A BEAUTICIAN who offered teeth whitening has been cleared of carrying out illegal dentist work.

Cheryl Dickson, 25, told Lyndsay Grant, who had been instructed by a private investigator, of the services she offers when she visited her shop for a treatment.

Among these was teeth whitening, carried out by putting gel on a gum shield shining a light to activate it.

She detailed the brand of product and the cost, as well as how it worked.

Mrs Grant, 46, and her husband Steven left Beauty by Cheryl on Shettleston Road in the east end of Glasgow and sent a report to a private investigators firm.

Yesterday Miss Dickson stood trial accused of being someone who is not a registered dentist or dental professional, holding herself out as practising or as being prepared to practise dentistry on January 23 2016.

The young mother denied the charge and after evidence was lead from Mr and Mrs Grant, defence lawyer Richard Burke argued there was an insufficiency of evidence.

He told Glasgow Sheriff Court: “There is no evidence whatsoever about the practise of dentistry before this court today.”

Sheriff Shona Gilroy agreed with his submission that the Crown did not lead evidence that what Miss Dickson did amounted to dentistry, and acquitted her.

In evidence Mrs Grant said she booked an appointment with Beauty by Cheryl, to get her nails done.

Her and her husband spoke to Miss Dickson on the day they went to the salon, and asked about her other services, and the cost.

Mrs Grant said Miss Dickson said she did teeth whitening used a product called Natural White.

Miss Dickson told them the product had no peroxide in it and that a dentist was needed for peroxide.

On hearing Mrs Grant had a bad experience with teeth whitening Miss Dickson said: “You probably had a big red guard that’s forced in your mouth.

“Natural white is nothing like that, more like a gum shield.

Asked if she put the gum shield in, she said “I put the gel on you just pop it in your mouth.”

The case comes after the man who made famous teeth donned by Still Game’s Methadone Mick was found guilty of working as an unregistered dentist.

John Nicol, 73, owner of Speedy Dentures, known locally as Glamorous Geggies, was caught practising as a dentist in March 2015 when a private investigator arranged for a woman to carry out detective work.

Nicol, who was registered with the General Dental Council until 2011, was fined £1,800 for his breach.

He made the decision not to renew his registration when new rules came in that involved going on a £25,000 course abroad, and decided he was experienced enough to continue working.

Nicol made the famous dentures worn by Still Game’s Methadone Mick, a recovering drug addict who gets new teeth before a job interview.

He also made the teeth worn by Bob and Alan, the electrical salesman in hit show Chewing the Fat.

In April, new rules came into force which meant that private clinics carrying out cosmetic procedures - on everything from botox to teeth whitening - in Scotland had to register with a new industry watchdog or face fines of up to £5,000.

Clinics run by doctors, dentists and nurses offering non-surgical cosmetic treatments automatically commit an offence unless they register with Health Improvement Scotland (HIS).

A Scottish Government group is looking at how to regulate nonhealthcare professionals in the cosmetic industry, such as hairdressers and beauticians.