Wednesday, November 16, 2011

IJ Goes Up Against the Connecticut Dental Cartel



Institute for Justice -- "Teeth-whitening services are popular and increasingly available at spas, salons and shopping malls. This has been a boon for consumers because these businesses offer whitening services at a much lower cost than dentists do, often charging less than 25 percent of what a dentist would charge for similar results.

There is one group that is not smiling about these new, low-cost teeth-whitening services: the Connecticut Dental Commission. In June, the Commission ruled it is a crime punishable by up to five years in jail or $25,000 in civil penalties for anyone but a licensed dentist to offer teeth-whitening services, even if the customers apply the product to their own teeth.

Teeth-whitening products are regulated by the FDA as cosmetics, which mean anyone—even a child—can purchase them and apply them to his or her own teeth without a prescription and without supervision or instruction.

The Dental Commission's ruling has nothing to do with public health or safety and everything to do with protecting licensed dentists from honest competition." 

Watch video above, and here's background information from IJ, and here are some news reports here, here and here.

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