In the ongoing debate over the various methods used to whiten teeth, the American Dental Association (ADA) has recently taken a step that could resolve the issue once and for all. In November of 2009, the association petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set up a classification system for all teeth whitening products. While the ADA had assessed and even given its Seal of Acceptance to some of these products in the past, this new move has been prompted by the appearance of clinics in malls and salons, whose personnel bleach people’s teeth even though the practitioners are not professionally trained or licensed to do dental work.
The proliferation of these unlicensed teeth bleaching clinics has of course been fuelled by people’s desire to save money. Rather than pay large dental bills, they would rather pay less but still have their procedure done in a more clinical atmosphere. The owners of the mall clinics or salons claim that they are not in fact doing dental work, which would require training and a license. They don’t even put their own hands in their clients’ mouths. Instead, they consider their teeth whitening procedures to be merely cosmetic work. And doing cosmetic treatments does not require a license.
The chemicals used to whiten teeth can cause damage to oral tissues and even permanent damage to the teeth, if they’re not used properly. And that’s why, according to the ADA, their use goes well beyond merely “cosmetic.” People handling these substances should therefore have some professional training, argues the ADA, meaning that any teeth whitening gel or other product should only be administered in a dental office. This is the essence of the petition the organization sent to the FDA in November of 2009.
How the ADA’s petition will affect over-the-counter and home teeth whitening methods remains to be seen. If regulations are tightened, even those products might end up with some restrictions as well, which could put the skids on a very lucrative industry. Still, if the ADA’s concerns are genuine, and products used to whiten teeth can actually do considerable harm in untrained hands, then the FDA may decide that the petition has merit, and it may take action at least to shut down the clinics even if it doesn’t go all the way and restrict the use of home products too.
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