Amanda Turner, 34, manages a bookmakers and lives in Belfast with her children, Conor, eight, and Cole, five months. She says, “I’d had trouble and pain with my teeth for years, brought on by pregnancy hormones. My teeth were so sensitive that sometimes I could barely eat or drink, so I decided to travel abroad to have all the work I needed done. I had looked at having the work done in the UK, but I knew it would take such a long time to have everything done, because appointments are so scarce, that I’d prefer to get it all done in one go.
“I did some research and after reading good reviews and seeing videos of their work, I settled on a clinic in Istanbul, Turkey, and paid £3,050 in cash, using my savings, for root canal work and 28 crowns.
“The payment included accommodation and transfers and even though I arrived at 4am, I was excited to start treatment later that day. I went alone, but kept in constant contact with my family for support.
“The clinic looked spotless, but when I got into the chair the dentist spoke to me through a translator and said I didn’t need the root canal work after all, because the new crowns would cover those areas.
“Then he started filing down my teeth, but I wasn’t given adequate pain relief. I was in agony and the procedure felt like it took hours, but I tried to focus on how great they’d look. Afterwards, I was given a painkilling injection and sent back to my hotel. It felt like I’d been drugged and I spent most of my time asleep – but I felt secure because the accommodation had been organised by the clinic.
“The next day, I had an appointment to discuss crowns. I thought I was being shown samples – not my actual crowns – so when the assistant dropped them on the floor and one chipped, I laughed. They were also bridges, rather than individual crowns, which I’d paid for, but again, I assumed these were just samples.
“But the following day when I went back for my fitting, the dentist started using the chipped bridges. He didn’t even clean my teeth before sticking them in, leaving big gaps between them and my gums. They were too big, looked wrong and I was in agony. I was distraught and asked him to stop, but he brushed off my concerns, telling me he was giving me a ‘Hollywood smile’.
“I tried to contact the clinic manager on WhatsApp but after one message promising to redo the work, I heard nothing more. I told them I wasn’t happy and threatened to call the police, but I didn’t speak Turkish and no one at the hotel would help me.
“I contacted the British Embassy where staff advised me to get a lawyer, but it was Easter weekend, and no one could help. To make matters worse, I was thrown out of my hotel because the clinic wouldn’t pay for my final night. I was scared, so in the end I spent 14 hours in Istanbul airport and bought an emergency flight home.
“I started making TikToks to warn others about my experiences. But soon I realised my videos were being taken down after complaints from the clinic.
“After I got home, I couldn’t feel the lefthand side of my face. I got an appointment with an emergency dentist who was shocked and I was diagnosed with nerve damage from the work I’d had done. He told me it was the worst dental job he’d ever seen and would cost more than £18,000 to repair.
“I needed painkillers and antibiotics and felt suicidal. I developed a life-threatening infection because I couldn’t clean between the bridges and my gums. I spent a week in hospital to have the infection drained. I couldn’t believe that my teeth could have cost me my life and taken me away from my boys.
“I was still posting about my experiences on TikTok and Dr Rhona Eskander, of the Chelsea Dental Clinic contacted me. She felt so sorry for me that she and her team of experts only charged me for the cost of materials. I need to have six root canals, a tooth removed, and I’m waiting to have my temporary crowns fitted but it’ll take a year for the damage to be fixed enough for permanent crowns.
“My Turkey teeth dream turned out to be a nightmare but I feel lucky to be here. These cowboy clinics ruin lives.”