Bleaching agent

rom?James Goonik, of the British Academy of cosmetic destistry, said the use of a substance by there of th clinics-chlorine dioxide-was particularly worring. 'This chemical is a bleaching agent used to purify water and is very acidic,'he said. "It can wreck tooth enamel".

The other three clinics reportedly used a hydrogen peroxide formula at a strenght abouv the legal limit. Concerns were also raised about the failure of some of the clinics to check for gum disease. Clinics saying they would take impressions of teeth to check for problems were accused of acting illegally because this would have been carried out by an untrained person. There's more and more demand from clients. But while it may be illegal for a non-dentist to carry out teeth whitening on someone it is prefectly legal for someone to take home a teeht whitening kit and perform it on themselves. Wendy Nixon, of Habia the government-approved body which helps salons understand legislation-said it was this which may have confused salons. most of which "were not deliberately acting irresponsibly".

"A lot of people just don't know about there regulations and they are continually being pressured be very pushy sales people who say it's perfectly OK for them to offer this service," she said.
"At the same time, there's more and more demand from clients whitening has become a fad of recent years, popularised in part by celebrities.
However, the desire for gleaming teeht is not modern phenomenon. The Romans, for instance, used urine to whiten theirs.