A woman who offered illegal teeth whitening at a Sunderland beauty salon has been fined more than £9,500. GDC investigators were offered whitening by Lynsey Wilson at the Guys and Dolls salon in High Street West, Sunderland. They launched an investigation into the salon after receiving a number of complaints, Magistrates heard.

Rebecca Schwartz, prosecuting on behalf of the GDC, said: “Teeth whitening services were advertised on social media, including Facebook. Two investigators made an appointment via Facebook with ‘Lynsey’. On arrival, they were shown to a treatment room, and given advice about treatment. They commented Lynsey appeared knowledgeable, and said she told them she had treated other people in the preceding months.”

Wilson, of Clara Street, Seaham, was charged with being an unregistered person practising as a dentist or dental healthcare professional. Ms Schwartz continued: “Elsewhere, there have been cases of irreparable injury being caused by unlicensed teeth whitening. The GDC is reactive, we don’t set out to trap people, but there were previous complaints and warnings issued in this case.

“Fines imposed for this offence elsewhere in the country have varied widely. A bench may want to take into account the amount of profit made from the illegal activity, although there is no evidence of the amount made in this case.”

Wilson failed to turn up for the hearing. The court was told a letter written on her behalf indicated she knew of the case, but she offered no reason for not attending. The bench ordered her to pay £9.522 in fines and costs.

In Parliament

Health minister Jackie Doyle-Price reaffirmed that teeth whitening is the practice of dentistry and teeth whitening products containing or releasing between 0.1% and 6% hydrogen peroxide can only be sold to dental practitioners. She said the Government was committed to improving the safety of cosmetic procedures through better training for practitioners, and clear information so that people can make informed decisions about their care.

She was answering a question from Jim Shannon a Democratic Unionist Spokesperson for Health.