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IT SEEMS that every other week another star returns from sunny Turkey brandishing a new set of gnashers.
Katie Price, Megan Barton Hanson and Jack Fincham are just a few famous faces who have swapped their natural smiles for so-called Turkey teeth.
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And mum-of-two and step mum-of-one, Clare Dudley, 37, was desperate to follow in their footsteps.
The support worker spent a staggering £10K on multiple sets of crowns in Turkey and admits it was the worst decision she ever made.
Clare, from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, wanted a Hollywood smile after thyroid problems ruined her pearly whites, but ended up with shaved teeth, pegs, root canal, infections and multiple sets of crowns which didn't fit properly.
She also became a victim of brutal trolling with people comparing her to a 60-year-old gran.
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Speaking exclusively to Fabulous she explained why she’s warning others against the growing trend to fly abroad for cheaper surgery.
“Scrolling through Instagram I came across yet another influencer who had the perfect smile.
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Their pearly whites gleaming, they assured me that the perfect set of gnashers was no more than a plane ride away.
In 2018 I was recovering from thyroid issues. It caused my teeth to crumble and discolour and destroyed my confidence.
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I’d read about the Turkey Teeth ‘quick fix’ and went online watching influencers rave about their new cheap smile and a sun filled holiday.
I was won over and instantly booked a trip to Turkey to have my teeth fixed and to grab a much-needed break.
I arrived in July 2018 and saw the clinic’s dentist, he took an X-ray and told me I needed crowns but no more than that.
Veneers were not discussed and within hours I was injected with painkillers. Before I had a chance to discuss what was happening or what would happen in the procedure, I had 14 teeth top and my lower set shaved down to look like pegs.
In the same procedure the clinic team drilled implant bases to my jawbone.
I felt like I was on a factory conveyor belt. There wasn’t an interpreter and I had multiple dentists working on me at the same time.
I left that afternoon with temporary crowns on and told to come back in a few days dosed up with painkillers
There was no cooling off period, and I was just one of hundreds of people walking the streets with ice packs on their cheeks and swollen faces from dental work.
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A few days later my temporary covers were removed, and my crowns cemented on.
I was in pain immediately after but told it would settle and the next day I went home.
Within four months I was in hospital in England being treated for teeth infection and pain.
The crowns were not properly sealed, they clicked when I talked and were too big for my mouth.
Because they didn't cement properly, and a final X-ray hadn't been done in Turkey, painful, pus-filled infections rapidly developed.
The pain was horrific, and I had to see the NHS dentist who could only prescribe antibiotic after antibiotic.
I rang the clinic and they said to come back but then Covid hit and the Turkey dentist blocked me on WhatsApp.
It was something I soon learned was common practice.
I felt like I was on a factory conveyor belt. There wasn’t an interpreter and I had multiple dentists working on me at the same time.
Clare Dudley
In Feb 2020, I found a new Turkey dentist willing to take me on after the dentist here said unless I paid £35,000 for private treatment, they could do nothing but give me antibiotics.
I flew back to Turkey and the new dental clinic confirmed my bottom jaw was severely infected due to the poor fitting crowns.
When they removed them the stretch of rotting food which had built up under the crowns was vile.
They had to scrape away the infection, do another three root canals and re-file my teeth to even narrower pegs.
I had new crowns fitted and despite begging them to ensure they fit properly I was assured everything was fine.
WHAT ARE TURKEY TEETH?
So-called "Turkey teeth" TikTok videos have racked up more than 100m views.
Trishala explains: "It's a massively growing market, not just with young people, but people of all ages. I think a big part of it is the influence of social media and reality TV."
Ex-Love Islander Jack Fincham had his done in the capital Antalya - dubbed Dentalya for its influx of Brits seeking dental treatment - five years ago, about six months before he entered the reality show in 2018.
This season Casa Amor beauty Mollie Salmon admitted she paid seven grand for her gleaming white veneers, - permanent shells attached to natural teeth to make them appear more straight and uniform.
In a survey of 1,000 dentists, all but 17 cited cheaper costs as the reason patients went abroad for dental work.
Having a holiday thrown into the deal is an added bargain.
Half of the dentists surveyed - 597 - reported seeing complications in patients who had crowns fitted in Turkey.
One British dentist reveals she receives two to three calls a day from patients who have been treated abroad and are suffering pain or problems like inflamed gums or crowns stuck together.
While I was in Turkey a lockdown was called and I had to spend 21 days in a hotel before I could get a flight back, another major blow to my bank balance.
But when I eventually got home to Chester, the pain did not abate and this time my crowns were causing me to slur.
They loosened immediately causing the same pain and clicking as before.
Within months I was back making calls to the NHS dentists begging for painkillers and antibiotics.
They suggested I have all my teeth removed and falsies put in but at 37 I wasn't ready for granny teeth in a glass beside my bed.
I spent lockdown in agony.
Having Turkey teeth crowns was easily the worst decision I ever made.
Clare Dudley
In April this year I was left with no other option but to return to Turkey and see one of the top female dentists.
I endured hours of painful treatments having more infection scrapped from my peg teeth.
I had an additional root canal and a third round of crowns fitted.
And to my relief, the third set of crowns seem to fit, all I can do is pray that I don’t get any further infections.
It cost me £10,000 for what should have been a £4,000 procedure, including three visits to Turkey, painful operations and multiple trips to hospitals and dentists here.
Without NHS dentists to help my infections I would have suffered severe health issues.
In the end, I had to sign a waiver in Turkey saying it wouldn't be their fault if crowns failed.
Having Turkey teeth crowns was easily the worst decision I ever made, I should have done better research and had implants done instead.
If you think it’s a quick easy Hollywood smile fix you are wrong, I felt like a factory chicken and was left thousands of pounds out of pocket.
As a mum who wanted nice teeth in her forties and now, I will now have to have all my teeth removed and implants done but it is something I have to save for.
The NHS was great in helping me with pain and infections but are frustrated that they are picking up the pieces of Turkey teeth.
Don't do it, find a dentist you can trust and save for treatment in Britain with proper warranties and ways to check the dentist's experience before you go.
Now I use social media to share my story campaign to raise awareness.
But even that comes with its perils.
I am constantly trolled by people who tell me I look more like a 60-year-old gran than someone who’s 37.
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Luckily, I have a thick skin and I won’t stop sharing my message.
Don't go to Turkey, it's too risky.
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