THE owner of a cosmetic dental clinic who quoted a patient £17,000 for treatment has been struck off for his ‘deplorable’ conduct.

Barrie Semp, the owner of The Smile Centre, based in Bury New Road, Whitefield, where he worked as a clinical dental technician, has had his registration suspended after complaints from patients.

The Smile Centre describe themselves as an ‘independent private cosmetic denture practice’, and Mr Semp even ‘dishonesty’ claimed it was the ‘most advanced denture clinic in all of Manchester’.

In his role, he was allowed to carry out some dental work, such as implants, but only after such work was prescribed by a dentist.

According to the General Dental Practice, Mr Semp also claimed he was a ‘specialist denturist’ despite no such specialism actually existing.

They found that the entrepreneur, who founded the centre in 1989, failed to provide patients with a good standard of care, failed to keep adequate records, and pursued payments from patients despite receiving complaints about the treatment.

He took a payment of £2,000 from one patient without a treatment plan being determined by a dentist.

Semp quoted another patient, with a phobia of dentists, £17,000 for work. He started a course of treatment before obtaining approval from a dentist.

The GDC also found that Mr Semp had been dishonest when, in 2013, he told the GDC that a complaining patient, referred to as Patient B, had initially been happy with her treatment but changed their mind because ‘her children did not like the appearance of the dentures’. The woman did not have children.

Mr Semp was also criticised for telling a complaining patient that a refund was conditional on the withdrawal of the grievance.

The GDC revealed that Mr Semp has received four criminal convictions between 1997 and 2006 for the illegal practice of dentistry.

He also failed to hold indemnity cover for more than two months in 2015.

His registration has now been suspended meaning he can no longer work in dentistry in the UK.

In its final judgement, the committee said: “This was important, expensive and advanced treatment for 5 patients who trusted your skill, competence and integrity as a dental professional.

“They were paying you thousands of pounds for treatment. Your promotional literature included false and misleading claims of you being a specialist and of your clinic being “the most advanced denture clinic in all of Manchester”, the latter claim having been made dishonestly by you.

“You sought to make withdrawal of a complaint by a patient to the GDC a condition of him being reimbursed for the cost of his treatment. Your conduct fell far below that which would reasonably be expected of a dental professional. Other members of the profession would clearly regard your conduct as deplorable.”

After contacting The Smile Centre, the Bury Times was told that the businesses is now under new ownership.

Companies House shows that the Smile Centre went into administration at the end of March.