Turkey Teeth Trend and How Did It go Wrong

You’ve paid for a new set of veneers, that is worth about 1500-4500£ ,and not to be the bearer of bad news,but it will probably cost you more in 10-15 Years. The infamous Turkey Teeth trend that we’ve all seen gain popularity back in 2024, It originated in Turkey, because of its affordability and lower operational costs to receive aesthetic Dental treatments that completely ruined their lives.

But they were not entirely wrong, Turkey indeed is a growing Medical Hub, and  its low operational costs combined with the technological advancements they’re integrating, makes them one of the strongest candidates for International Medical Tourism.

Despite the quick allure and affordable smile transformation,this was the recipe for disaster, as people came to Turkey in flocks for their new smile, which would later turn out to be a source for severe pain, infections, gum problems, and the need for further extensive and costly corrective work .

We’ll explore together this trend’s origins,why did people travel to Turkey for dental services, How the procedure is done,and what are the future risks of having the Turkey Teeth,We’ll also show you real testimonies from the people that got their ‘’Turkey Teeth’’’, and how to choose an actual Dental Clinic In Turkey with Expertise.

What Is the Turkey Teeth Trend, and Why did it take the internet by storm?

According to VK Smile “Turkey teeth” is a term referring to cosmetic dental work, particularly veneers or crowns, that are done in Turkey, often resulting in a very bright, white, and sometimes excessively uniform smile which is the result we can see in this video. 

As to the why, you might be wondering well there are many reasons, we’ll go through few of them:

• Lower Costs: Turkey’s lower cost of living and operational expenses allow clinics to offer treatments at a fraction of the price found in Western European Countries.

Even Factoring the traveling and accommodation costs, people could still save money on procedures like veneers,crowns and dental Implants 

• Social Media Influence: Social media platforms have played a significant role in popularizing “Turkey teeth,” with many individuals showcasing their results.
• Fast Results:  The promise of a quick turnaround, with some clinics offering all-inclusive packages and treatment completed in a few days, further fueled the trend, appealing to those seeking rapid smile makeovers.  

encouraging others to follow suit,You can still type in ‘’Turkey Teeth’’ on any Social Media platform and you’ll find hundreds of videos that are being posted up-till now. 

• The Desire for a “Perfect Smile”: Many people, in videos and on press releases declared that they went to Turkey, for a ‘’perfect smile’’ and were motivated to get them done, resulting in either overly positive views about it, or completely disastrous ones. 

While each person could have his own reasons to get dental work in Turkey, after all it is as the old proverb says ‘’To each to his own’’. 

Two reasons remain consistent across different groups or personas of people or even their whole demographical information.

The Two Real Reasons Why People Choose Turkey.

Affordable Dental Veneers,Crowns,and Implants in Turkey.

Dental treatment costs are significantly lower in Turkey than in the UK. This is due to reduced equipment costs, cheaper labor, and lower overheads in Turkey, offering individuals more affordable options. A detailed comparison is in the table below.

Unfortunately, The NHS provides basic dental care, as it focuses on clinically necessary treatment to maintain oral health, rather than cosmetic procedures.

While most routine and cosmetic dental work is done privately,that fact alone left a lot of people pressured to go do the work in Turkey for 50-70% cheaper. 

Turkey’s Power of Compulsion 

Aside from being one of the world’s top destinations for sightseeing, cuisine, hospitality, and medical tourism, Turkey’s true strength lies in its people’s ability to persuade visitors to fly in from abroad with the promise of enticing “all-inclusive packages.” 

The Compulsion of ‘’All-Inclusive Packages’’:

• Dental Planning: This usually includes the initial consultation like sending pictures on whatsapp, dental examinations required,and scans that will be needed, this is the planning stage where they draw a map that they will follow through with you when you arrive.

• Travel & Accommodation: This is going to be the phase where they, lay out the VIP Airport Transfer (Airport → Hotel → Clinic), often with a personal coordinator handling you, Their contracted hotels ranging from (3-5 stars) with the breakfast included,often they choose hotels that are close to the clinic.

• Support & Aftercare: This includes the Medications, Post-Treatment Plan follow up appointments, remote consultations, treatment documentation and support after returning home.

• Additional features: This includes tourism features, such as guided city tours, cruises, or cultural experience after the clinical visits.

These are the key-foundational Inclusions in their ‘’All Inclusive-Packages’’, But what does the process actually involve?

Behind the Scenes of a Turkey Teeth Makeover

Upon arrival to Turkey, being settled in your hotel,this is where the magic starts happening.This is where the heat starts building up, where they start prepping you and walking you through the process that has 5 main stages: 

First Phase (Filing): It is a process where the doctors begin, filing down a thin layer of enamel, a procedure known as enameloplasty or tooth reshaping. This is where the trend started, because of all the people sharing the after picture with their teeth mostly shaven. 

Second Phase (Crown Placement): In this stage teeth are filed down more extensively to fit the cap. 

Third Phase (implants)  In this stage Titanium posts are surgically placed in the jawbone to provide structure to the actual veneer (temporary then finalized one) (often under local anesthesia).

Fourth Phase: (Temporary teeth) In this stage you leave with temporary veneers/crowns while your permanent ones are made which typically are finished in 2-5 days in the lab.

Fifth Phase: (Fitting & Adjustments) This is the final stage this is where the doctors check for 3 vital key elements to indicate that everything is working well: 

• Permanent teeth are fitted and bonded/cemented in place.
• Dentists check your bite alignment, comfort, and aesthetics.
• Any necessary adjustments are made.

So, how does this simple process hide away irreversible damage even though it might sound so simple? 

The issue lies in the first two phases, as when they are filing your teeth this is where they could file your teeth to a safe threshold, or ‘’aggressively file’’, As it can make the procedure irreversible and carry long-term risks (tooth sensitivity, nerve damage, replacement in 10–15 years). to the point where you can not return.

Quality and safety vary a lot between clinics, due diligence is critical on your part, ask for their Turkey Teeth Before and After .

If you do not go around, and do your due diligence, you’ll only have yourself to blame for that, you could be even walking in the point of no return.

From old teeth to Turkey Teeth, the point of no return. 

Potential Health Complications, Nerve Damage, Tooth Sensitivity, Gum Sensitivity. 

Doctors have been warning about getting ‘’Turkey Teeth’’ and  that the ‘’Aggressive Filing’’ of the teeth can cause some serious health complications, nerve damage,tooth sensitivity, and gum sensitivity.  

Potentially even it may require you to undergo surgery again in 10-15 years, if the quality of the crowns placed fail. 

We have to take accountability in our actions,as we should not just hop on the next,trend and follow what others are doing blindly, sadly that was the case for many people who jumped on the hype train without thinking this through.

Not all fingers are made equal, Same goes for Turkish Clinics 

We’ve all heard and seen the horror videos of the disaster unfolding after ‘’Turkey Teeth’ posted by multiple influencers,celebrities, and even normal people, but does that mean they’re all the same?  

We must not be naive, in the way we do our due diligence, you can not simply hop onto google, and type ‘’best dentist in the turkey’’ and click on the first result boom, we’ve got a reservation. 

There are multiple elements that you have to check out for, and see. 

• Ask on Reddit, Yes the famous network where you can get feedback from the right people who potentially has undergone the same experience you’re about to

• Ask on Quora, Same applies for Quora here it is an excellent way for you to find authentic and real answers, from users not clinics.

• Find Reviews on Clinic Directories,Authoritative Turkish Directories, or even 3rd party applications like: WhatClinic, TDA,TrustPilot,

•  Try to find doctor names that work there in the ‘’About Us’’ page. Check these doctor’s reviews and if people are praising their work.

• Find out if they have a transformation page (Before and After), try to find similar cases to yours, and see how it went.

• Do your research on ‘’Google Business Profiles’’ – Check their ratings, number of reviews, names of the reviewers to spot if someone is using malicious ways to up it.

• Browse their website, try to feel if they’ve invested in their web presence, if they have then, it’s a good measure for you, means that they have enough capital to put into marketing to drive more sales.

The Ugly unsolicited truth: 

Positive Dental Transformations in Turkey, the ones who had great results.

If we’re talking about the hundred of thousands that visit Turkey every year for medical tourism, we’d find a lot of them quite content and happy with the results, not to mention the price discount obviously.  

It is also important to tell you that 9/10 dentists reported in 2022 that they have had to treat patients with complications from work done abroad, this tells you that you actually MUST do your research and emphasises so much on that part. 

This is due to poor planning on our part as individuals, So the next time you see the ‘’Hype’’ train starting to board, make sure that you pause a minute, start questioning yourself is this really worth it?

Because if it’s not and you fully ‘’Geronimo’’ you’re going to be the ones to pick up the pieces rushing to ER Dentists to get a corrective procedure in check. 

Corrective Procedure Costs in the UK 

Clearly, if you undergo dental procedures in Turkey or any other overseas location, the expense of rectifying an error largely depends on the severity of the mistake made.Normally cost estimates for corrective work (ranging from £500 to over £5,000) are also from the same BDA survey. 

This article explicitly reported that two-thirds of dentists stated the remedial treatment cost patients at least £500, with over half reporting costs exceeding £1,000 and one in five seeing costs over £5,000. 

Should go to turkey for dental procedures

Our answer is simply, YES, You definitely should, but only upon researching everything you must know. We can see eye to eye that there is a very big price difference between dental prices in Turkey and the UK. 

But among that price difference is a little bit of homework that you need to do in order to kill two birds with one stone, and achieve the best outcome for yourself. 

If you’re looking for a reputable Turkish clinic, that actually cares and gives results that are tangible and cheaper than the UK Dentists, What are you waiting for?