Would you see a dentist and get your treatment in a hotel room? A Malaysian woman who learnt how to perform dental procedures on herself from YouTube videos during the COVID-19 pandemic began offering such services to customers in Singapore.
Operating from hotel rooms in Singapore, she performed procedures such as maintenance of braces and veneer application. She finally got busted when a disgruntled customer reported to the authorities that she could not floss her teeth after having veneers put in by a dentist operating from a hotel room.
As it turned out, the hotel dentist is a 37-year-old Malaysian part time waitress from JB. She was fined S$2,500 by a district court on 8 April after pleading guilty to one count under the Dental Registration Act with a second similar charge taken into consideration. While masquerading as a dentist, she advertised her services on her Carousell account, quoting prices between S$650 to S$700 for various procedures.
She would enter Singapore on short-term visit passes to provide these services at atas hotels under the Hilton brand, successfully passing off as a Malaysian dentist. In total, she provided composite veneers to about 20 customers, performed braces maintenance on about 10 customers and provided cosmetic braces (aligners I believe) to at least one customer.
The public’s reaction? Many people were so impressed by this self-taught dentist! Make no mistake, she’s not the only one. Members of the public have been patronising these self-taught dentists for the longest time. Customers know where to find them, but they are keeping it a secret as they know it’s illegal. Why are so many people so supportive of something that’s potentially risky? I thought Singaporeans are very risk averse.