Woman Fined for Illegal Veneer Procedures in Singapore

SINGAPORE: A 37-year-old Chinese national, Ding Zhiyan, was fined S$5,000 on Tuesday for illegally practicing dentistry without being a registered dentist. Ding had been fixing dental veneers for her customers at her salon in Far East Plaza and even at her home in Bukit Merah between 2022 and 2023.

Acquired Skills from Former Employer

According to court proceedings, Ding had learned the skills of fixing dental veneers from her former employer at a salon in Bugis back in 2020. After leaving that salon in February 2022, she decided to establish her own business at Far East Plaza in May of the same year.

“To provide dental veneer services, Ding purchased her equipment and supplies from e-commerce platform Taobao for 2,000 yuan (S$370),” stated Ministry of Health prosecutor Tan Luoyi.

Self-taught ‘Dentist’ Fined for Performing Illegal Procedures in Hotels

Prosecutor Tan Luoyi outlined Ding’s unauthorized dental procedures in court. Ding would clean her customers’ teeth, file them to remove plaque, and apply adhesive gel before placing the veneers. She would then use UV light to harden the adhesive.

“On May 13, 2022, at about 2.33 pm, Ding was informed that three dental veneers she installed on a customer in March 2022 had fallen off,” Tan revealed. Ding subsequently met the customer at her salon and fixed the veneers for S$100.

Home-Based Dental Service

In a more alarming instance, Ding even provided dental services at her Bukit Merah home. On December 11, 2022, a customer’s veneers dislodged after Ding had fixed them the previous day. “Ding arranged to meet the customer at her home in Bukit Merah the next day. There, Ding fixed the tooth during a 30-minute procedure for no charge as it was a ‘form of service recovery,'” stated Tan.

Ding pleaded guilty to two charges of practicing dentistry without being registered, with four similar charges taken into consideration. The prosecution sought a S$2,500 fine for each charge, citing Ding’s cooperation and early guilty plea. However, District Judge Lorraine Ho imposed a S$5,000 fine, acknowledging that no actual harm was caused to Ding’s customers.

Under the Dental Registration Act, practicing dentistry without a valid certificate can lead to a fine of up to S$25,000.

“Ding asked for a low fine amount as her mother has cancer, and she needed money for medical expenses,” the prosecutor noted, revealing the mitigating circumstances.

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