- ‘Love Island UK’ returns for season nine with some super-white smiles.
- Contestants have been known to whiten or cover their teeth with veneers or crowns.
The reality dating show Love Island is back for a ninth season with a new group of singles, but their smiles may look familiar.
It’s no secret that past contestants have had some dental work done. Season 8 winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu thanked Dental Design Turkey for her pearly whites in a Post on Instagram shared before her season. Luca Bies, also from Season 8, revealed that he had 20 teeth renewed in Turkey before going on the show.
While the results may look appealing, Britons – and anyone else considering having their tooth treated abroad – risk costly complications, dentist Paul Woodhouse told the Guardian. In a recent episode of the Science Weekly podcastdiscussed some of the most popular cosmetic dental procedures and how they can go wrong.
Crowns and veneers can be used to straighten your teeth
There are one few different processes that can improve your smile, although your options may be limited based on your natural teeth — and your wallet.
The less invasive option is to get braces or clear aligners to straighten your teeth over time, Woodhouse told presenter Madeleine Finlay. However, people looking for greater cosmetic changes can consider crowns or veneers.
Dental crowns are primarily used to protect cracked or damaged teeth, but they can also hide imperfections such as misalignment or discoloration. A crown covers the entire tooth up to the gum line, is usually made of porcelain or metal, and is attached to the teeth with dental glue or cement.
In preparation for crowns, a dentist may shave a millimeter or more of your tooth enamel to create space. Crowns must be placed carefully, especially if you are placing them on multiple teeth.
Bish shared that he replaced his top 10 teeth with crowns and opted for laminate veneers on the bottom 10.
While a crown covers the entire tooth, veneers are more like nails that are attached to the front of the teeth. They are also custom made, usually from a thinner layer of porcelain compared to Woodhouse crowns explained in the podcast. Getting veneers requires less tooth preparation compared to crowns, but they are also more likely to need replacement in the long run.
Dental tourism may be cheaper, but it can cost you in the long run
Dental insurance can cover the cost of crowns to repair weak or damaged teeth, but probably won’t pay if it is completely aesthetic process. A cosmetic smile makeover done in New York could cost anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000, according to Cosmetic Dentistry NYC.
A single porcelain-and-metal crown can cost between $800 and $3,000 in the U.S., according to Forest Park Dental. The same crown would cost around £300 – £1,200 in the UK, according to Waldron Dental Clinic. But prices are much lower in other countries—for example, you could fly to Turkey and pay less than $150, according to DentFix Turkey.
Although it may be cheaper to get cosmetics dental procedures abroadthere is a greater risk of complications when you choose the quick and cheap options.
In a survey last year of over 1,000 dentists in the UK, the British Dental Association found that 94% of respondents had seen patients who had traveled abroad for dental treatment. Of these patients, 86% developed complications requiring further treatment.
Woodhouse said overseas manufacturers can use production-line crowns instead of fitting the crowns to an individual patient, which requires extra shaving and can leave the underlying teeth permanently damaged.
When the protective layer of enamel is compromised, the teeth underneath are susceptible to decay. Woodhouse said when patients as young as 19 go abroad for cosmetic dental work, they may not consider the long-term consequences.
“If you do this at 19 or 20 and you live to be 80, there’s not much left until you’re 40,” he said on the podcast. “You’ll be wearing dentures very soon.”
