Undercover investigation has found that illegal teeth-whitening treatments can burn gums and destroy teeth.
The investigation by the BBC found that some gels contained more than 500 times the legal limit of bleaching agent for over the counter products and are sold on social media.
As a part of this process, the investigator was able to obtain a fraudulent teeth-whitening qualification, as well as being given ‘extreme’ bleaching products and advice to ‘practise on friends and family’.
One seller boasted that there are ‘insane’ profits to be made by providing illegal whitening treatments.
In the UK, if teeth-whitening products contain more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide, they can only be provided by dentists and other GDC-registered professionals. Even products used in treatments offered by dentists cannot contain more than 6% hydrogen peroxide – however, products sold to undercover BBC reporters were tested in a laboratory at the University of Lancashire, with results finding they contained levels of up to 53% hydrogen peroxide.
Dr Shalini Kanagasingam, from the University of Lancashire, said, “If you use a higher percentage, especially if it’s not monitored professionally by a dentist, you could end up causing irreversible damage to a tooth and you could actually cause a chemical burn”.
She added, “I can absolutely understand why someone would want whiter teeth. It’s something people aspire to nowadays.
“But I would always recommend that the public go to their dentist first, because it could be just a matter of getting a good clean, scale and polish rather than opting for bleaching agents, and especially bleaching agents at such high levels.”
A BDA spokesperson said, “We’re horrified that so called ‘training’ is being offered via social media, and syringes of 50% concentration of hydrogen peroxide are being sold in car parks.”
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