A DENTIST who performed “traumatic” and wholly inappropriate treatment has been suspended from practising.

Jamie Kerr, who ran Broadwater Gentle Dental in Worthing, was found unfit to practice by the General Dental Council (GDC) for failings relating to 13 separate patients.

Former patient Victoria Avery told The Argus: “I got a feeling something wasn’t right and I went to get another opinion.

“He’d been doing all the work I didn’t need and none of the stuff I did need.

“When I sought advice elsewhere they told me my teeth were so bad I needed £6,000 of work done.”

A hearing of the GDC found that he had performed work which was “incorrect and traumatic” and “wholly inappropriate”

Kerr failed to identify decaying teeth, charged a patient for a gold tooth he never gave her and put a crown on a tooth he should have removed.

He also performed expensive unnecessary work, charged patients for inadequate treatment and failed to remove infected teeth.

In the case of one patient he promised to carry out root canal work that was beyond his competence, then lied and continued to charge her.

The council said: “You did not carry out this treatment yet you failed to inform the patient of that fact and charged her for it.

“The proper thing to have done would have been to disclose to her that you could not successfully complete the treatment and refer the patient appropriately.

“When she complained of pain you again failed to disclose the truth to her and indeed led her to believe that you would address the problem in a further six months.

“Instead you covered up your dishonesty.”

Kerr was investigated after a complaint was raised by a former patient relating to work he performed at the surgery between January 2010 and February 2014.

The committee told him he failed to “put patients’ interest first before your own, work within your knowledge, professional competence and physical abilities, listen to patients, give full information on proposed treatment and possible costs”.

The Argus tried to contact Kerr via the Oasis Dental Practice in Reigate where he has since been working but was told he was on “long-term compassionate leave”.

Kerr was told he would be suspended from the dental register and not allowed to practise for 12 months.

Kerr was the principal dentist at Broadwater Gentle Dental from January 2010 until February 2014. In 2014 he left to open a practice in Surrey and new owners took aver the Broadwater Street West surgery.

Current dentists Dr Sachin Anand and Dr Shal Anand who now run Dentalessence at the site are in no way connected to Kerr.