Teeth Whitening - Advice

Teeth Whitening - Advice

Author
Discussion

Melman Giraffe

Original Poster:

6,759 posts

219 months

Saturday 23rd June 2012
quotequote all
So who's had it done and how. Was it lazer or did you do it at home with a kit?

Just given up smoking and would like to get this done as a treat! Also hoping that if I got it done I wouldn't be tempted to smoke as I don't want to ruin what I'd paid for.

Any advice?

Manks

26,363 posts

223 months

Saturday 23rd June 2012
quotequote all
Melman Giraffe said:
So who's had it done and how. Was it lazer or did you do it at home with a kit?

Just given up smoking and would like to get this done as a treat! Also hoping that if I got it done I wouldn't be tempted to smoke as I don't want to ruin what I'd paid for.

Any advice?
I did it recently to correct staining caused by medicine I took as a nipper. It was the bleach bath method, i.e. the dentist makes up some rubber gum shield type things, you put bleach in them and then wear them for a couple of hours at a time.

It worked, but it took a while. I gather though that the fast method is not always effective.

I paid £325 including the consultation, which I suspect was too much. My dentist is very expensive for most things. I would shop around and if you run out of whitening gel there appears to be a lot for sale cheaply on Ebay.

uber

856 posts

171 months

Saturday 23rd June 2012
quotequote all
Teeth whitening lasers are just LED lights and used almost as a prop to charge you a small fortune to get your teeth whitened.

The truth is 95% of the prosess comes down to the gel used and a lot of companies will use very high (now illegal for non dentist use) peroxide which will whiten your teeth but also cause enamel damage if not used correctly.

Last year we completed 2000 treatments for a daily deal company as a sideline to our business and the training was 3 hours in a beauty room. The industry is unregulated and you should have seen some of the junk i seen people try and sell us which could put people in hospital.

On the other side you have dentists which milk the cost a little to much, they charge £250+ for a service which I would say is worth less than £100 but on the plus side you are in the hands of a pro which is worth the extra cash.

MacGee

2,513 posts

231 months

Saturday 23rd June 2012
quotequote all
It isn't unregulated. It's a medical device so must be administered by a registered dentist. All beauticians who do dental whitening are breaking the law! Many get away with it but the GDC are doing the rounds to clamp down.
Whether i agree is another thing. But think if they have insurance, indemnity and hygiene standards.

uber

856 posts

171 months

Saturday 23rd June 2012
quotequote all
MacGee said:
It isn't unregulated. It's a medical device so must be administered by a registered dentist. All beauticians who do dental whitening are breaking the law! Many get away with it but the GDC are doing the rounds to clamp down.
Whether i agree is another thing. But think if they have insurance, indemnity and hygiene standards.
At the start of the year we had meetings with trading standards whos main concern was the peroxide level rather than how the treatment was given. Beauticians simply hand the user the mouth tray and they insert it on their own which bypasses the regulations and keeps them in the clear.

The simple fact is that anyone with £500 can become a teeth whitening clinic and charge people £200 all day long. I would say that out of all the clients we serviced 90% of them thought the staff were dentists when they walked in the room.

If I wanted to I could still trade in the industry without issue and under the full supervision of my local trading standards office.

CheekyCherub

51 posts

181 months

Saturday 23rd June 2012
quotequote all
I've been thinking of getting it done and have been recommended http://www.crestwhitestrips.co.uk/ by some American friends. I just worry that the parts of my front teeth that are capped will look obvious! Not that I have yellow teeth right now, I just think they could be whiter.

MacGee

2,513 posts

231 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
Über..,curious. How did you know those punters thought you were dentists and did you tell them you weren't?

Rollin

6,116 posts

246 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
Read this...

http://www.gdc-uk.org/Newsandpublications/Publicat...

Contact the GDC if your tooth whitening was carried out by
someone who was not a registered dental
professional.

75% of the people who responded to our
survey said they thought we should prosecute
anyone carrying out tooth whitening illegally. We
investigate complaints and concerns and, where
we have enough evidence, we prosecute people
for carrying out dentistry illegally. We need your
help to prosecute people who carry out dentistry
illegally. Please call 0845 222 4141 or email
illegalpractice@gdc-uk.org if you think someone
is carrying out dentistry illegally.


uber

856 posts

171 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
MacGee said:
Über..,curious. How did you know those punters thought you were dentists and did you tell them you weren't?
During the consultation we asked them to confirm they knew that it was a cosmetic treatment and not carried out by trained dentists. Due to the fact we used a clean, sterile room and the uniforms the staff used people just presumed.

I would say that we treated a number of healthcare pros including doctors and dental nurses who were 100% happy with the results and even brought friends along to get treated.

MacGee

2,513 posts

231 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
Did you tell them it was illegal?

Carlique

1,631 posts

165 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
I had a home kit type made for me with trays you fill with the bleach and put in over night. It works great, after about 3 nights of treatment you don't have to do it again for a few months (depending on how white you want them).
The kits can be quite expensive however, depending on where you go, the kits can range from £99 - £300.

The only down side is that whilst you're treating your teeth they can become very sensitive and ache a little, however, no reward without sacrifice and whatnot.


rog007

5,761 posts

225 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
I have a lot of friends who have used teeth whitening kits to remove surface staining on the enamel usually caused by caffeine, smoking and red wine. They're all really pleased with the results and have either bought kit of t'internet and done it themselves for not much money or have used one of the many booths that seem to be springing up in shopping malls around the country.

Rollin

6,116 posts

246 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
MacGee said:
Did you tell them it was illegal?
Amazing isn't it. Just side step at least 3 layers of regulation of the dental profession by using a "sterile" room and fancy uniforms.


uber

856 posts

171 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
Rollin said:
MacGee said:
Did you tell them it was illegal?
Amazing isn't it. Just side step at least 3 layers of regulation of the dental profession by using a "sterile" room and fancy uniforms.
Before we done the project we checked with trading standards etc to check the legality of what we were doing and how it was done. You will find that the way our staff were trained and the way the treatment was given was in no way illegal.


MacGee

2,513 posts

231 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
see quote from government website from above. I'd double check this as you 'may' have misinformation from local bods!


Get in touch with us if…
• Your tooth whitening was carried out by someone who was not a registered dental professional. 75% of the people who responded to our survey said they thought we should prosecute anyone carrying out tooth whitening illegally. We investigate complaints and concerns and, where we have enough evidence, we prosecute people for carrying out dentistry illegally. We need your help to prosecute people who carry out dentistry illegally. Please call 0845 222 4141 or email illegalpractice@gdc-uk.org if you think someone is carrying out dentistry illegally.

if something goes wrong you could have no valid insurance and be in serious bother. I personally dont mind people doing bleaching cos I dont do it but just check. The rules for dentists using certain strenghts of the stuff is so vague that we even have to tell the patients that what we're doing isnt within the law!

Rollin

6,116 posts

246 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
uber said:
Rollin said:
MacGee said:
Did you tell them it was illegal?
Amazing isn't it. Just side step at least 3 layers of regulation of the dental profession by using a "sterile" room and fancy uniforms.
Before we done the project we checked with trading standards etc to check the legality of what we were doing and how it was done. You will find that the way our staff were trained and the way the treatment was given was in no way illegal.
Are your "staff" GDC registered.?
Were they working on prescription from a qualified dentist?
Are you registered with the Care Quality Commission?
Do you even know what HTM0105 means?
Do you have professional indemnity insurance?
Are your "staff" CRB checked?

If that's what you mean by etc. etc. then fair enough, but if not and you identify yourself further I'll be reporting you to the General Dental Council myself.
HTH


MacGee

2,513 posts

231 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
Rollin.....I must agree. If we have all these hoops to jump thru , why shouldnt a beauty therapist with three magnificent hours training have to as well!

Edited by MacGee on Sunday 24th June 23:46

dmulally

6,206 posts

181 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
I got the laser thing done after years of yellow teeth. It was quite uncomfortable on my bottom teeth but not too painful. I forget how much it cost but wasnt cheap. Well worth it and am happy to smile now. I saw a pic of my teeth last year and was shocked at how yellow they were.

anonymous-user

55 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
There is something you can buy on Amazon called Pluswhite (IIRC) and it works very well.
Fairly cheap too, just make sure you order a mouth tray!

I've used it quite a few times, obviously you're not going to look like Cowell but it improves the colour by quite a few shades.

944fan

4,962 posts

186 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
CheekyCherub said:
I've been thinking of getting it done and have been recommended http://www.crestwhitestrips.co.uk/ by some American friends. I just worry that the parts of my front teeth that are capped will look obvious! Not that I have yellow teeth right now, I just think they could be whiter.
I've used them. You have to use them for at least 3 days to see any results. They remove some staining and brighten your teeth a bit but they wont give you Hollywood smile. If yur teeth are not completeley yellow these will probably be ok.