IT is back – along with those signature bright white smiles beaming from your telly.
Love Island returned for its 11th series this week, inviting the usual drama and romance.
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There have already been plenty of twists and turns, with the first axing and the arrival of Joey Essex.
The show, presented by Maya Jama, has fuelled a surge in demand for cosmetic tweakments over the years.
These include new sets of gnashers, as more and more contestants enter the villa with strikingly straight and unnatural-looking large teeth.
Molly-Mae Hague did so in 2019’s series five, before having her composite bonds removed in 2021 to be more natural.
But it has driven wannabe Islanders to extreme lengths to emulate their reality idols, travelling abroad to places such as Turkey, lured by cheaper prices.
The demand for so-called “Turkey teeth” has soared, with the hashtag reaching 748million views on TikTok.
In 2022, more than 1.2million foreigners visited Turkey for medical procedures, with the number of Britons growing.
One clinic in Antalya reported a 20 per cent increase in British patients last year.
Series three’s Sam Gowland paid £6,000 for his last year, but trolls say they look like “a gum shield” and “unnatural”.
In the UK, veneers are typically £500 to £1,000 per tooth.
But dentists warn against cut-priced dental care abroad due to potential complications, from severe pain to tooth loss.
Katie Price, who vlogged getting a set of Turkey teeth in 2020, revealed on her podcast last year a tooth had fallen out.
Dr Shabnam Zai, dentist and practice owner of West House Dental, in North West London, has seen many horror stories.
She says: “Some cases are so complex that every tooth in the patient’s mouth needs treatment afterwards, and often the place they had treatment abroad was no longer running.
“Many people fly over with the treatment already booked, not knowing what it really involves or what the risks are or long-term costs.”
Here, experts delve into the dangers . . .
CHEAP DEAL
While Turkey has skilled dentists, Britons typically choose cheaper ones.
Dr Zai says: “Those offering cheap deals are unlikely to be skilled. I’d be extremely wary.”
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Dr Safa Al-Naher, a dental and facial aesthetics specialist in Knightsbridge, central London, adds: “The quality of work we are seeing, most often, is lacking.
“Most cases I have seen do go wrong.”
Turkey teeth have a distinctive look but everyone’s dental needs are different.
Dr Zai says it is dangerous to think you can buy a dentistry look “off the shelf”, adding: “Not all smiles will suit everyone’s face.
Not all smiles will suit everyone’s face
Dr Zai
“There may be some options which are better for an individual but not be offered. This is because when treatment is done abroad it is often rushed to fit in with the time the person is in the country.”
Rushed treatments can lead to complications and UK dentists may be reluctant to treat issues due to further repercussions.
Dr Al-Naher says: “I think dental tourism is a false economy. You end up paying less initially.
“However, the problems that are likely to happen will see you paying for constant dental treatment in the future.”
POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS
British people wanting Turkey teeth typically get crowns, which cover the entire tooth and are designed to treat a badly damaged one.
Veneers, on the other hand, are thin shells that attach to the natural tooth, covering its imperfections.
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Teeth are filed down to make space for the crown to attach.
The invasiveness of the procedure, on top of unskilled work, language barriers and time constraints, can increase the risks.
Dr Al-Naher says: “The kind of issues I have seen are overpreparing teeth, filing teeth right down to small pegs, which exposes the nerve and blood supply to problems such as inflammation or bacteria, which can lead to extreme tooth pain and an emergency.
“In those cases, we generally offer the option of removing the nerve (root canal) or removing the tooth altogether.”
Before getting such extreme dentistry work, it is essential to check for signs of gum disease or tooth decay.
But Dr Al-Naher warns: “Sometimes dentists abroad cover the issue with a crown and something like tooth decay is festering underneath for a very long time.
The kind of issues I have seen are overpreparing teeth, filing teeth right down to small pegs, which exposes the nerve and blood supply to problems such as inflammation or bacteria, which can lead to extreme tooth pain and an emergency
Dr Al-Naher
“When you start this slippery slope early on in life, it can lead to many, many problems and eventually tooth loss, which is very, very sad. I can think of a patient who had 20 crowns done and she presented to me with long-term gum problems.
“These crowns were placed too close to the underlying bone and not very well, with ledges, which is a constant trap for bacteria and plaque.
“She wasn’t able to clean them properly, so it meant her gums were perpetually inflamed, causing bad breath, bleeding and pain.”
GET A WINNING SMILE
There are cheaper alternatives in the UK, including composite bonding which uses materials to build on the natural tooth.
Dr Zai adds: “Composite bonding is great as a test run for the smile and can always be upgraded to porcelain veneers.”
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All dentists and dental therapists in the UK are on the General Dental Council register.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
Dr Zai advises asking for pictures of a dentist’s work years after a procedure took place, adding: “Lots of things look good on day one but may look terrible a few years down the line.”
Although it is possible for problems to occur in the UK, it is the responsibility of the dentist to help fix the issue.