The Mirror recently reported a story as a consumer interest item, about a beautician who paid for training and supplies for a tooth whitening system but then failed to get her money back from the company when she found the practice was illegal. Megawhite continue to trade as suppliers to the beauty salon industry. The Mirror story is benefiting the dental profession in reminding again both the public and the beauticians that whitening teeth is part of dentistry, that is the law, it remains in the domain of the highly regulated dental profession. In this way the public are protected.
But the supplying company continue to advertise, make sales and attend consumer shows, they continue to dupe beauticians into "investing" in training and materials they cannot legally use. The article goes on to suggest the GDC is getting to grip with this, by writing strong letters to alleged law breaking beauticians. But the wholesaler is quoted as saying "all our customers have had this GDC letter and all ignore it".
Common sense tells us the average beautician, with a salon, or working at their client's premises, does not wish to break the law. They do not want trouble and they certainly do not want to harm their clients. However, it is the suppliers who have vested interests who now need to be brought to task.
The dental profession should not call for the beauty industry and its suppliers to be regulated. However, this news story and the established trade in knowingly selling whitening products for illegal use shows how gullible people can be, and on the other side, it reminds us how persuasive sales tactics can be, particularly when one side of that trade tells blatant untruths to their potential customers.
To conclude this personal view, I do call for Trading Standards and exhibition organisers to clamp down on the activities of the suppliers of illegal whitening materials. Dentists must also ensure they stay well clear of these companies too - don't let your name be sullied by their poor reputation.
Mirror story http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teeth-whitening-dispute-nothing-smile-3210595
Facebook campaigns https://www.facebook.com/StampOutIllegalToothWhitening
Recent news stories:
https://www.gdpuk.com/news/latest-news/1512-another-tooth-whitener-prosecuted
https://www.gdpuk.com/news/latest-news/1449-fake-dentist-caught-at-excel
https://www.gdpuk.com/news/latest-news/1411-beautician-pleads-guilty-in-tooth-whitening-case
https://www.gdpuk.com/news/latest-news/1395-whitening-case-concluded-in-court
