A woman with a phobia of dentists was left traumatised after getting her teeth done in Turkey.
Katie Inglis, 29, flew out to Antalya to have a full set of crowns fitted at Attelia Clinic for £6,000, but the dentists struggled to make them fit. She left bleeding and in "horrific" pain as they were put in and out of her mouth. She said she felt like she'd been "beaten up" afterwards.
When she returned home, the pain continued and she struggled to sleep and eat, losing a stone in weight as a result. On top of that, she noticed dentists had left a green paste in her mouth that was stuck to her teeth and later had to be removed by a UK dentist for £850.
Katie's first experience at Attelia Clinic was in 2020, when she had a gum graft to fix a receding issue, caused by gum disease. The procedure - which she was happy with - cost £2,000.
Katie said: "I have always been really insecure about my teeth because I had really receding gums.
"It got so bad that my teeth were actually wobbling. I just had an issue with every single tooth, the colour, the shape.
"I've had issues with my teeth ever since a British dentist mistakenly removed two of my front teeth, and it left me with so many insecurities."
Desperate to fix the other issues with her teeth, but terrified of the dentist, Katie initially looked at alternatives - but they were way out of her price range.
She then decided to return to the same clinic for a full set of crowns.
The 29-year-old was quoted £6,000 - which included the cost of 13 root canals, getting 24 teeth shaved down and fitting the pearly whites on top.
After delays due to Covid, she flew back out to get the final part of the procedure done in April this year.
Katie said: "I was quite confident going back because they had already worked on me, and they knew my teeth."
Following a gruelling eight-hour procedure under anaesthetic, Katie struggled to recover and was "violently sick".
But things got even worse when it came to Katie's crowns being fitted, she said.
"The biggest problem was after they shaved my teeth down, they couldn't get the crowns to fit. The shape, the fit, the form - the style - we had numerous attempts over about 48 hours of just putting them in and out and it was so uncomfortable, it was really painful."
Poor Katie wasn't allowed any anaesthetic when the bulky crowns were shoved in and out of her mouth, as she needed to be sure that they fit comfortably around her shaved-down teeth.
But she said the repeated shoving and shifting left her mouth full of blood, her gums ripped to shreds and feeling like she had been "beaten up".
She said: "It was brutal. I can't even explain the pain, it was horrific. I am quite traumatised to be honest.
"They even asked me when my flight was because they thought my gums might need more time to heal before the crowns were cemented.
"But the next day when I went back, they said I was ready to get them fitted, which surprised me.
"I think they put them in too soon, and that's how all the impression material got stuck."
Horrifically, Katie thinks the green paste used to stick the crowns in place oozed into open wounds in her mouth during the process.
Katie said: "When I came back to the UK I noticed there was something green in my mouth - I thought maybe it was a stitch.
"They told me that it was just the green mouthwash they had described - but that didn't seem right."
Meanwhile, Katie was in immense pain, having to sleep with ice packs all over her swollen face, and barely able to eat or drink.
She then contacted the dentists again, sending more pictures of the mysterious green bits inside her mouth.
She said: "They basically came back to me and said 'This is material left from the impression, you need to get this out'. It was horrific.
"They suggested I remove it myself with tweezers. The pain was just too much so I had to go to the dentist."
Weeks later - and after spending a further £850 - the material was finally removed by a UK practice.
Attelia clinic reimbursed Katie for the work, she said.
And despite the trauma - Katie doesn't regret it.
She said: "I haven't got any insecurities any more, and I'm so much more confident.
"It's really helped me personally, so it's really difficult to say because when I look at these teeth, I'm so much happier.
"With all the pain and what I have been through - do I think it's worth it? Should I have gone down another route? I maybe should have, but I am still happy with the way these teeth look. I don't think I could say that I regret it."
Attelia Clinic has been contacted for comment.
