A successful dentist with loyal patients overcharged his customers when he hit financial difficulties, a misconduct hearing was told yesterday.

Philip Yellowley’s work rapidly deteriorated as he struggled to pay his own bills and left patients out of pocket.

The General Dental Council ( GDC) was told he cancelled appointments at the last minute, refused to answer patients calls and only refunded one woman’s cash for unfinished work when she staged a sit-in at Yellowley’s Hove surgery.

Claire Sullivan, for the GDC, told the committee: “He described himself as, until recently, running a successful practice with loyal patients.

“However, it seems increasing financial difficulties resulted in what we allege was a serious deterioration in the services he was providing his patients.

“This led to complaints and the investigation revealed not only clinical failings but the charging of unreasonable amounts for lab fees for work which was not completed and the cancellation of numerous appointments which led to dental work not being completed.

“When the patients complained, he failed more often than not to respond to their complaints. He has also failed to respond to repeated requests from the GDC to produce particular patient records.

“Such disregard for the legitimate requests by his governing body exacerbate the seriousness of his misconduct.”

A total of ten patients had complained about their treatment at the Natural Dentistry Centre in New Church Road between April 1996 an January 2008.

One woman, known as Patient A, was so infuriated with the dentist’s behaviour that she turned up at his surgery demanding a refund. She was eventually refunded what she was owed but only when she refused to leave the surgery until she was paid back, said Ms Sullivan.

Yellowley also failed to send an urgent referral letter to the Royal Sussex County Hospital for a woman who was later diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer.

Other complaints levelled at the dentist included fitting crowns which repeatedly fell off and failing to make adequate records or treatment plans and take X-rays.

He is charged with breaching a 2008 condition imposed by the GDC on his practice, in that he worked on his own in the surgery.

Yellowley, who is not attending the hearing in central London, denies the charges. He further denies not providing a good standard of care to his patients, misconduct and that his fitness to practise is impaired.

The hearing continues.