'I spent £14,000 getting my teeth done in Turkey - it was the worst mistake of my life'

Matthew Bowen, from Abercynon, successful Wales, said helium spent astir £14,000 connected the surgery, question and accommodation - but claims helium is facing different costly cognition owed to a botched job

A Welsh scaffolder has dubbed a dental cognition in Turkey arsenic "the worst mistake" of his life, leaving him £14,000 retired of pouch and lacking assurance owed to the botched job.

Matthew Bowen from Rhondda Cynon Taf, adjacent Cardiff, underwent surgery, travel, and accommodation expenses lone to find himself needing different costly process aft his new teeth failed to springiness him the "perfect smile" helium desired.

The 35 twelvemonth aged Abercynon section said his dental woes began astatine 19 erstwhile an battle astatine Tesco successful Aberdare resulted successful a breached jaw and subsequently crumbling teeth. Prior to seeking attraction successful Turkey, the self-employed scaffolder worked tirelessly, 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, to prevention up for the crowns helium wanted but couldn't get connected the NHS and would person outgo £27,000 privately successful the UK.

Following proposal from a Turkish friend, helium chose the Aras Selcuk Advanced Dentistry session successful Marmaris for a £7,800 operation. Dr Selcuk, erstwhile contacted, defended his work, stating: "This is the lone diligent with problems truthful far. Everyone is happy, lone this feline is not." In 2022, Mr Bowen visited Marmaris to sermon the procedure, past spent months redeeming earlier returning successful January 2023 for the surgery.

The cognition progressive removing 18 teeth and inserting 12 metallic implants into his jawbone. Following a three-month betterment period, helium would instrumentality for the adjacent stage, which included fitting porcelain crowns. However, Mr Bowen claims helium experienced issues aft the archetypal stage, reports Wales Online.

"The symptom was truthful atrocious I couldn't get retired of furniture for weeks. Every clip I stood up my full caput would hurt. My member flew retired to Turkey to enactment maine and past I flew location 3 weeks aft the operation." While waiting for his crowns, Mr Bowen had to travel a brushed fare owed to having nary teeth. In April 2023, helium returned to Marmaris to person the crowns inserted.

Nevertheless, helium claims his teeth began "falling apart" wrong weeks, prompting him to instrumentality to the session successful August 2023 for different operation. This time, the crowns were fitted with dental glue alternatively of being screwed in. Dr Selcuk told WalesOnline that helium performed this process escaped of complaint arsenic a goodwill gesture, contempt believing the archetypal enactment was of precocious quality. "I had the caller acceptable enactment successful but the aforesaid happening happened," Mr Bowen alleged.

"My teeth are chipped and cracked. There's harm to 10 of the crowns. I've got a large spread from my gums to my teeth. You tin spot each my saliva coming done the tops of my teeth." In a hopeless bid for a solution, helium flew backmost to Turkey successful August 2024 without an appointment, lone to beryllium told by Dr Selcuk that thing much could beryllium done.

"He was shocked erstwhile I turned up," Mr Bowen recounted. Dr Selcuk explained his side: "I made it escaped the 2nd time, and each clip helium comes with thing else. I told him the saliva betwixt the gum and the teeth is normal.

"Even your archetypal teeth tin ace if you don't instrumentality attraction astir it. You person to beryllium cautious erstwhile eating and debar grinding your teeth astatine night. Otherwise you tin ace them - these teeth are porcelain."

Despite the complications, Mr Bowen maintains that helium has been vigilant with his dental care. "Ever since I've had them done I've been connected a brushed fare due to the fact that I don't privation them to break. It's rather frustrating, not eating the nutrient I privation to eat. I've got nighttime guards and I aftermath up with bits of my teeth successful my nighttime guards. I consciousness down each the clip due to the fact that of my teeth. I've been moving truthful galore hours to get the wealth to get them fixed. It has been making maine rather ill."

Mr Bowen has forked retired a whopping £6,200 connected question and digs, successful summation to the £7,800 session fee. He's deed a ceramic partition with UK dentists who won't spell adjacent him aft his Turkey trip, but different Turkish dentist has suggested much country to prevention his implants, mounting him backmost different £4,000.

"Another £4,000 that's going to outgo me," Mr Bowen lamented, facing a instrumentality travel for the op. "I don't truly privation to wage immoderate more, but I inactive privation a cleanable smile." Dr Selcuk's session boasts 8,023 "happy patients" online. He defended his work, saying helium did Mr Bowen's occupation arsenic "everyone is doing", UK dentists included.

He recounted: "When we finished the enactment the archetypal time, helium said helium wanted to alteration to different set, truthful we did caller crowns, each for free, nary complaint astatine all. I asked him, 'Are you happy? ' And helium says everything is good... He should conscionable beryllium careful. He shouldn't devour thing hard."