The Spotlight On ‘Turkey Teeth’
What Are ‘Turkey Teeth’ & Why Should They Be Avoided?
Here at Abbey Road Dental we don’t shy away from acknowledging and learning about any trends that can impact our patients and their oral health. This is so that we can actively stay up to date and ensure that we, as a leading dental clinic in NW8, provide the most on-trend, safe and effective treatments for patients, including cosmetic dentistry treatments like veneers and whitening.
More importantly, it is so that we can provide accurate advice and support about trends that we know could be dangerous, or risky for our patients. Sadly we do treat patients who have had unsafe or unregulated dental treatments either here in the UK, or overseas. We see the consequences of inexperienced or illegitimate centres and clinics providing dangerous, rushed or badly applied treatments to patients who truly thought they were in good hands, and that thought they were getting a great deal.
One of the main trends we are seeing, and being asked about at the moment, is ‘Turkey teeth’. Because of the risks involved in Turkey teeth, we want to make sure you’re fully informed on the topic, particularly if you’ve been considering getting some cosmetic dentistry abroad yourself. Let’s take a closer look at ‘Turkey teeth’, what they are and why you should think twice, three times and more before considering any overseas dental work:
Turkey Teeth At A Glance
This is a broad term for veneers and/or crowns that are very white, very square and very artificial in the way they look. The term can sometimes be used in a positive light, as a phrase to describe cheap veneer treatment overseas in Turkey, or across Europe. However, more recently, the term has been used more negatively, describing very badly applied crowns and veneers that look very unappealing, and that either fall out, are placed on top of harshly prepared teeth. Worse, it could form part of very unskilled, unsafe treatment that results in temporary or permanent physical damage to a person’s teeth, gums and oral tissues.
The Worrying Details
Turkey teeth often involve the teeth underneath being prepared in the same way as they would be for veneers or crowns treatment in the UK.
However, in many cases, the teeth are filed down much more than they often need to be, to sharp triangles, in many instances. In the UK, or in a trusted clinic abroad, the teeth are given minimal preparation to preserve as much of the natural teeth underneath as possible. You do have the teeth filed down, but it’s much more considered, and you’ll be told what to expect before you agree to the treatment.
In many cases, people go overseas for treatment and don’t know that their teeth may be prepared in such an extreme way. Some people have also mentioned that they were in pain during this preparation being done, and in some cases, the pain has continued long after treatment.
Some people have also said that they had gum lasering at the same time as veneer treatment to expose more of the natural tooth. This is sometimes done without any awareness or consideration for existing or previous gum disease and bone density issues. Done incorrectly without checking the condition of the gums and teeth, with or without gum lasering, this treatment can result in veneers being placed on diseased or unstable teeth.
In addition, whitening of surrounding teeth that are not veneered (often only the top social teeth have the veneers placed) takes place, but because the whiteness of the veneers is so bright and artificially white, the remaining whitened teeth cannot match because natural teeth can only be lightened so much.
Lastly, Turkey teeth are actually more often than not crowns and are not veneers at all. This is perhaps the most challenging and controversial aspect of them, because crowns are only placed when a large amount of the remaining natural tooth material is missing. To file down healthy natural teeth to such a degree that they require crown placement for no justifiable reason truly goes against the ethics of cosmetic dentistry and preserving the natural teeth.
What Should Treatment Involve?
Here at Abbey Road Dental, we, like many reputable dental surgeries across the UK, prioritise oral health above oral aesthetics (although they often go hand in hand). At the core of what we do is to maintain and preserve healthy natural teeth. For this reason, we don’t perform any cosmetic dentistry (for aesthetics alone) before we check the oral health of the patient, and we will always complete any treatment needed to get the teeth and gums in great condition, as a priority.
If and when veneer treatment is appropriate, we can discuss Smile Makeovers, individual veneers and SmileFast composite veneer treatment with you to explain what the process involves.
More often than not the first step is a detailed consultation. We would then provide a transparent plan, including a full breakdown of costs. Then, with your go-ahead we would design the veneers to suit your needs, perform minimal preparation of the teeth to help the veneers to stick properly, then once the bespoke veneers are made, place them using high-grade dental adhesive. This is usually completed over around three appointments, but it can be more or less depending on the patient.
At all stages, whenever local aesthetic is appropriate we will use it to ensure you are as comfortable as possible. Where it is relevant to do any detail work to the surrounding teeth, such as teeth whitening, you can trust that it will be done in the safest possible way, protecting your gums, and ensuring the strongest tone-match of veneers and natural teeth, for a complete and professional finish.
We’re also here to do any relevant adjustments to ensure that your new smile is exceptional, and you’re only 100% happy with your smile at the end of treatment. In addition, you can expect us to be more than happy to help with any aftercare queries, both short and long-term. With the right maintenance your veneers, or crowns, could last a decade or longer, and we’re here to help keep them looking great.
Please Think Twice Before You Consider ‘Turkey Teeth’
Whilst our NW8 team in St John’s Wood fully understands why anybody would hope to get cheap cosmetic treatment overseas, we also see the result of unprofessional, unskilled, unsafe treatment that was completed abroad, and we don’t want to see more patients needlessly suffer just to save money.
Please do consider saving for the perfect Smile Makeover treatment with Abbey Road Dental, or your local trusted dentist, and utilise services like 0% Dental Finance, which we offer to help spread the costs. We can provide you with a stunning, natural, healthy Smile Makeover that doesn’t cause you pain, long-term oral health problems and a lifetime of regret.