Loose, crooked teeth. Putrefaction of the gums. Constant, throbbing pain. Patients with multiple root-canal treatment needs.
These are the gruesome repercussions of DIY cosmetic dentistry – cut-price treatments advertised on social media that promise a perfect smile while delivering anything but.
There are many happy clients, however, there can also be disastrous outcomes, as our experience at a top dental clinic revealed. The dentists claim they often spend a lot of time fixing people’s problems.
Patients we met courageously gave up their anonymity in order to inform others about the risks of certain treatments which can often cause irreversible harm.
Worst, many of them admit that their procedures were completely unnecessary and sacrificed a healthy set of natural teeth for vanity.
Sakib Hussain was treated with crowns in Turkey and described his pain as ‘living terror’. His ordeal began last year when, during a holiday there, a friend cajoled him into visiting a dental clinic offering an entire set of crowns for £3,700 – which would cost £21,000 in the UK. He is pictured today after having the damage repaired at a clinic run by two Yorkshire dentists – identical twins Drs Hussein and Hassan Dalghous
Sakib’s original teeth (left), and the botched treatment that he received in an overseas clinic (right). Crowns require extensive dental work. This includes filing the teeth and then cementing the crown. “I have no idea how I could be so dumb.” His words are: “My teeth were fine, but they made it appear like my timing was perfect.” Sakib had Sakib’s tooth shaved by a Turkish dentist.
The Mail on Sunday was the first to warn of risks associated with budget dental treatments by online sharks in 2018, back when it was published.
Our investigation exposed the shocking practice of illegal teeth-whitening in salons and beauty parlors.
Expert warnings were also made that DIY braces can cause bleeding, gingivitis, tooth loss, and laceration.
Today the problem has reached such heights that two Yorkshire dentists – identical twins Drs Hussein and Hassan Dalghous – have pledged to launch a string of affordable dental clinics for victims of botched online dentistry.
We saw the urgent need for this clinic on our first day.
Sakib (31 years old) has had repair work completed after the botched Turkey treatment. While the crowns look great, Dr Hussein Dalghous still has major issues. Sakib needs to have several of her teeth extracted due to nerve damage and also three root-canal surgeries. The bill for this remedial work will be about £1,000
9:00am Lauren Hall (a Leeds-based marketing consultant at 29) is first in the chair. She has come in to get a wire attached to her back teeth.
Although her teeth look straight and are not in pain now, it is a significant improvement over three months ago, when her gums were bleeding from the blisters.
The cause was the DIY braces she’d bought online – plastic braces that gently move teeth into new positions over the course of six to 12 months.
These aligners can be very effective when used with the guidance of a dentist. However, if problems do not get addressed promptly, it can lead to serious consequences.
Last March, the British Dental Association advised that DIY braces might cause your teeth to loosen or fall out.
Lauren bought a six-month course of treatment – costing £1,600 – after seeing advertisements on Instagram. She says that although her teeth were not so crooked, she noticed them getting closer over time and decided to fix it.
Sakib (left), Hussein with Sakib. Sakib says that he feels so stupid. If I’d come here in the first place it would have been cheaper – and I’d still have all my teeth’
The pain was unbearable for weeks, followed by infuriating conversations with the company that had sold her the product. The moulds that were sent to her didn’t fit and the sharp edges of the aligners cut through her gum tissue.
“They gave me a nail file after I complained. It was unbelievable! They were too uncomfortable for me to speak of, so I could not believe it!
A dentist will conduct a thorough examination on patients in order to detect gum disease, which can worsen with braces. However, DIY companies use plastic molds that patients make and track their progress through selfies and phone calls with assistants.
Hussein states that self-made moulds are very different from 3D scans with sufficient accuracy. Patients end up suffering from cuts because their aligner does not fit properly and rubs up against their gums.
“I was scared when Lauren first opened her mouth. If they were not treated, ulcers can become infected. This could lead to serious gum disease.
Lauren had severe gum inflammation, which caused her teeth to wobble. They were also not straightened.
Hussein treated gum disease over three months and fit professional aligners. A wire is then placed along the back. ‘A lot of patients need a supportive wire to keep the teeth in place long-term – that’s another thing you won’t get online,’ he adds.
10am Jack Christopher is next, a Sheffield-based painter/decorator. This 27-year old is just one of many young people who tried bleaching their teeth with high-strength online chemicals.
He has come in for a scan – he’s worried that the whitening agent, also advertised on Instagram, has caused long-lasting damage.
Jack writes, “A few hours later, I had put the stuff on to my teeth, and I woke awake in terrible pain.” “I leapt out of bed in agony to check the mirror, and saw white blisters everywhere along my gumline.
“There was blood leaking out of my gums. “What do you do?” I thought.
Jack is still extremely sensitive, even though the bleeding stopped. “They feel glassy, almost like they have been chipped,” Jack says. It hurts too bad, I find it difficult to chew properly.
The majority of whitening products contain hydrogen peroxide which is extremely potent. Because of the potential for gum burns, only dentists can offer hydrogen peroxide above a specific strength.
Hussein believes Jack’s tale is too familiar.
“Most whitening agents are made from hydrogen peroxide which is extremely powerful,” he said. Only dentists can give it at greater strength due to the possibility of gum burns.
“Low-quality hydrogen peroxide sold online can cause severe damage to the enamel and burn the teeth.
The scan done with the probe through Jack’s tongue showed that there was no long-term damage. Also, the sensation should improve over time. Hussein says to him, ‘Age will be on your side. Your teeth are relatively healthy and don’t have to go through all the wear and tear that comes with age. However, others will not be as fortunate.
11:15amA second whitening procedure went wrong.
Beautician Ellie Low, 26, tells Hussein she bought a packet of whitening strips online for £20 last year, and is still suffering.
“As soon I started using them, I realized that I was in serious trouble. It was painful and my gums were dripping with blood. They still have blood today, even though it was over a decade ago. They ooze blood by touching you. It’s horrible.
Hussein believes that the issue is not in the product. Strips contain low-strength hydrogen peroxide, but Ellie is one of the 45 per cent of British adults who suffer severe gum disease – where bacteria infects the tissue, causing pain, bleeding and, eventually, tooth decay.
Hussein states that gum disease can make it more difficult to react. “Dentists will perform an extensive check before doing any work to the teeth. That information will not be available online.
Noon Kerry Spurr, 36 years old, is the next person in the chair. When Hussein requests her to “open wide”, you’ll see why she is back.
Teaching assistant’s gums have become reddened and swollen and are now down to the roots of their teeth.
Evidently, this represents a huge improvement from just a few short weeks ago. Hussein says: ‘There was considerable damage – inflammation, gum disease and the risk of infection in the root of the tooth, which could mean she would lose teeth. In order to prevent bacteria spreading further, an intense deep clean was required immediately.
Kerry’s gum disease was triggered days after she started wearing increasingly popular clip-on veneers, which she bought online for £500.
Made of bright white plastic, they slide on over the teeth to give the impression of healthy, white teeth – for a fraction of the £10,000-plus for a full set of real veneers, which are millimetre-thin pieces of porcelain permanently bonded to the teeth to give a perfect appearance.
The Mail on Sunday warned about the dangers of online dental sharks offering budget services back in 2018. Undercover investigations revealed that illegal teeth-whitening was being done in back rooms at hair salons and beauty parlours. File image showing a tooth-whitening procedure in a dental clinic. Model poses for the photo
Hussein states that he would never recommend that a dentist use clip-ons. These plastic bits placed over the teeth create a breeding ground for bacteria due to a deficiency of oxygen.
This could lead to gum disease. Many people feel pressured to have perfect smiles, but they can’t afford real veneers. They opt for cheap clips-ons.
1.30 pm:Sakib Hussain (31 years old) is next in line to have a physical. He describes the suffering he’s suffered over the last year as “living torture”. The financial analyst is one of the Dalghous’s many patients who have suffered at the hands of botched procedures carried out abroad – treatments that are also advertised heavily on social media in this country.
This threat is growing as common as DIY dentistry. A 2016 study found that the number of Britons looking for affordable medical services abroad including dental care, has tripled in just two years.
According to The British Dental Association, one third of dentists have to repair ‘inappropriate’ work performed overseas.
Sakib’s ordeal began last year when, during a holiday to Turkey, a friend cajoled him into visiting a dental clinic offering an entire set of crowns for £3,700 – which would cost £21,000 in the UK.
After seeing the promotions on social media and online, Sakib had convinced his friend to sign up for this deal. Sakib’s friend was attracted to the deal after seeing promotions online and on social media. Sakib is now suffering from a misaligned bite, chronic pain, extreme pressure, and gum infections.
The process of applying crowns requires extensive dental work. It involves the removal and securing artificial teeth with either cement or screws.
“I don’t understand how I could have been so stupid.” His teeth looked fine, but they did make it appear that I was right in the right spot at the correct time.
Sakib had her teeth shaved by a Turkish dentist.
Hussein says that there are many shortcuts to dentistry. But it is not worth taking the chance.
“If the dentist shaves off too much, the patient almost certainly needs a root canal. The tooth’s centre will become infected. This is a common practice that we see from unscrupulous dentists. It is an easy way to straighten crooked teeth.
“The crowns must be placed straightly to ensure that the patient can still bite correctly.
Hussein removed the crowns, and replaced them with newer ones. However, they still look terrible. Sakib needs to have several of her teeth extracted due to nerve damage and also three root-canal surgeries. The bill for this remedial work will be about £1,000.
Sakib: “I feel so stupid. If I’d come here in the first place it would have been cheaper – and I’d still have all my teeth.’
3.30pm As more patients flow through the surgery, common themes emerge – social-media seduction, quick-fix solutions and little help or accountability if there are side effects.
Take Tiana Shaw, a 22-year-old estate agent from Leeds, who bought a £40 whitening package after seeing it promoted on video-sharing platform TikTok.
The important checkup on her enamel has been done. Hussein has found evidence that even though it is one of the most durable substances in the body hers was damaged by bleaching.
He said, “Social-media Influencers Are Buying Hydrogen Peroxide You’d Find in DIY Shops and Applying It to Their Teeth.”
They claim their whiter teeth will appear in just a few seconds. The video editing is obviously used, however people copy what they see.
4:00pm Last patient out.
Hussein said, “It’s like I have ever been able to take a step.” Despite this, the brothers are still talking teeth – how many they could fix by opening just a fraction of the 400 affordable clinics they plan to.
‘People are desperate for cheaper dental treatment – especially where the big, pricey companies monopolise the market,’ says Hassan. You can’t fault them for choosing unregulated, dangerous online services. We can at least offer an alternative that is safer and more compassionate.