An Australian woman has detailed what she says was a “traumatic” year-long nightmare after an overseas trip for dental work.
Kim Edwards, from Sydney, said she had booked a number of cosmetic procedures during a two-week trip to Turkey in March 2023.
She told 7NEWS.com.au the results were mixed — but her mouth was left in ruins, with crumbling teeth and severely infected gums.
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She said she had extensively researched what she thought was the right dental clinic for her.
It operated out of a hospital, was endorsed by hundreds of five-star reviews online, and had built a large following on social media.
And while she had tried to save some money by opting for an overseas dentist, her choice was still “on the expensive side” at $20,000.
She became concerned for her teeth when veneers were being put in place just an hour before she was due to fly home.
They were also in blocks of four and “there was no way to clean them”.
When she sought advice on how to maintain her new teeth, she said there was “no aftercare support”.
She said her gums were left in an awful state and, just two weeks later while eating lunch, a block of bottom-row veneers fell out.
“I saw several local dentists but they could not treat the work that had been done in Turkey,” she said.
“A lot of dentists didn’t want to touch the work that was done by someone else.”
Dental Boutique Sydney principal dentist Ben Hargreave said it was clear Kim’s teeth “had been massacred”.
“They had removed so much natural tooth structure — in Australia, we would never do that type of procedure,” Hargreave said.
“What happens in Turkey is they often do bridges. They splint or glue together 5 or 6 teeth which means you cannot clean the teeth underneath.
“In order for the bridges to fit, they have to remove huge amounts of tooth structure which they have done in Kim’s case.
“Normally we individually prep the teeth and we only take away 0.3mm to 0.5mm of tooth structure. She had 4mm to 5mm of her teeth removed.”
Dentists had to rebuild every individual tooth — putting crowns on each — across more than 12 months of repair work.
The dental tourism market is reportedly worth billions annually, and an increasing number of Australians are heading overseas to see a dentist at a lower cost than they can at home.
While not every case ends like Edwards’, Hargreave said the work can often be “extensive, unnecessary” and result in irreversible damage.
“Full mouth reconstructions need months to establish the correct bite. Overseas clinics rush this in a week, leading to serious complications,” he said.
“We urge Australians to prioritise their long-term oral health over short-term savings. What seems cheaper initially often results in extensive, costly repairs back home.”
More than 85 per cent of Australian dental care is provided through private, for profit clinics.
A recent oral health survey of 25,000 people revealed 61 per cent of people had delayed oral treatment in the past 12 months, with high costs being the reason 63 per cent of the time.
“All the more reason that there needs to be help from the government for a greater number of Australians so they can get the regular dental treatment they so badly need and often can’t afford,” Australian Dental Association president Scott Davis said earlier this month.
“This is particularly the case for seniors in residential aged care, and our most vulnerable populations including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, those on low wages and people with a disability.”
Edwards said she is now happy and healthy, and able to eat and talk normally.
She has since deleted all of her after-procedure teeth photos from her Turkey trip, describing the ordeal as “very traumatic”.
It proved costly too, with the follow-up work in Australia a further $80,000, she said.
She has warned others about heading overseas for dentist work.
“I think any insecurities I might have had about my teeth, I’ve had a real reality check about what is really important in life,” she said.
“(Turkey) was a waste of time and money. I deep-dived to make sure my guy was good.
“But they wiped their hands of it — they got their money and I was just some idiot from Sydney.”
