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The latest news on COVID-19:

During the COVID-19 crisis, get updates and information at ADA and your state’s website. Please follow the official guidance, stay safe and help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Contact Us if you have more questions and thank you for your cooperation.

Teeth Whitening Laws Differ from State to State

Author: Dental Geek
05.01.13 / 9:35 am

As most of us Dental Geeks know, laws regulating who can and cannot offer tooth whitening services differ from state to state. For instance, in North Carolina, personnel at salons, spas and mall kiosks can offer whitening services, however, in Alabama, the whitening process can only be administered by licensed dentists, hygienists or dental assistants.

(More info about recent lawsuits on the subject can be found here on DrBicuspid.com.)

There are different perceptions as to why some of these laws are in place, some believing dental professionals are aiming to capture a greater share of the whitening market by banning anyone else from offering these services. Others feeling strongly that limiting this service offering to licensed dental professionals eliminate potential issues that can occur when non-dental parties perform these procedures.

The purpose of this post is to start an open discussion regarding your thoughts on the subject – should teeth whitening services be provided by licensed dental professionals only? Should teeth whitening be considered a form of practicing dentistry and therefore be restricted to those with the proper oral health training? Or, should non-dental cosmetic business owners be able to use the same OTC whitening products on clients that consumers can buy and use freely without a dentist’s supervision anyway?

What do YOU think?

 

 

Dental Geek

Dental Geek

7 responses to “Teeth Whitening Laws Differ from State to State”

  1. My opinion is teeth whitening be considered a form of practicing dentistry and therefore it is restricted to those with the proper oral health training

  2. Actually I think you’ll find teeth whitening is open to anyone with all kinds of teeth, from those who have dull looking teeth because of trauma or if they want to make their smile even brighter and already have white teeth!

  3. Interesting information. I think it should be up to the person getting the procedure done. Some customers might feel as if it is not a big difference between going to a dental professional or a cosmetic business owner. Others may feel that they want to insure that there is no damage done to their teeth, so they may go to a professional.

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