A model has issued a serious warning to Brits thinking of jetting off abroad to get veneers fitted after his dental treatment went horribly wrong.
Jack James decided to get fake teeth to "look better on camera" last September. He travelled to Istanbul, Turkey, where he paid £3,000 for a set of veneers.
Initially, the 22-year-old was happy with the results, but a couple of months later, he suffered "terrible breath" and bleeding, and booked an emergency dentist appointment.
Jack, from Manchester, said: "They looked good until they started to bleed and hurt. They started to puss and leak. My breath stunk."
Following the check-up, Jack was told his teeth were in a terrible state and it would cost a whopping £20,000 to fix.
"I searched for an emergency dentist and had X-rays done. The dentist said my teeth were a mess and that I had an infection," he explained.
Unable to afford the high costs in the UK, desperate Jack got back in touch with the clinic in Turkey to see if they could help.
"They were adamant it wasn't their fault. They said I'd have to pay again to get it fixed," he said.
Jack was quoted £4,500 to have them fixed, and decided to fly back out to Turkey in June 2023 to have the veneers removed and refitted.
"They took all my teeth and the abscess out and put temporary teeth in. It took a few weeks for the infection to clear," he said.
He claims he was shocked to discover his real teeth had been shaved down to look "like a shark".
Jack was then fitted with a new set and returned to the UK later in June - but the problems weren't over.
He said he was brushing his teeth when a crown "just came off", and left him with a gap in his teeth.
"It was like something out of a horror movie," the young model explained.
Jack is now urging others to do their research before travelling abroad for their dentistry treatments.
"I feel so upset with myself. I feel like plucking all my teeth out. I wish I'd got composite bonding but I can't change the past," he said.
Jack is not alone in his experience, as one in four Brits struggle to get a dentist appointment in the UK - leading desperate patients to pay for treatments abroad.
"The increase we have seen in the number of patients coming to Turkey from the UK is really quite incredible, and shows no sign of slowing," Dentakay boss Dr Gülay Akay told the Mirror in a separate investigation.
"There is no doubt that the crisis in NHS care is driving British people to seek treatment in other countries.
"We have seen some real horror stories, including one patient who had lost almost all of his teeth in a traffic accident but was unable to get treatment on the NHS."
Have you gone to Turkey to get veneers? Get in touch. Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
