Dentist given a treat to get his teeth into

A party cakes shopkeeper who had a sweet tooth but no teeth is back munching on his wife's cooking after five years of being forced to say "no" to her iced treats.

And 49-year-old Dianne Whitton was so grateful to have husband Jay with a full set of teeth, she created a celebration cake specially for the man who made it possible.

In a surprise presentation at his Denture Clinic, in North Street, Dudley, Steven Burchell was presented with a giant set of false teeth – perfectly crafted from sponge and coloured icing.

Mr Whitton, aged 53, of Cochrane Road, Dudley, had requested a follow-up appointment with Mr Burchell last week.

"I was a bit puzzled because the patient's full dentures were a perfect fit.

"When he arrived with his wife and the biggest set of false teeth I've seen, I was really shocked.

"The work on the dentures was so good, I was tempted to offer Dianne a job there and then."

Mrs Whitton, who runs the A Time to Party shop in Russells Hall Road, Dudley, with her husband, said of the cake: "It seemed like an obvious thing to do.

"I've made Thomas the Tank Engine, racing cars, weddings and funeral cakes of all varieties, so I thought 'let's make some teeth for Mr Burchell, I bet no-one makes teeth for him'.

"We arrived with some party balloons and when he opened the cake box, his face was a picture. I loved doing it for him," she said.

Former Hell's Angel Mr Whitton, who rode with the now-disbanded Dudley Chapter, said he had looked after his teeth but they came loose one by one and he pulled them out.

"I was five years without a single tooth in my head and I couldn't manage the hard cake icing. Now I can eat anything, including Dianne's cakes," he said.