Lots of beauticians and beauty salons offer teeth whitening. It’s usually much less expansive than it is with a dentist and they seem to have all of the kit. So what’s the problem? Will teeth whitening with a beautician work and what are the downsides?
Beauticians sometimes offer whitening sessions at the salon which aim to intensively whiten your teeth while you’re there. The materials they use will vary a lot. Sometimes a beautician may use hydrogen peroxide. This is similar to what a dentist would use during tooth whitening. Sometimes a beautician may be using something completely different which has not been tested.
I don’t wish to criticise beauticians because often they are the victims, themselves. They may be sold something on a course and may not fully understand the risks of what they are offering their clients.
However, it is illegal for beauticians to offer teeth whitening. In fact, two beauticians were recently taken to court by the General Dental Council for carrying out tooth whitening illegally.
The chemicals used for teeth whitening can permanently damage your teeth and gums if used incorrectly. Dentists train for a minimum of five years to understand your mouth and how to care for it. It is only dental professionals who have received the training to safely and legally whiten teeth.
If anything goes wrong with tooth whitening with a beautician, you may struggle to do anything about it because a beautician’s insurance will not cover them. You could be left high and dry with no way to put things right.
May I just be clear that our aim at The Online Dentist is to empower the general public. We want to provide you honest, straightforward advice that helps you. We have nothing to sell. A previous article received a lot of negative feedback and strong criticism because some readers thought that we were only on the side of dentists. The truth is that we do not seek to make a profit from this website. We seek to help people by making sure that everyone has access to the best information available.
I know that quick fixes or cheaper alternatives are always tempting. I know it seems worth a go. It’s only a problem when something goes wrong. Dentists have the knowledge and expertise to safely whiten your teeth. Beauticians do not.
Whitening toothpastes can be great at getting rid of stains to brighten up your teeth. Why not read our article?
Charcoal toothpaste doesn’t whiten your teeth but can be very good at getting rid of staining.
If you would like to understand about the options for professional whitening, have a read of our article.
