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Veneers in Turkey – The Truth About ‘Turkey Teeth’

Veneers in Turkey – The Truth About ‘Turkey Teeth’

Veneers have become incredibly popular and can help you achieve a beautiful smile. However, getting them done improperly can do more harm than good.

Turkey has recently been the hub for dental tourism, especially for Brits who love a good bargain. Over 300,000 people travelled to get dental veneers in Turkey in 2018, further fuelled by social media influencers posting about their experiences going to Turkey for veneers due to its outrageously low cost.

This trend isn’t only in dentistry. Over one million tourists flock to accredited clinics in Istanbul and Antalya every year for medical procedures, and they are mostly visitors from the UK and the US.

Unfortunately, the nickname ‘Turkey Teeth’ was coined after many people had their teeth fall out after veneer procedures performed in Turkey.

Cheap veneer procedures performed in Turkey are done by grinding the teeth down to small stubs, leading to potentially irreversible damage to your teeth. Here’s what you need to know about getting dental veneers in Turkey.

Table of Contents

What are the risks of getting dental veneers in Turkey?

Veneers help to improve tooth discoloration, provide a whitening effect, protect damaged teeth, and, in some cases may even correct crooked teeth. You can opt to get new veneers in Turkey as a lower-cost option to improve your smile.

While the veneers cost will vary depending on many factors such as the type of veneers, material, and the number of veneers needed, veneer procedures generally cost between 30% to 50% less in Turkey compared to the UK.

That’s because Turkey has lower standards in terms of qualifications and fewer operational costs like dental and lab fees which drives the price down, although you’ll have to factor in the cost of travel and accommodation as well.

However, if the dental work is performed by an unqualified person, there can be irreversible damage to your teeth.

One of the risks to receiving dental treatments in Turkey results from the language barrier. As the patient, you may not have a complete understanding of what you are consenting to.

Furthermore, cosmetic dentistry in another country has different treatment standards. For example, many clinics in Turkey may provide crowns instead of veneers without the patients’ knowledge.

In addition, a dental centre in Turkey may consent to giving you dental veneers or provide root canal treatments under risky circumstances such as:

  • severely worn out tooth enamel
  • destroyed tooth
  • misaligned teeth
  • signs of bad habits such as gnashing of teeth, or biting nails

These are signs where veneers may not be the best option, since they can lead to detrimental long-term effects on your oral health.

Differences in the treatment provided

Many young people opt to visit cosmetic dentistry clinics in Turkey to get dental implants or veneers due to their cheaper costs. Unfortunately, people looking for new teeth veneers may get dental crowns instead without their knowledge.

In the UK, veneers are only available under the NHS which provides a regulated system to ensure you get the dental treatment you asked for.
There can also be a difference in skills if you inadvertently go for a less qualified dentist in Turkey. There have been cases where Turkish clinics end up pulling the nerves out of the patient’s teeth.

A dental clinic in the UK will also typically take you through a process that includes an initial assessment and dental health assessment, a trial design, and then finally the fitting of the new veneers to your teeth.

Your teeth are assessed for any potential problems like periodontal disease or tooth decay issues, while a bite evaluation is performed to ensure the veneers will not interfere with your bite. A trial sample of a veneer design customised to your teeth will then be provided so you can get a preview of the end result.

When you get the new veneers fitted to your teeth, there will be a bite balancing test and follow-up care to ensure your veneers provide your desired results while lasting for a long time.

In comparison, veneers in Turkey can be done in one visit. This increases the risk of a very rushed procedure that could be performed by someone who is less qualified. This can lead to botched cases, including cases where patients had their front teeth fall out.

Finally, in the UK, veneers are made with emax which is both durable and bonds well with your teeth. Furthermore, emax requires little trimming of your teeth and looks the most natural compared to other materials, due to their better translucency and light transmission.

Many clinics in Turkey use zirconium ceramic for their veneers. However, the hardness of this material can lead to abrasion between the other teeth and the zirconium. If the veneers fall off, the degree of deterioration or decay in your teeth would be visible.

Furthermore, these veneers have an opaque appearance, which looks more unnatural.

close up of dental veneers

Corrective dental procedures are on the rise

Out of the 300,000 people who’ve travelled abroad for a smile makeover, 75% have needed to get corrective work done back in the UK due to botched cosmetic dentistry procedures.

Veneers that aren’t fitted properly can fall out while leading to various dental problems such as gum disease, sensitivity, and plaque.

Getting a Turkish dental procedure also means you won’t have any legal protection. You won’t be able to get reimbursed if the job is done poorly or if you need to spend more money on corrective procedures. However, under UK law, if something goes wrong, you can file a claim under medical negligence.

If you’ve had a botched veneer procedure in Turkey, it’s important to get dental care as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more pain you’ll experience and this could lead to further damage.

Contact us here for a check-up and any corrective dental work you need as a result of a botched procedure. We can also replace veneers with those using high quality materials that give you the appearance of natural teeth.

Here are some of the common issues people face due to poor quality veneers:

  • Intense and long-lasting pain
  • Removal of the enamel causes your teeth to become overly sensitive making it difficult to eat or drink
  • Ill-fitting veneers can be too big or too small for the size of the mouth
  • Poorly bonded veneers can fall off easily
  • Inadequate edges of the veneer can lead to poor dental hygiene, which causes infected gums. This can spread to the sinuses and even to the bone if left untreated
  • The top and bottom of the teeth don’t match in colour
  • Rotting teeth due to bacteria and plaque seeping underneath the veneer
  • Low-quality veneers are prone to cracking
  • Excessive swelling
  • A person may experience issues with their bite
  • Exposed nerves, leading to further invasive treatments
  • Loosely bonded veneers exposes the pulp of your tooth and can lead to the tooth to die

Celebrity veneers that went wrong

In the fall of 2020, TV personality and former Glamour model, Katie Price posted a video of her heading back to Turkey to fix her veneers. Her veneers fell out just weeks after the procedure and she had spat out the broken veneers.

Graphic photos of her natural teeth trimmed down to the stump circulated on social media platforms. Her teeth looked like loose pegs and she even had gaps between her teeth, leading many to ask the question about whether she had gone too far to get the perfect Hollywood smile.

Fortunately, she was able to get a corrective procedure done in Turkey and show off her new smile. Unfortunately, there are other celebrities who have also had bad experiences with unnatural veneers that look too big for their mouths or veneers that fell off.

Do your research!

If you’re looking to obtain the perfect smile through dental veneers, always perform thorough research regarding the different veneer treatments available and dental clinics. Some parts of the process of getting dental veneers are irreversible, which makes it even more crucial to find the right dental practice that offers you the best treatment.

Ideally, you’ll want to look for a clinic that specializes in cosmetic dentistry procedures. Make sure to read reviews online and see what other patients have said about their treatment. Carefully assess the qualifications of the dentists. Check to see if they can provide previous examples of successful veneers they have done as well.

It’s highly recommended that you get the procedure done by a UK dentist because of the risks involved in going abroad for dental procedures. Unfortunately, there have been many patients who got dental crowns instead of the veneers they were promised.

Dental crowns require more aggressive tooth reduction, which can cause long-term problems such as allergic reactions, heightened sensitivity or discomfort, potential chipped or loose crowns, and more.

There have also been many emerging stories of procedures done poorly in Turkey that resulted in veneers falling out.

If you are looking for dental veneers or other cosmetic dentistry procedures such as teeth whitening to achieve your beautiful smile, book your appointment with Bespoke Smile today. Bespoke Smile is staffed by highly qualified dentists who provide safe treatments and high-quality dentistry at an affordable price.

During the first appointment with us, a qualified and trained dentist will assess whether veneers are a viable option for you and discuss various options available such as shades of colour and appearance. The dentist will also take an impression of your teeth to begin prepping them for application.

Written by Dr. Sam Jethwa
Written by Dr. Sam Jethwa

BDS (Lon) MFDS RCS (Edin) PgDip ClinEd (UK)
Areas of expertise: Smile makeovers using ultra-thin porcelain veneers, smile design to restore worn teeth and advanced full mouth restorative dentistry.

“A perfect, natural, or bespoke smile is possible to achieve for anyone. There is no substitute for the feeling of confidence an individual and beautiful smile can give. We have developed techniques, which we teach to dentists across the UK and abroad, to help them better their care in their clinics. I believe in comprehensively treating every patient, to bring them up to absolute health, and then put in place maintenance to avoid patients from recurrent replacements, and further treatment. It is a passion for me to deliver an unrivalled experience and end result, which stands the test of time”

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