Jason Edworthy of Kingsmead, Buckinghamshire, was prosecuted by the General Dental Council (GDC) after it was made aware by a patient that he had been carrying out this service once more despite not being a registered dental professional. Mr Edworthy was also ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge and full costs to the GDC of £1280.
The patient arranged an appointment for teeth whitening for February 5, 2016, due to the price quoted (£175) being much cheaper than her local dentists. Despite being told she had sensitive teeth, Mr Edworthy undertook several procedures – such as placing fingers into her mouth and applying a whitening gel to her teeth – and promised good results for the treatment.
After paying for the service, the patient was disappointed with the outcome and undertook further research into Jason Edworthy. She found he was not registered with the GDC and had been prosecuted before, pleading guilty to two offences relating to tooth whitening in January 2014.
The complainant also discovered Mr Edworthy had been the subject of a BBC Inside Out West investigation which had aired in February 2016, highlighting that he was still providing his illegal service despite the previous conviction.
Victoria Sheppard-Jones, interim head of illegal practice at the GDC said: “Mr Edworthy is a repeat offender who, despite several opportunities to stop providing this service, continues to offer tooth whitening without being qualified or legally allowed to do so.
“We think the sentence reflects the seriousness of his actions, and we are pleased with the magistrate’s decision.
“We hope this latest sentence will make it clear to him and anyone else that we will take action to protect patients from unregistered and potentially dangerous individuals offering dental procedures without the right to do so.”