are used only as intended in terms of frequency and duration of application.”
There is lots of information on our ‘Whiter and brighter’ page about the professional technique used by our dentists for patients across Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire that causes no harm to teeth.
Before carrying out the treatment, our fully qualified Evesham clinicians will examine your teeth carefully to ensure they are suitable for whitening. If they are, we can discuss which whitening procedure will suit your lifestyle best. We use state-of-the-art teeth whitening systems and can offer in-surgery or at-home whitening procedures.
