Teeth Whitening

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toothpolice

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Feb 23, 2013
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Location
northern ireland
Hi All,

I am the founder of a group called stamp out illegal tooth whitening. We are mostly made up of dental professionals however have more and more beauty professionals posting asking for advice.

We've been pointed to a thread here relating to tooth whitening and companies offering training, yet all of the replies on the thread are fully aware that it is illegal to whiten teeth if you are not a dentist/hygienist or dental therapist registered with the General Dental Council.

We were delighted to read that thread and see that the majority of you guys were refusing to go on the courses and recognised that tooth whitening would make you liable to prosecution.

We are trying to help anyone that has been misled into spending thousands on a training course only to find afterwards that they have been conned into paying for a certificate that is worthless and leaves them open to prosecution if they start the service in their salon. We have had many beauty professionals message us, upset that they have tried to get fee's refunded etc and got nowhere.

I would like to find out how big this issue really is and how often these companies are approaching salons to train with them etc.

I hope its ok to post here and would appreciate any replies. I'm off out for the evening shortly but will be back later tonight.

many thanks


Bev
 
If companies are training with non-peroxide then that's not illegal is it?
 
What are you exactly helping them with? Does it come with a fee?
 
the non peroxide thing is bypassing the issue which is that its illegal for anyone other than a registered dental professional to perform tooth whitening. It doesn't matter if a technician is applying water to the teeth, its an illegal act.

We will help with letter writing and providing proof that they have been sold a course that isn't worth the paper the certificate is written on. No they won't be charged a penny.
I'm not here to sell anything, i'm here to find out how often people are approached by the training companies and to offer assistance to anyone that has been on a course and would like advice or assistance to put together a case for a refund.
 
I'm off to a beauty show tomorrow - I can almost guarantee there will be a few stands about teeth whitening. If it is illegal then why aren't these companies being shut down? I'm not saying I don't believe you, but why isn't something being done about it?

I understand theses companies aren't the ones performing the treatments but they are still selling something which is illegal and dressing it up as legal?

I actually went somewhere to have a massage and they did teeth whitening, on the posters it said it was done by dental practitioners - it wasn't it was by beauty therapists!
 
So if teeth whitening is illegal unless your a dentist, does this mean beauty salons are not able to gain insurance?
 
How about this ... If your dentist started saying "Trained in facials and shellacs too" would you not think they were a cowboy?

I'd never go to any beauty therapist who said she could whiten my teeth, slim me down, Botox me and massage me. I'd have better luck with a cowboy!
 
There are companies who insure beauty therapists who do teeth whitening.

I enquired about this myself. I was led to believe as long as the products doesn't contain peroxide then aslong as you have had training, you can gain insurance and be legally allowed to carry out the treatment. But further investigation shows that it isn't legal but the whole area is rather grey, rather than black and white.

If your doing something illegal, I'm sure most people insurance would be invalid.
 
So if teeth whitening is illegal unless your a dentist, does this mean beauty salons are not able to gain insurance?
I've yet to see an insurance certificate that will cover a non dental professional to perform tooth whitening. Any unscrupulous companies that will provide insurance are guilty of misselling insurance, a bit like the PPI scandal of late. They would not pay out in the event of a claim as the onus is on you to be suitably qualified to perform the treatment.

I'm off to a beauty show tomorrow - I can almost guarantee there will be a few stands about teeth whitening. If it is illegal then why aren't these companies being shut down? I'm not saying I don't believe you, but why isn't something being done about it?

I understand theses companies aren't the ones performing the treatments but they are still selling something which is illegal and dressing it up as legal?

I actually went somewhere to have a massage and they did teeth whitening, on the posters it said it was done by dental practitioners - it wasn't it was by beauty therapists!
you're right, you'll see loads of them. Lovelite, naturawhite, megawhite, pearly's etc. Its not illegal to provide training, so they aren't doing anything illegal, what they are doing is teaching you to do something that they know will not have them in the dock when you are being prosecuted. They know exactly what they are doing and they ensure they don't do the treatment themselves. Currently there is a big campaign going on to have them all banned from selling the training courses.

The GDC have been very slow to act as it takes months and months and often they need a patient complaint or proof of damage to enable a prosecution, there have been more and more prosecutions in the last year but the training companies don't care.

Of course the trainee's should be asking for a signed statement witnessed by a lawyer that says the training company will be held jointly liable in the event of a prosecution for illegal tooth whitening. If the trainees asked for that, the companies would def never provide them!
 
There are companies who insure beauty therapists who do teeth whitening.

I enquired about this myself. I was led to believe as long as the products doesn't contain peroxide then aslong as you have had training, you can gain insurance and be legally allowed to carry out the treatment. But further investigation shows that it isn't legal but the whole area is rather grey, rather than black and white.

If your doing something illegal, I'm sure most people insurance would be invalid.

Oh right so some will insure you, I have a feeling a lot wouldn't have insurance.
Would you not also have to ask your local council if your able to offer this treatment? I've been reading my local one and it says it illegal to offer it, people should call trading standards.
So I'm slightly confused.

(I don't want to or do offer this treatment, a local salon does and I didn't think it was legal)
 
So if someone has trained with one of these companies then they wouldn't be able to get their money back because the company isn't doing anything illegal? So what can people do who have trained with these companies then?
 
a lot of local councils and trading standards are giving out of date information, we as a group have requested a meeting with ron gainsford, the CE for trading standards, to enquire as to why different areas are giving different advice and are at odds with the law.
 
So if someone has trained with one of these companies then they wouldn't be able to get their money back because the company isn't doing anything illegal? So what can people do who have trained with these companies then?

They have a case because they have been sold a course that will not allow them to perform treatment and have been misled and mis-sold a course.

Advertising standards are looking into the claims on the training course websites as they are not allowed to claim that you can have a sucessful business teeth whitening etc or that you will be fully insured and legally certified to do the treatments.

Many therapists have been successful in getting refunds on those grounds
 
I think each council differs with how they deal with things.

I think it is shocking how these companies make their money - off the back of innocent people they have lied to!

I admit to looking into it, and wanting to offer it in my salon. I have requests often and always see people on FB who have had it done. I thought it would be a good way to bring in mor money to my salon.

Luckily for me I have salon geek, and read the thread by BotoxBoy, but also I am naturally a skeptical person, so i checked it out (not just took what i was being told as the truth), as soon as you google it you hear horror stories.

Right opposite my salon is a dentist, I'm sure he would have had something to say if I hadn't looked into and went ahead and sent my therapists on the course!
 
I trained with a company last year. My kit is still untouched in the box. I asked for my money back after speaking to the GDC. They told me that I could only speak through their solicitor . Great customer service eh?!
I wrote an email to their solicitor and they never replied!
 
angelina, make a complaint to trading standards and if you need help to write the complaint, then contact me on illegalwhitening.com and we'll help you sort a refund out.

I'm off for the night as i've a lot to do before bed.

x
 
Thanks. I'm off to bed myself now as I have to be up at 5.30 for the beauty show! I'll contact trading standards next week.
 
Can I ask who the trainers are and who trains them to train others, if you follow?

How are these people insured themselves?


Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
 
Was the Toothpolice down at ProBeauty2013 ???

Quite few stands happily and widely selling products and equipment for tooth whitening.

Dont think they were for personal use only.

A.
SalonGeek
 
Oh, Im so glad I found this thread before I started anything!! I was at the PB show yesterday and my main aim was to look at teeth whitening courses.....I wasnt impressed with any of those offering it - one guy from Megawhite was pretty rude and left me half way through our chat to go and speak to someone else....he practically threw a brochue at me and said 'read that and dont go anywhere....im sure you will have some questions when I get back'.....we quickly walked away!!
I did buy a use at home product from Prefessional Teeth Whitening to use on myself to see what it was all about.....my mate bought one aswell and we have actually just sat this morning and tried it.....jurys still out on it!! We were given no instructions, luckily we did remember what the woman on the stand said....but when we used it, it didnt happen the same as the demo - so a little confused with that.....it also says on the bottle that to use on clients RRPs at £199-£250 per treatment - with no training or info on the product - so I think thats going in the bin!!
The one company I was actually going to look into this afternoon was training with Whitening Products - the brochure says its in accordance with European Commission - not had chance to look into this yet but after reading all these threads ill def be taking teeth whitening off my list of treatments!!
 

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