12 hours agoShareSaveDaniel O’Donoghue & Laura O’NeillBBC North West InvestigationsShareSaveGettyIllegal teeth-whitening treatments that can burn gums and destroy teeth are being handed over in car parks and on doorsteps, a BBC investigation has found.Some gels, containing more than 500 times the legal limit of bleaching agent for over-the-counter products, are sold blatantly on social media.As part of the investigation, a BBC North West reporter was able to obtain a fraudulent teeth-whitening qualification, as well as being given “extreme” bleach and advised to “practise on friends and family”.The British Dental Association (BDA) said it was “appalled” by the BBC’s findings.In one case, a seller boasted that there are “insane” profits to be made from providing the treatments.In the UK, treatments using teeth-whitening products containing more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide can only be carried out by dentists and other professionals registered with the General Dental Council (GDC).And products used in treatments offered by dentists cannot contain more than 6% hydrogen peroxide.However, products sold to undercover BBC reporters were sent to a laboratory for tests where results showed they contained hydrogen peroxide levels of up to 53%.’I was in agony’Kellie Howson, 54, who lost four teeth after she paid £65 for a whitening treatment at a beauty salon in Lancaster, urged the public to be aware of the dangers. She said: “I just remember not long into the treatment my gums starting to really hurt, and afterwards it just got worse and worse.”I was in agony.”Mrs Howson, who works in a hospital, was told by her dentist that the gel had caused irreparable damage and only the removal of four teeth would stop the pain.The grandmother said it had taken years and tens of thousands of pounds to repair some of the damage done by the hydrogen peroxide treatment, which she got in 2015.”It destroyed my confidence, I didn’t want to go out, didn’t want to see anyone,” she said.’So strong it’s not available to buy in the UK'”I just don’t think there’s enough knowledge about this. You go on social media and see so many offers.”The beautician who carried out Mrs Howson’s treatment was prosecuted for unlawfully practising dentistry and was ordered to pay £250 compensation.The BBC’s North West investigation began after the team was contacted by a beautician concerned about how widespread the use of illegal treatments was in the region.It did not take long to uncover evidence of kits containing levels of chemicals far beyond the legal safe limits being advertised and sold online by other beauticians in the Manchester and Merseyside areas.Some of the gels were advertised as containing “extreme bleach” and boasted that they were “so strong it’s not available to buy in the UK”.A BBC undercover journalist approached salons and agreed to meet and purchase the whitening kits.White n Bright in Droylsden, Manchester, advertised kits containing 35% carbamide peroxide, a bleaching agent which, at that strength, breaks down into approximately 12% hydrogen peroxide. That level is 120 times the legal limit that can be used in cosmetic treatments by non-dentists, and twice the strength that dentists can legally use.The company owner – who sold the kits for £55 – claimed on social media that the business offered “advanced teeth-whitening” and described the treatment as “safe and non-sensitive”.When the BBC’s reporter went to collect the kit, she was handed two syringes of “whitening gel” in a plastic sandwich bag on the doorstep of the seller’s home by someone understood to be a relative of the seller.There were …
