Mom's Teeth Left As Tiny Stumps After 'Devastating' Dental Treatment In Turkey

Zeba Ali, a teacher from London who traveled more than 2,000 miles for the private treatment, has been left in "absolute agony."

Except for one slightly misaligned tooth on her bottom set, Zeba recalls having no issues with her teeth.

She chose to consult a dentist in Istanbul, Turkey because the cost of dental care in the UK was unaffordable. She claims the dentist convinced her to buy a dream vacation in addition to five-star dental care.

Zeba received a recommendation for veneers after a five-minute video consultation, and since the dentist was highly regarded, she trusted their opinion and scheduled herself for the operation.

Credit: Jam Press

Her hopes of possessing the ideal "Hollywood" smile, however, were quickly destroyed.

The mother's teeth were "accidentally" shaved into pegs, leaving her with a variety of issues including constant sensitivity and agonizing discomfort that prevents her from being able to properly eat or drink.

Zeba said: “I asked to look in the mirror, as I didn’t know what they were doing because I couldn’t feel anything and I ran out crying.”

“I felt my heart sink and was completely speechless – but it was too late.”

Credit: Jam Press

"I was in a state of shock because I thought they would be placing 'prepless' veneers and wouldn’t touch my natural teeth."

Zeba claimed that when she initially called the dentist on WhatsApp, they wanted her to open her mouth so they could look inside.

She continued: “As she was a five-star rated dentist, I put my trust in her and didn’t care about the money.”

“I was hoping to finally have aligned teeth, as well as being promised a luxury hotel with spa.”

Credit: Jam Press

“However, the experience was completely different from how they portrayed it and it was awful from the start."

She visited the clinic in March 2022 and spent £2,000 on whitening, a hygienist appointment, and the major treatment.

She arrived expecting a second in-person consultation but was instead brought right into surgery.

She said: “I thought perhaps there wasn’t anything else I needed to know and I didn’t say anything as I put my complete trust in them.”

“I didn’t think prepless veneers involved shaving down natural teeth, especially as mine were healthy.”

“I informed them I wasn’t told this was going to happen and the procedure would be reversible – but they only apologized for the mistake."

“I was devastated, so immediately got up and left after the veneers, which were crowns, were placed.”

Zeba alleges that they failed to provide her with important information and failed to warn her that her teeth would be permanently damaged.

On her top set, she still has her original teeth, but they also had two of them reduced in size for "aesthetic" reasons.

She has also expressed dissatisfaction with her bottom set after being informed that they would have a perfect "veneer" appearance but instead appear thicker than before.

Zeba said: “Over here, they wouldn’t touch my teeth as they were completely healthy and there was no need.”

“They would’ve turned me away and given proper orthodontic treatment or composite bonding instead.”

“After the numbing wore off, I felt the intense pain, and since, I’ve had a constant problem in one of my teeth which often feels like a ‘prickling’ feeling."

She now advises anybody thinking about getting dental procedures in Turkey to conduct extensive research first.

Zeba added: "Always speak to a UK dentist first to see what they would offer, as they won’t touch you and do irreversible damage.”

“I’ve since been told I could have had braces or Invisalign, which would have solved the problem and prevented cutting down my healthy teeth into stumps.”

“I’ve been offered compensation for the crowns only, which doesn’t even cover all the hotels, flights, and transfers I’ve had to fork out for.”

“Turkish dentists are only interested in giving you the look you want, even if there’s no return or aftercare.”

"I am gutted and just wish I had been advised not to cut my natural teeth by these money-grabbing dentists, I would give anything to have my healthy teeth back."