Teeth Whitening Kiosks

Our society to day is one that looks for convenience and speed in almost everything. And for this reason teeth whitening at all kiosks is gaining popularity due to convenience and customer naivety and for the simple reason that the mal operators will always find gullible customers all the time. These kiosks are generally franchise owned, so they are not administered by dental professionals. They are not dentists, rather workers “dressed up” in medical garments to give people a false sense they are being treated by a dental professional. Besides the fact that one would look ridiculous doing this procedure in the middle of a busy mall, it is also dangerous. The catch that makes the process legal is that operators do not place the product in the “patient’s” mouth. Instead, the “patient” inserts the bleaching product themselves.

You need to beware that undergoing an unprofessional teeth whitening procedure at a kiosk has the capacity to cause untold damage to your teeth. The operators of these kiosks most often than not will use a very high concentration of the requisite bleach which is usually hydrogen carbamide peroxide, at about 35% concentrations. This is what dental offices use. The chemicals at this high of a concentration are extremely acidic, and if not properly administered, can ruin tooth enamel.

Professional and safe teeth whitening needs to always be done under the supervision of a qualified dental surgeon: A dentist is able to asses the patient and decide on the advisability of the procedure apart from predicting the anticipated outcome for each and every patient. Furthermore, the dentist will have knowledge of the oral anatomy, principles of patient care, and the possible dangers involved: i.e. (if gums are not adequately protected or if there is gum disease). Teeth whitening kiosks have began springing up in several major cities all over the globe and I should be a major cause of concern for the authorities but much more for you as the intending consumer of their services.

It should be made clear that many if not all whitening kiosk operators are not licensed and do not have the necessary raining, experience and rigorous oversight that are necessary to perform such a delicate operation. There have been cases reported in various places where patients have suffered damage to their gums, tongue, lips and areas of the face, as well as tooth sensitivity, resulting from visits to teeth-whitening kiosk operators. In many instances, tooth decay has gone undiagnosed because it has been masked by bleaching. Had these unfortunate individuals seen a licensed dentist, their problem would have been correctly diagnosed and the decay treated before whitening or an over-the-counter whitener was recommended.

Expecting a teeth whitening kiosk operator to determine the size of a dental device to be used for the procedure is simply asking for too much because it is a decision that requires professional judgment and training. There was once reported a case of a woman who ended up swallowing the bleaching chemicals during a kiosk treatment because he operator used an oversized dental tray.  Only when the woman began choking did the employees of the kiosk take any action. And none of the employees was trained to properly respond to such a situation; they simply guessed.

As a customer at a kiosk you also need to beware that you are susceptible to various infections. This is unlike a dental hospital where extreme care is taken when handling dental trays and all other devices that are used during the process. Poor sterile procedures increase the risk of customers contracting diseases, including AIDS, norovirus, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, or any number of other diseases that might be encountered when multiple individuals are treated with the same equipment. It is a standard procedure to sterilize all items used in a dental office whereas no such requirement may be observed or applied in a whitening kiosk. Inspections of kiosks reported in the media revealed that sterilization of dental trays was not observed. In some kiosks, a rubbing alcohol rinse was used, which will not decontaminate a device sufficiently to protect the next user.

These kiosk employees are not required to undergo any specialized training in medical and dental procedures and such they could be exposed to medical waste and disease bearing trays since they do not understand the risks involved in what would appear to be just a simple task.   Even worse, employees could unknowingly take a serious medical problem home to their own families or pass it on to the next customer who sits in their chair.

In some parts of the world dental boards have successfully taken kiosk operators to court, which have determined that these retail teeth-whitening activities are, in fact, the practice of dentistry. And many authorities are considering banning these kiosks. Dentists are not opposed to the use of over-the-counter teeth-whitening products, which come in appropriate strength and with instructions that consumers can easily and safely follow. But those who require a stronger bleaching procedure should visit a licensed dentist.