Turkey Teeth UK | What Are They, Process & Do They Last?

If you are considering a fordable Turkey Teeth treatment such as veneers, crowns or dental implants please contact us for treatment options and finance quotes.

TL;DR 58% of Turkey teeth dentists contacted recommended unnecessary dental surgery, claiming that up to 28 teeth needed to be replaced with crowns. This is compared to zero dentists in the UK who identified the teeth as being perfect and not in need of treatment.

See the documentary here https://vimeo.com/1175430894?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

The BBC produced a documentary titled “Turkey Teeth, Bargain Smiles, or Big Mistake?” In this documentary Trishala, an NHS dentist and Miss Universe finalist, interviewed several people who have had Turkey teeth treatments. She later sent photographs of her perfect teeth to both dentists in Turkey and the UK to see what treatments were recommended.

What are Turkey Teeth?

Turkey teeth is a popular term used on social media to describe low-cost cosmetic surgery treatments performed in private dental clinics in Turkey. It describes overly white, straight and large teeth that look unnatural.

Turkey teeth procedures are typically a quarter of the cost of similar treatment in the UK.

While many clinics in Turkey are staffed by highly skilled dentists, they do not have the same standards as in the UK, with no governing bodies safeguarding patient safety.

A study conducted by the BBC of 120 clinics in Turkey and 50 clinics in the UK found that 58% of Turkish clinics recommended unnecessary treatments compared to zero UK dentists. In addition, the documentary discusses how people are sold veneers but instead had crowns, which are a much more destructive and invasive treatment.

Turkey Teeth: The Good

Two people interviewed who had teeth in Turkey had a positive experience.

The first, a 22 year old young lady called Tilly, had 16 crowns. She chose to have Turkey teeth after being bullied for many years about her teeth. She highlighted how Harley Street dentists had quoted her £10,000 for the treatment and how clinics in Turkey were a quarter the cost. After having her treatment, Tilly visited her UK dentist who shouted at her for having Turkey teeth commenting that they would “never ever touch [her] teeth” after she had her treatment.

A survey by the British Dental Association found that 98% of dentists claimed that patients chose to have Turkey teeth due to the high cost of having the treatment in the UK.

This highlights how saving money on your initial treatment comes with a hidden future cost as many UK dentists will not support Turkey teeth patients. MJ, a dentist in Liverpool commented that this is because having any additional work would make UK dentists liable for any issues with Turkey teeth patients.

The second interview was with Love Island star Jack Fincham, a celebrity who is renowned for having turkey teeth. He discussed how happy he was with his teeth, how he didn’t really know what his options were when making his decision, and how his brother had composite bonding instead of Turkey teeth. He commented that he’d probably have chosen composite bonding if he had known about it at the time saying

“If someone said would you have composite bonding or have the crowns done? I’d have the composite… [composite bonding] looks exactly the same, less invasive, and it is quicker.”

This highlights how Turkey Teeth clinics may not help you to explore your options, instead recommending the costliest treatments rather than the best treatment for you.

Turkey Teeth: The Bad

Lisa, a lady from Ireland went to Turkey to have veneers. She was sold a lifetime warranty believing that her teeth would last her lifetime. In reality, her Turkey dental work was only covered for 10 years, requiring additional costly treatments to maintain her smile. Her treatment covered 26 new ‘veneers’. Within a month she was unable to eat normally, experienced severe pain and developed a dental abscess and required a root canal treatment.

Lisa later discovered that her ‘veneers’ were actually dental crowns, a much more destructive and invasive treatment compared to traditional veneers. Crowns remove 60-70% of a healthy tooth in a non-reversible treatment compared to veneers which require minimal filing. Lisa is worried that her teeth won’t last and that she may need to have dentures in the future.

Crowns Vs Veneers Vs Composite Bonding

Composite bonding is a low-cost cosmetic treatment preserves your teeth and gives you a beautiful straight white smile within a few hours. A skilled dentist hand crafts your new smile, painting resin onto your teeth, sculpting each tooth individually until you are happy with the result. We advise that you have a whitening treatment before having composite work to give you the whitest smile possible. Composite is less hard wearing compared to veneers or crowns but is cheaper to maintain and refresh.

Veneers are applied to the surface of your teeth giving you a straight white smile. Veneers require the surface of your tooth to be filed down to accommodate the veneers and give you a natural mouth feel. Created from porcelain, veneers are hard wearing and long-lasting.

Crowns are ceramic caps that fit over your teeth. Crowns require the tooth to be filed down to a stump, allowing the crown to deliver a natural looking and feeling smile. This is the most destructive of the three different treatments discussed here.