Southwark salon owner ordered to pay £2,000 for illegal tooth whitening

8 February 2017

A Rotherhithe salon owner who carried out a tooth whitening procedure without being a qualified dentist, has been ordered to pay over £2,000 by a court.

Ms Jamie Farebrother, owner of Split Endz in Surrey Quays, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 18 January to face a charge under the Dentists Act 1984. After pleading guilty, Ms Farebrother was fined £500 by the court, as well as being ordered to pay £1,031 in costs to the GDC and a further £500 in compensation to the victim – a total of £2,031.

The investigation was led by Southwark Council’s trading standards team and the General Dental Council (GDC) after a report by a disgruntled customer in April 2016. The complaint claimed that following the whitening procedure she had experienced discomfort and ‘shooting pains’ during the treatment and suffered with inflamed gums for a week afterwards.

Southwark’s officers found that although the products used were compliant with the relevant regulations, the procedure should have been done by a dental professional. The matter was therefore passed on to the GDC to take action.

Victoria Sheppard-Jones, Interim Head of Illegal Practice at the GDC said: “Our first successful prosecution of 2017 shows that we are continuing to tackle illegal dentistry in order to protect the public from dangerous and potentially harmful work.

“In this case a patient was left in discomfort for a week as a result of Ms Farebrother not being trained or qualified to do the treatment safely. That’s why only a registered dental professional is lawfully allowed to do this work.

“For anyone considering tooth whitening, we urge you to check our online register to make sure the individual offering the treatment is a registered dental care professional. This way you can be confident that the person offering the treatment is legally allowed to do so."

Cllr Barrie Hargrove, cabinet member for communities and safety, said: “It’s really important that the general public is made aware of the dangers of illegal tooth whitening. As this case shows, the health risks involved greatly outweigh any cost savings made. 

"We have advised all our licensed salons and other special treatments premises that teeth whitening procedures should not be offered unless done by a qualified dental professional.  -  this result shows the Courts will not hesitate to come down hard on those that ignore the law”

Page last updated: 08 February 2017

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