Beautician pleads guilty in tooth whitening case
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- Published: Sunday, 29 November -0001 23:58
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A beautician has appeared in court in Preston to plead guilty to unlawfully practising dentistry. Ms Elaine Taylor-Valles is the first person to be successfully prosecuted by the GDC since the High Court upheld the view that tooth whitening is the practice of dentistry and should only be carried out by dentists, dental hygienists and dental therapists, working on the prescription of a dentist.
Ms Taylor-Valles has been given a nine month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £350 towards the GDC's costs. On 30 September 2013 she pleaded guilty to the offence of unlawfully practising dentistry, namely tooth whitening contrary to sections 38 (1) and (2) of the Dentists Act 1984 and unlawfully carrying on the business of dentistry contrary to sections 41(1) and (1B) of the Dentists Act 1984.
During sentencing at Preston Magistrates’ Court, District Judge Goodwin said:
"I accept that Ms Taylor-Valles had done a teeth whitening course, however she did not ring the General Dental Council to confirm whether she was allowed to do tooth whitening."
The charges relate to incidents carried out between January and March 2012 at 106 Lord Street, 4 Westminster Chambers, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 1LF. The GDC investigated this matter after receiving a complaint from a member of the public about the manner in which her teeth had been whitened. During correspondence with the GDC, Ms Taylor-Valles admitted to being a ‘fully qualified beautician’, a title which is not recognised by the GDC.
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