
Dental whitening: legislation and common beliefs
Smile bars disappearing
Most major cities have specialised whitening shops, known as “smile bars”, opened in the recent years. Claiming that teeth whitening is an aesthetic and not a medical act, these merchants have sought to facilitate access to this type of treatment, previously reserved for a privileged clientele.
Medical corporatism, however, has been against this practice, insisting on the danger of allowing unqualified staff to provide care in a non-professional environment.
Without the possibility of making customised gutters to apply the products or to efficiently protect the gums, with the risk of introducing over-concentrated or uncontrolled solutions into the mouth, these businesses quickly lost their appeal, unable to guarantee expected safely.
With smile bars tending to disappear and a negative image of this concept as countless miracle products are sold especially on the Internet, there are many doubts and reluctance with regard to this method which is nevertheless effective when it is practised by medical professionals.