A mum lost her FRONT TEETH after botched cosmetic dental treatment by an unlicensed beautician.
Kellie Taylor, 43, paid £65 for a course of tooth whitening, unaware the rogue technician had no idea what she was doing.
But the peroxide used weakened her gums, leaving her dentist with no option but to pull out her damaged teeth.
The treatment wrecked her two front teeth but the dentist also had to take out the adjacent two to make room for false teeth to be fitted.
Beautician Natalie Kowalczyk – who is still working – has been ordered to pay compensation to Kellie after she admitted unlawfully practising dentistry.
But Kellie said she has wrecked her confidence and left her facing more expensive treatment to restore her appearance.
She said: “I went to have it done for pure vanity reasons and it left me scared of leaving the house for people seeing what I looked like.
“There was offer on tooth whitening and it sounded like a good deal so I went along and didn’t even think about what could go wrong.
“Half way through everything started to feel sore and sensitive. I didn’t know how it was supposed to feel but I could tell it wasn’t right.”
“Two weeks later I was still on painkillers and when I went to the dentist he said there was nothing he could do but take my teeth out.”
Kellie’s dentist told her the substance used on her teeth had penetrated through her gums and made them weak.
He initially tried to bond the teeth to strengthen them but this failed.
Team leader Kellie now relies on a plate with two false teeth attached which she has to glue into place in her mouth.
The mum-of-two added: “It’s a huge inconvenience and it doesn’t matter how natural they look, I know they’re not my own teeth.
“She doesn’t understand the consequences her actions have had on my life and how it has affected my confidence.
“I’ve not had one apology or any sign that she’s accepted what she’s done is wrong.
“I’m hoping to find the money to get dental implants so that they’re permanent.”
Kowalczyk was hauled before Lancaster Magistrates Court earlier this month.
She was sentenced to a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 compensation to Kellie for her pain and suffering.
She also had to pay £65 to reimburse the cost of the treatment carried out at Jo & Cass salon in Lancaster, Lancs., on February 5 this year.
Kellie, from Lancaster, said: “I’m glad she was guilty but it doesn’t do anything for me short-term.
“£315 doesn’t cover the pain and suffering I’ve had. I thought everything was legal and above board.
“I don’t know how someone has the nerve to try and perform a procedure like that without the correct training and qualifications.”
By law, tooth whitening must only be carried out by registered dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists and clinical dental technicians working to the prescription of a dentist.
This was confirmed by the High Court when in May 2013 it overturned a magistrates court’s decision to acquit a qualified beautician, Lorna Jamous, of practising dentistry after she carried out tooth bleaching procedures in her salon.
Kowalczyk, who is still working at the salon, was also ordered to pay General Dental Council costs of £1468.63 and a £15 victim surcharge.
