You may or may not have heard of the phrase Turkey Teeth, but it relates to the rise in popularity of travel dentistry in the Balkan state.
Social media is awash with images of stark whites and even smiles from users after visiting the country for cut-price treatments.
Personally speaking, I’ve seen some that look too big for the person’s face or others that look unnaturally white. Each to their own, but is it wise to leave your country to save money on something as important as your teeth?
Also, the discussions around these turkey teeth always mention veneers, but in reality they are not. To find out more, EVOKE spoke to a leading dentist, Dr Sahil Patel, founder of Marylebone Smile Clinic in London. If you are considering traveling abroad for dental work, you should read this first.
Turkey teeth phenomenon
The term Turkey Teeth came about because a large number of people seeking cosmetic dentistry abroad are young and more likely to want the perfect white smile and probably like the holidays that come with it.
Dr. Patel says, “Turkey teeth refer to the full sets of crowns or veneers with aggressive filing that young people receive after traveling abroad to Turkey for medical tourism. Turkey mostly offers ‘all-inclusive packages’ to its patients and for a full set (upper and lower) ceramic, it is set at an extremely competitive price of around £200 (€233) per tooth for crowns, sometimes less.”
Why is it so much cheaper to treat in Turkey? “There are many reasons why prices for dental treatment in Turkey are cheaper than in the UK or elsewhere, the main one being that the cost of running a dental practice in Turkey is less expensive than in other countries,” he says Dr. Patel. “Another reason is that the Turkish government is very much in favor of medical tourism and therefore supports lower operating costs for materials such as ceramics.”
But, back to what Turkey’s teeth actually are, none of the cosmetic treatments appearing on social media and on the streets of Ireland look much like veneers. I asked Dr Patel to explain what he sees and what impact do these treatments have on people’s dental health?
Veneers vs Crowns
When teeth change drastically in color, size, and shape, it’s not actually the veneers you’re seeing.
Dr. Patel says, “Many patients we talk to don’t know the differences between veneers, crowns, and root canal treatment results.
He adds, “Rumor has it that many dentists in Turkey won’t tell you the difference of this treatment, and that’s where the ‘peg teeth’ look comes in when the dentist prepares your natural teeth for crowns.”
Turkey teeth
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“Viral videos on TikTok and Instagram show people sharing their new teeth or braces between appointments, encouraging others to have the same experience,” says Dr Patel. “This would be acceptable if there wasn’t such an aggressive approach to reducing/filing teeth as seen by those with crowns.”
The images circulating on social media TikTok are terrifying in some cases and it’s shocking that people don’t really research and consider what they’re doing before they fly.
Dr. Patel explains how the two treatments differ when it comes to reducing natural teeth.
Investigational Treatments
He says: “Although they may be advertised as veneers, check with the dentist whether you will be getting crowns or veneers, as the difference in natural tooth reduction for these two options is very different.”
There is a reduction of 5-15% (by volume) for the faces and 50-70% (by volume) for the rims which is dramatically different. Aside from essentially shaving off half of your teeth/teeth for a better smile, there is another aspect that people need to understand about turkey teeth, and that is their age.
Dr. Patel explains “The main problem with going too far (for crowns) is that it reduces the overall lifespan of the teeth. This can then result in the cost being much higher in the long run. Let’s assume each set lasts 10 years to be pessimistic. And if you put them in at age 20, that’s five sets at 70. You can’t have five sets of crowns – typically, most dentists use two to three sets before significant damage occurs and the tooth is lost,” he adds. . “If you have veneers, you can have up to five sets before moving on to crowns where you’ll have two to three sets before you risk losing your teeth.”
Cosmetic Dentistry Advice
We all know that a bigger, brighter smile is a dream, but the thought of losing a significant amount of teeth before your time should be alarming.
Dr Patel’s advice before considering cosmetic dentistry or traveling abroad for it is “Make sure you do your research when it comes to deciding which dentist/dentistry to choose from. A great tool to help you decide is to look at patient reviews, star ratings and a history profile of the dentist who will be treating you on their website.’
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