Recently there has been a great deal of controversy revolving around the delivery of whitening services in shopping plazas; malls and in suntan shops (to name just a few). Adding to the confusion is the availability of Internet and television ads for whitening products many of which, just don’t work.
There are a plethora of options for people seeking to whiten their teeth trying to avoid the higher cost of doing it in a dental office. What people often fail to realize is that there are dangers to letting laypeople perform these procedures outside the controlled environment of a professional office.
There are four major areas of concern when it comes to “Shopping Mall Whitening”:
1. Infection Control: This is the biggest concern. The operations that I have witnessed were in the middle of shopping malls with no sanitation whatsoever. Not even to wash ones hands. The patients were salivating over the chairs and on the floor. The risk for infection from other people is very high. Poor hygiene has the potential to transmit many diseases including Hepatitis, Herpes, H1N1, and even the possibility of HIV (should the last whitening customer have bleeding gums).
2.Burns and Pain From Bleaching. There are times when people can have an adverse reaction to the bleaching process. There can be significant burns with swelling of the lips and tongue. Only a dental office has the knowledge and ability to prescribe treatment /medications to alleviate pain and manage the soft tissue damage. Diabetics can have serious complications from trauma in their mouths are well as people with compromised immune systems “Shopping Mall Whitening” technicians never take a health history- so the potential problems are overlooked. The consequences can be severe.
3.Poor Color Results: Since the majority of Mall Whitening Kiosks are run by non –dental staff they are usually unable to discern if teeth have fillings/veneers/crowns .and as a result the natural teeth will whiten leaving while the other teeth remain dark- this could be a very expensive problem to fix since the bleaching is irreversible. There are several dental-medical conditions that limit the success of the whitening process- a layperson will not be able to give this information to the typical whitening client.
4.More Expensive Than A Dental Office: A survey of dental whitening kiosks reveal that the cost is sometimes MORE than you would be charged at a dental office. While it seems like a
good deal lets say at $125 to bleach your teeth. They don’t mention that it takes four sessions to get the color you are seeking (actual cost $500 or more). In my office we offer our patients a significant discount on whitening which is normally significantly less than these businesses offer.
In summary, your best option is always the professional dental office when it comes to whitening your teeth. There are many safeguards to your health which are standard at a dental office that the whitening kiosks overlook. Don’t take unnecessary risks with your health thinking you will save money. And as always, ask your dentist which whitening system is right for you…
Dr. Steve Pleickhardt
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