Mall Teeth Whitening Disaster

I’m terribly afraid I’ve made a ginormous mistake. I was at the mall and saw a Teeth Whitening Service Store. Intrigued, I popped in. The sales lady seemed extraordinarily knowledgeable. I was naturally concerned about having my teeth whitening done in a mall shop and she put me right at ease. She told me their program was developed by a dentist and each of their employees are certified teeth whitening experts. That made me feel a lot better about the safety aspect of it. Just to double check I wasn’t getting ripped off, I called my dentist’s office and asked their price on teeth whitening. The mall shop was literally half the price. So, I felt like this was the bargain of the year for me. I was thrilled—until they were done. First, my gums felt like they were on fire and they still hurt tremendously. Also, everywhere I have a filling, there’s a weird splotch on my teeth. Even worse, the dental crown I have on my front tooth turned dark. I mentioned that and they said it would whiten over time. It’s been two days and it’s just as dark. I look like a freak and feel like I’m dying. Can this be fixed?

Tara D.

Dear Tara,

Woman Covering Her Mouth

I’m sorry you’ve had this experience. It can be fixed, but it’s going to take some dental work to do it. First, you should know there is no thing as a certification in teeth whitening, unless of course you count getting a dental degree. My supposition is that is some type of internal training program they have at their office. Whatever it is, it’s not adequate because they made several horrible, yet basic, mistakes.

Teeth Whitening Mistake Number One

A person getting protection placed on their gums for teeth whitening
They didn’t protect your gums. To do in-office teeth whitening it usually requires a special lamp to activate the whitening gel. At a dentist’s office, they would put a special protectant on your gums, such as you see above. If they didn’t do that it leaves your gums quite vulnerable. The pain you’re experiencing is the equivalent of a sunburn on your gums. I would take some ibuprofen to help with the pain. Another option is lavender essential oils. Lavender helps alleviate the pain of burns. But, first, talk to whoever supplies you with essential oils (if you get those) and make sure it’s safe to ingest. Most are. It should heal on its own in a few more days.

Teeth Whitening Mistake Number Two

Your fillings and crown are not made from natural tooth structure. While they were white, the fillings were made from composite resin and the dental crown was likely milled out of porcelain. Only natural tooth enamel whitens. Your dentist would whiten your teeth even with the dental work there, but would warn you ahead of time that you’d need to have those remade to match your teeth when your whitening completed. That way you could make an informed decision.

Teeth Whitening Mistake Number Three

This last one isn’t as much a teeth whitening error as an error in good humanity. They lied to you. They knew good and well your dental work wouldn’t whiten over time. That is the most basic knowledge about teeth whitening. Truthfully, that lie is a bit of a blessing. Deception is grounds for a refund. If they refuse and you take them to small claims court, you’d likely win. It’s not a 100% guarantee because many times a manipulative lawyer can sway justice, but you’d have a right to a refund under normal standards of the law.

Where Should You Go From Here?

In your place, I’d contact my dentist and let them know what happened. Don’t be embarrassed. They’d understand you were trying to get a deal. They might even be able to pressure the store into giving you a refund.

Your dentist will need to replace your filling with white composite fillings. They’ll also need to replace your dental crown. Make sure they give you an all-porcelain crown and not a porcelain fused to metal crown. There’s a huge difference in appearance between the two. Plus, the latter always develops a gray line at your gumline.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Steven Collins.