As the economy has slowed in the past few years, people have tried to give themselves an extra business advantage by using teeth whiteners. If they could flash a brighter smile than everyone else, they might get a foot in the door with that potential client, or make that one extra sale. Sometimes they would buy teeth whitening kits at a store, or they might go to a dentist. But then a third option appeared that might give them some professional service without the extra costs of a dental visit. And inadvertently, a big controversy was born.
Sensing a business opportunity of their own, many people began to set up teeth bleaching operations in strip malls and shopping centers. These kiosks or salons were able to offer teeth whiteners comparable to those used in a dental office, but at a more affordable price. As thousands flocked to these establishments, however, associations of dentists began to object. They maintained that practitioners in these clinics were performing dental procedures, which was illegal if they were not licensed, and therefore they should be shut down for the safety of their customers.
The people running the new businesses, in turn, claimed that they weren't doing dental procedures at all, performing cosmetic teeth whitening instead. If the procedures were merely cosmetic, they were really no different from selling makeup. Dentists countered that the teeth whiteners used were at a higher strength than over-the-counter whiteners, whose concentrations are lower precisely for safety reasons. Because of oral health risks, increased tooth sensitivity, and other potential problems, said the dentists, administration of highly-concentrated whiteners required trained dental supervision.
With the American Dental Association's recent petition for the Food and Drug Administration to classify teeth whiteners in a way that would shut down untrained practitioners, it may not be possible to use these clinics and salons for much longer. But caution was always advisable anyway, not merely because dentists were fighting for lost revenue, as the clinics claimed, but because of potential risks. While seeking affordable teeth whitening, even for a business advantage, the issues of safety and proper credentials can never be ignored.
