Invisible braces have long been known to correct the appearance of crooked or misaligned teeth – but in one case, a criminal may have avoided identification if he had received cosmetic treatment.
Sanele Mkhize, Thabiso Hadebe and Malusi Zulu are facing charges of attempted murder, armed robbery, pointing a firearm and discharging a firearm and ammunition, following an attempted hijacking in Chatsworth, South Africa, on January 14th 2010.
Six people were shot at or injured in the incident, including 12-year-old Altaf Ally, who is now paralysed after being shot in the head.
At the trial, a neighbour of the child and his family, Shaun Naidoo, looked at the teeth of three of the accused and identified two based on their distinctive dental features.
The news source reported that Mr Naidoo identified Mr Mkhize as the person who discharged the weapon, saying that his “overlapping front teeth and ‘sickening smile’ had jogged his memory”.
Earlier this month, it was reported that a 53-year-old driver who crashed and abandoned a stolen car was tracked down when his false teeth were left at the scene – something which could have been avoided by having dental implants.