A South Carolina lawmaker has introduced a bill that would allow only licensed dental hygienists and dentists to do teeth whitening.
Rep. Raye Felder (R-York) wants those who perform teeth whitening without a license, such as at mall kiosks, put out of business, according to a TandD.com story. However her bill, H 3949, would still allow consumers to buy over-the-counter teeth-whitening products.
Felder said she doesn't expect her bill to pass this year but would introduce it again next year if she is re-elected. She said teeth whitening can be dangerous if it's done too often or not done correctly.
Greg Wych, DDS, a dentist in Irmo, SC, said that if teeth whitening is done without a dentist's supervision, the bleaching gel could burn a person's gums. But he said that when patients have it done in South Carolina dental offices, it's usually done by a dental assistant because it not economical to have hygienists or dentists do it.
In March, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case brought by the Federal Trade Commission against the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners for violating federal antitrust law by sending cease-and-desist letters to nondentist teeth whiteners.
Felder, an insurance agent, did not receive campaign contributions from dental groups in her 2012 campaign, according to finance reports. She received a $350 contribution from the South Carolina Dental Association's political action committee two months before she introduced the bill in April 2013, according to election records. Felder has also received another $350 from the group for her re-election campaign, the story said.
But there have been no reported cases of permanent damage from tooth whitening, and orange juice is more damaging to teeth than tooth-whitening products, according to the Institute for Justice, a public advocacy group that has filed a lawsuit challenging the Georgia Board of Dentistry's rule prohibiting nondentists from doing teeth whitening.
