I used to get angry when I walked by the tooth bleaching kiosk at the mall. I thought I was looking at untrained people practicing dentistry. I even saw a tent for tooth bleaching at an art show. A policeman was there with his girlfriend. I told him that the workers in the tent were practicing dentistry without a license. They were violating OSHA because there was no running water, no infection control procedures, no PPE’s! He laughed. I don’t think he realized that he was part of a crime spree sweeping across the country.
We have lost the battle against non-dentist applied bleaching. It is even less regulated than a hair cut or highlights. And hair grows back. It’s not a dental procedure anymore. And I am okay with that. Because bleaching is not dentistry. It’s the thing we give away to attract patients. And patients know it. They are on to us. Ask the patient who comes to your office for the bleaching special but doesn’t transfer her records to you. She has a dentist. But they don’t have a bleaching special this month. That’s why she is in your office today. She is going back for her cleanings and fillings (her real dental needs). She just wants the bleaching today, thanks all the same.
I am not looking for a lecture on tooth bleaching products here and I am not talking about difficult hard to lighten cases, intrinsic discoloration or drug related discoloration. Just you average patient with teeth of a shade that is still found on the old Vita shade guide.
When patients ask if they can use those strips from the drugstore, tell them the truth. That is your job.
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