Cosmetic and dental surgeries have become a popular reason to travel. Certain countries worldwide, like Thailand, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey, have made it all the more possible to get a procedure done because of its affordability. Imagine traveling to an entirely different country for a surgery that ended up being botched. Well, thousands of people are traveling to Turkey every day to get cosmetic dental surgery, most notably, veneers. The occurrence is so frequent that the procedure has been dubbed “Turkey Teeth.”
What is “Turkey Teeth?”
Seeing the phrase “Turkey teeth” might trigger a few questions in many people. The phrase was coined by cosmetic tourists who have gone on a dental adventure in Turkey. They wish for the perfect celebrity-worthy smile. This procedure made its way into TikTok, where the trend has grown rapidly.
BBC released a documentary about the dental phenomenon. It is entitled “Turkey Teeth: Bargain Smiles or Big Mistake?“ The documentary will inform you about everything you need to know about getting your teeth done in Turkey. One couple, 32-year-old Jade Tushingham and 30-year-old Kelly Tushingham, have included their own story. They wish for their story to bring awareness to the terrible pain Turkey teeth leave you with. They called their experience a “nightmare” that “ruined their lives.”
$4,800 for Turkey teeth?
Why travel to Turkey for a dental procedure? Well, the price is definitely an influencing factor, as Turkey offers veneers at a much lower price than England or America. Jade and Kelly had planned to enjoy a beach holiday on the same trip to get their teeth done. However, it did not go as planned. The procedure requires your teeth to be shaved down to resemble fangs. Then, the new teeth are placed over.
Jade and Kelly were in excruciating pain following the procedure that they could not enjoy their holiday. “We’re both still in constant pain. All the food at the hotel looked beautiful, but we just couldn’t eat any of it,” they said. “We survived on mashed potatoes and soup, even drinking was difficult as our teeth were so sensitive. Looking back now, we 100 percent would not have had it done.”
The cost of veneers in the UK is almost $25,000, but they each spent $4800 on their new set of teeth in Turkey. Regardless of the low price, it is still a hefty sum of money to fork out only to end in pain. ”It’s cost us so much money and it’s been hell. We used some savings we already had to pay for it doing. They look lovely, and in pictures are perfect but it’s like a nightmare.”
10/10 would not recommend
One week after the procedure, they were concerned about the pain. So, after they messaged the doctor on Instagram, they were advised to take ibuprofen, which they said did not help. The pain continued for months. Unfortunately, no doctor in the UK would go near their teeth, so they have to fly back to Turkey to get them fixed. They said they would give it six months to see if the pain subsided. This means they have one month to go before they must return.
Jade and Kelly might have dazzling smiles. But they are still in so much pain. For this reason, they would not recommend getting Turkey teeth to anyone. “Our teeth visually do look lovely, and we have people asking us all the time where we had them done because they want theirs [done],” they said. “We always say no, absolutely do not have them done. We would never recommend them to anyone.”
More terrifying Turkey teeth experiences
49-year-old Lisa Martyn also traveled to Turkey in 2021 to get her teeth redone for her son’s wedding. Initially, she wanted veneers placed over her teeth. This usually only requires the dentist to shave down a small amount of the teeth to place the veneers over. However, Lisa soon found out she had a completely different procedure done. Instead of her teeth being shaved down 20% for the veneers, they were shaved down by a whopping 70%. This is more common in crowns, where the natural tooth has to be shaved into a fang shape.
Lisa was either misinformed on the procedure, or there was a serious language barrier and she ended up with the oh-so trendy (but extrememly painful) Turkey teeth. She was completely unaware that there were risks involved with the surgery, not to mention that they had to file down her teeth till they looked like fangs. 20 days after the procedure, she knew something was wrong. Lisa was still unable to eat properly because the pain was unfathomable. To clarify, the procedure had gone badly, and her teeth formed an extrememly painful abscess. Now, she is forced to face the reality of dentures. “I’ve resigned myself to the fact I am going to have dentures. I don’t know that but my teeth are gone. They are filed down so much,” she said. “I thought once they put them in, you’re never going to have any problems.“