I had a botched dental treatment in Turkey

AN IRISH WOMAN who wanted a ‘Hollywood smile’ has been left in ‘excruciating pain’ – after a clinic in Turkey botched her dental treatment.

Amanda Turner, 34, from Belfast, traveled to Istanbul earlier this month to get dental crowns and root canal surgery, which cost her €3,628.

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Everything seemed to be fine when she showed up at the clinic, but on the last day of her treatment, Amanda realized that something was seriously wrong.

Instead of crowns, the clinic cut corners and installed multiple strips of false teeth instead.

The false teeth, known as bridges, were fitted incorrectly, and now the mother-of-two is in agony and facing huge debt to get the job fixed.

She said: “I honestly can’t believe this happened to me. I thought I was going to do this job, and it’s going to make such a difference and my teeth won’t be sore anymore. Now it’s is a million times worse.

“My own dentist said he had to refer me to medical dentists and it would cost me £18,000 or €21,000 to fix.”

Amanda decided to fly abroad for dental treatment after her teeth got damaged during her recent pregnancy.

The mother-of-two took out a loan and flew to Turkey to undergo treatment, which she said would include root canal surgery and dental crowns.

But what she actually got was very different.

She said: “I was researching clinics in Turkey and they were giving the Hollywood smile everyone is looking for.

“The package they offered me was 28 crowns, a bridge for a missing tooth I had, a root canal, my hotel accommodation and transfers, to and from the airport, for £3,050 or €3,600.”

Upon arrival, Amanda paid for the treatment in cash in advance and she received a receipt for 28 crowns, which also came with a 20-year guarantee.

That same day, dentists filed Amanda’s teeth down to the root and sent her back to her hotel.

‘AGONIZING’

Amanda was in a lot of pain and later learned that she should have had temporary treatment to protect her natural teeth before leaving the clinic.

Three days later, she returned to the dentist to place her 28 crowns.

But when she arrived, they had prepared six bridges, which are used to cover the space where the teeth are missing.

She said, “They started putting this stuff on the bridges and they put it in my mouth, I was like, what’s going on?

“It was so painful, the girl had a camera in her throat taking pictures saying ‘it will be perfect’.

‘CHEAPER OPTION’

“I said ‘you’re not doing what I asked for. This isn’t what I paid for’. I said ‘you’re giving me a cheaper option than what I paid for. “.

“I could feel that the teeth weren’t even in properly, there was this cement in my teeth and my own teeth underneath were in excruciating pain. It’s a pain I never imagined in my life.

All six bridges were installed during the traumatic ordeal and Amanda returned to her hotel in complete shock.

She said: ‘When I got back to my hotel I felt more comfortable texting them about it as I was alone at the clinic. I said ‘you gave me a treatment, I didn’t want to.

“They said your teeth weren’t suitable for this treatment, but I said ‘it was a decision to be made’. So now I have a guarantee and a receipt for a procedure that I didn’t have. not even.

ASKED TO LEAVE

After many heated exchanges of messages, Amanda says they then contacted the hotel and told them they would no longer pay for her accommodation.

She had no choice but to drive to the airport, where she caught the first flight to Dublin the next morning.

Since the procedure, Amanda has not been able to eat properly because food aggravates the nerves in her mouth, where the bridges have not been properly adjusted.

She has now warned others of the dangers of getting her teeth done abroad and sharing the daily pain she has to live with.

“WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU GET”

She said: “People say start a Go Fund Me but I have no intention of doing that, I’m not asking the public to pay for my mistakes.

“I want the dentist who did this to me to correct his mistakes. And I want the public to be aware that what you see isn’t always what you get.

“If I can help a person think twice and avoid the bad choices I’ve made, then I’ll be happy.

“I can’t blame anyone but myself. I made that choice and I have to live with the consequences, I’m just happy to be home, safe, with my family again.”

Turkey is the number one destination for Irish people having dental treatment abroad, followed by Hungary and Croatia.

And three out of four dentists in Ireland have dealt with problems resulting from treatment received abroad.

The Irish Dental Association has warned of the dangers of treatment abroad and told people to be “more discerning” and do their homework on which dentist they visit in another country.

Last month Tony Rogers, a man from Louth, died suddenly while receiving dental treatment in Turkey.

Cabbie Tony, 66, flew to Istanbul for emergency surgery and died after receiving anesthesia in the dentist’s chair.