We previously wrote about The Dangers of Unregulated Teeth Whitening Products and Services in this blog in 2017, but as a result of a recent article in the BBC News about ‘Dangerous’ home teeth-whitening kits sold online we felt it best to reiterate and remind patients looking for Teeth Whitening in Kingston to think twice before purchasing such these teeth whitening kits online.
We have seen a huge increase in demand for teeth whitening, teeth straightening and other cosmetic dental services since the beginning of the pandemic. The pandemic has made such treatments easier to complete for various reasons. Unfortunately, it has also increased the number of products and services being sought online, from places which are unregulated and whose products can cause lasting damage due to using more than 300 times the recommended amount of hydrogen peroxide.
As a reminder, teeth whitening products sold over the counter should contain no more than 0.1% of hydogen peroxide. GDC registered Dentists are able to legally use 6% hydorgen peroxide. Which? found that some teeth whitening kits sold online contained up to 30.7%, and could lead to burns and irrepairable damage to the gums and mouth. Some of these illegal teeth whitening kits have previously also been found to contain a banned substance, sodium perborate, which is carcinogenic.
Dr Paul Woodhouse, a director of the British Dental Association, warned:
“Hydrogen peroxide is a seriously strong chemical and not to be messed with. Dentists are trained in its usage and they also know what whitening products are effective to use and safe for teeth and gums.
“If you destroy gum tissue, you are never going to get it back and you lose your teeth. If it penetrates the surface of your tooth, which is likely, it’s probably going to lead to the death of that tooth.”
The following video, courtesy of Which? is definitely worth a watch:
It is worth noting, this is not just a concern for Kingston, London or Surrey, or even England; similar cases have been reported in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
If you would like to get a brighter, whiter smile, and are considering whitening your teeth, please do not fall victim to these cheap, unregulated and illegal products which are sold on the high street – please contact Thames Street Dental, a Kingston Dentist, and book an assessment for your home teeth whitening kit.
You can see the GDC pages for our dentists at the below links:
Ajay Ruparel – GDC Registration Number: 55244
Neeshita Ruparel – GDC Registration Number: 229317
GDC registration information about other Dentists at the practice on their individual profile pages, which can be found via the Meet the Team page.
020 8546 6546
