Mother, 42, is left looking like she had ‘botched lip fillers’ after suffering an allergic reaction to a bargain £60 at-home teeth whitening treatment
- Clare Clark saw the bargain price on Facebook having paid up to £200 before
- At her home, the beautician used a mouthguard, which didn’t fit, and a gel
- Ms Clark’s lips were swollen and her mouth blistered so she was unable to eat
A mother-of-two was left looking like she had ‘botched lip fillers’ after she suffered an allergic reaction to a cheap at-home teeth whitening treatment.
Clare Clark, 42, thought she had bagged a bargain when she paid £60 for a beautician to brighten her teeth at home.
The manager of a university, from Bristol, had seen the deal on Facebook, having previously paid £150-£200 twice before.
But she was horrified when she woke up the morning after her treatment with swollen lips and a mouth full of blisters, leaving her barely able to eat or speak.
While having the treatment in February 2019, a mouthguard with bleaching gel was put in her mouth, which Ms Clark said didn’t fit properly.
The gel leaked out of the mouthguard. In rare cases, the gel can cause an allergic reaction if someone is sensitive to the chemicals used.
Health officials have repeatedly warned home-kits or treatments undertaken by anyone other than a dental professional can cause complications.
Clare Clark, 42, thought she had bagged a bargain when she paid £60 for a beautician to brighten her teeth at home in Bristol. But she was horrified when she woke up the next morning having had an allergic reaction the bleaching gel in the kit (pictured)
Ms Clark, the manager of a university, had seen the deal on Facebook, having previously paid £150-£200 twice before (pictured smiling, unclear when)
Recalling the morning after her treatment, Ms Clark said: ‘When I woke up, I could just feel something was wrong.
‘I couldn’t even look in a mirror at first, then I caught sight of myself in a window and thought, “Oh my god.”
‘I looked as if I had botched lip fillers. I was so embarrassed and didn’t want anybody to see me – but I wasn’t technically sick and so still had to go to work.’
Ms Clark had first had her teeth whitened by a dentist in early 2006. Then, she had it done again by a beautician in a salon around five years ago.
‘The process each time was fairly similar. You’d go, get a mouth guard to fit your teeth and hold the gel, then a specialised light was shone on to activate the gel,’ Ms Clark said, adding that on neither occasion previously had she suffered any adverse effects.
When she saw the £60 treatment being offered on Facebook, she felt confident that everything would go smoothly.
She said: ‘Teeth are such a big part of your face that it is easy to get self-conscious about them, and we could all do with a slightly whiter smile.
‘I thought £60 was a really good deal – especially given how expensive teeth whitening can be – and that I’d be foolish not to book it.
‘Plus, the beautician carrying out the treatment was offering at-home visits, which was a huge draw. It would mean I wouldn’t have to worry about the boys.’
On the day of the appointment in February 2019, everything appeared completely normal at first, with Ms Clark being given a mouth guard filled with whitening gel, just like with previous sessions.
But, towards the end of the hour-long treatment, she said she began to fret that the guard did not fit her mouth properly, as her lip kept sagging down.
‘By the end, I was trying to hold my lips up with my finger and the person doing the whitening was helping,’ Ms Clark said. ‘It didn’t feel quite normal.
‘My lips did look a little swollen, but I assumed it was just where they had been stretched out by the guard.
‘I was given aftercare tips on what to eat and drink, as well as a special mineralising gel, and went to bed that night assuming I’d wake up completely fine.’
Ms Clark had first had her teeth whitened by a dentist in early 2006. Then, she had it done again by a beautician in a salon around five years ago (pictured before the reaction)
Ms Clark said: ‘I could go online right now, buy a kit and whiten my own teeth, with no understanding of dentistry’
Ms Clark’s lips ballooned as though she had ‘botched lip fillers’ (pictured). For days, she lived on a diet of soup, as anything else was too painful, and even struggled to talk
WHAT RISKS DO DIY TEETH WHITENING KITS HAVE?
DIY teeth whitening kits have boomed in popularity, but the NHS state that some home kits don’t contain enough whitening product to be effective.
Also, if a dental professional isn’t doing the whitening, the mouthguard provided may not fit properly so some of the bleaching gel may leak out onto the gums and into the mouth, causing blistering and sensitivity.
Teeth whitening carried out in beauty salons by untrained staff or staff without dental qualifications can put oral health at risk and is also illegal.
A study published in the British Dental Journal warned that sodium chlorite, the active ingredient found in three over-the-counter products, could, in the presence of acid, ‘significantly reduce the hardness of the teeth and increase the likeliness for future surface abrasions of the teeth.’
In January, kits sold on Amazon were exposed by the MailOnline to contain sodium perborate, a poisonous chemical that was banned by the EU for cosmetic use for nearly a decade ago after studies have shown it can damage fertility and harm unborn babies.
The British Dentist Association say that some home-kits contain dangerous levels of hydrogen peroxide – more than 33 per cent. High level bleaching gels can cause mouth infections, blistering and burns to gums, damage to nerves and tooth enamel, and gum-shrinking.
However, the next morning, Ms Clark’s lip had ballooned to the point where she looked as if she had been ‘hit in the face’.
She was desperately embarrassed, but did not want to stay off work, so ventured out, worried that people would stare.
She said: ‘People did notice, but nobody wanted to say anything. I think people thought I’d had lip fillers.’
Fortunately, after around 48 hours, the swelling did go down. But Ms Clark’s mouth was left full of blisters, which took a little longer to heal.
For days, she lived on a diet of soup, as anything else was too painful, and even struggled to talk.
She also took regular doses of antihistamines and ibuprofen, on the advice of a pharmacist.
‘I contacted the person who’d done the treatment to tell them, and they said it looked like I’d had an allergic reaction, but couldn’t offer much more from a medical point of view,’ Ms Clark said.
‘They apologised though and even checked in to see how I was a few days later.
‘Personally, I believe it happened because my lip sagged down over the mouthguard and came into contact with the bleaching gel.’
Ms Clark is now urging people to take her story as a cautionary tale, and ensure they have teeth whitening performed by dentists rather than being drawn in by the promise of quick-fix results and cheap deals.
It is illegal for teeth whitening to be carried out by beauticians or staff in beauty salons that don’t have dental qualifications – all dental professionals in the UK must be registered with the General Dental Council in order to work legally and safely.
No matter what treatment you use, the NHS states that there is a chance the gums will be sensitive to the chemicals used in teeth whitening.
Whitening kits used at home can harm tooth enamel and cause blistering if the mouthguard does not fit properly.
Ms Clark said: ‘I got chatting to someone who works for the healthcare people Bupa. We started talking about how there seems to be a huge rise in these at-home treatments.
‘You can now have lip fillers at a salon, or Botox parties in your own house. I could go online right now, buy a kit and whiten my own teeth, with no understanding of dentistry.
Ms Clark believes the reaction occurred because the mouthguard used didn’t fit her mouth properly and the gel seeped onto her lip – a risk warned by experts
Ms Clark said she contacted the beautician after the event who ‘couldn’t offer any medical advice’
‘People are striving for perfection now, and while I’d never do anything major to my looks, I thought the teeth whitening would be a way of brightening my smile – plus it was a good deal.
‘Now, I know it is worth paying out for a proper dentist and I want to make other people aware of this, too.’
Steve Preddy, interim clinical director at Bupa Dental Care, said: ‘For anyone considering getting their teeth whitened, we cannot stress enough the importance of visiting the dentist for an expert opinion.
‘The whitening gels used by dental professionals are regulated, prescription-only materials.
‘Materials used by some non-dental professionals illegally for tooth whitening can cause many complications, including sensitivity, swelling of the lips and tongue and burns to the mouth and gums, leaving people in a lot of pain and in some instances can cause damage to the surface of the teeth.
‘Ultimately the message is simple: it’s always worth investing in professional teeth-whitening, which is undertaken by a qualified dentist for an effective and safe treatment that delivers maximum results.
‘The easiest way to keep your teeth pearly white, healthy and bright is by maintaining a good oral health regime, which combines brushing twice daily for a full two-minutes, regular flossing and visits to the dentist and hygienist.’
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