‘I don’t want to smile anymore’: Woman claims unlicensed dentist damaged her teeth

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) - An Ohio woman says her teeth are cracked and damaged after paying thousands of dollars to improve them.

Nylah Martin said she paid more than $3,000 to get composite veneers in February at The Smile Lounge in Shaker Heights.

However, things have not gone as planned.

Martin said days after the procedure, she knew something wasn’t right.

“I was having breakage and having them fall off,” she said.

According to Martin, every time she went back to get the damage fixed, the procedure became more painful.

“It was hurting. Almost excruciating. She was like drilling through my teeth,” she said.

Now, she says she still has one cracked tooth and several others damaged.

“I don’t want to smile anymore. I don’t want to go anywhere. It is very embarrassing,” Martin said.

According to Shaker Heights court records, the owner of The Smile Lounge, Jazemen Lyons, was accused of unknowingly offering dental services in 2023 without a license.

A court document with Shaker Heights Municipal Court stated that Lyons told them she received her dental assistant certificate in Colombia.

Representatives with The Smile Lounge did not immediately return a request for comment regarding the situation.

Martin said she has since filed complaints with the Ohio Dental Board in hopes of getting some answers on what can be done.

“You’ve [Lyons] wasted money, people’s time! You are portraying yourself to be a real dentist and you are not,” Martin said.

According to the American Dental Association, dental treatment from unlicensed individuals has the potential to cause damaging complications for patients.