More people are opting for DIY dentistry, including ordering braces and powerful bleaching agents online, according to the Irish Dental Complaints Resolution Service (DCRS).
In its annual report, the DCRS said that DIY orthodontic work was a “worrying development”.
It found that some British companies were offering home evaluation kits for people who needed braces. Once completed, the results are returned to the company, which sends braces out in the post.
The DCRS pursued one company, which eventually agreed to return more than £700 to one woman who complained that the braces she ordered online did not fit properly.
Michael Kilcoyne, a facilitator with the DCRS, said that he went after the company after receiving the complaint.
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“They weren’t going to refund her when she was unhappy with the braces. I didn’t think that was right. When I said I would go public with the information, they returned her money,” he said.
The DCRS also received several complaints from people who bought teeth whitening products online. Several said that the product did not work or had caused an injury.
“Dentistry is a complex area and it is not something anyone should ever attempt to do at home themselves,” the report said. The DCRS is a professional body that works to resolve problems between dentists and clients.
Mr Kilcoyne said that he had no remit to pursue online companies and was only meant to mediate between Irish dentists and their clients. “Nevertheless, I did want to follow one of these online cases to see if I could help and to understand the process,” he said.
The report also warned that there was a problem of dental tourism, which left Irish clients with little comeback in the event of a bad result.
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“The number of people getting cheap dental work done abroad continues to a problem and this is not recommended by the DCRS. Patients are left with absolutely no recourse if something goes wrong and may be left with a hefty bill if remedial work to fix bad dental work needs to be done here,” the report said.
The DCRS received about ten complaints from people who had dental work carried out abroad.
One woman said that she had veneers fitted in Hungary that did not fit correctly.
Mr Kilcoyne said that Turkey was also a growing market for dental tourism. “Obviously, I would not recommend Turkey for tourism because of the public safety issues there at the moment,” he added.
The service was contacted 1,235 times by patients last year, a small decrease from 1,257 times in 2015.