A Kerry woman is warning others to avoid travelling abroad to get veneers done after suffering a horror trip and crippling pain.
Lisa Martyn says she has no intentions of ever returning to Turkey where she had the procedure done and urged her TikTok viewers to leave their teeth alone.
Martyn returned to Turkey 11 years after initially getting veneers to have a follow-up procedure done with the same dentist due to a crack in one of the veneers.
She says she found that the business had grown extremely popular and thought the dentist had taken on more than they could handle.
Speaking about her €3,500 procedure which she had in September 2021, she said: “They look lovely but it’s not without the pain,” and added, “Once you do this, there is no going back.” Two weeks after her procedure, Martyn was still experiencing a lot of sensitivity and extreme discomfort. In one video she says that she was going "out of her mind" with the pain.
Martyn also warned against warranties saying that her mother had the same procedure done and six years later had to have them replaced. The warranty was not accepted.
In one video, she warned against believing influencers on social media when talking about their own experience of getting veneers and crowns. “Be careful of these reps that are like walking billboards for these dentists where they come home to Ireland, they round up a couple of people and they tell you there’s absolutely no pain,” she said.
20 days after the procedure, Martyn was still experiencing pain and discomfort from sensitivity and said that she could not eat “as normal yet." Three weeks after the procedure she said: “Every single tooth in my mouth feels like every nerve is up on stilts,” before describing the sensitivity as “absolutely crippling.”
On day 25, Martyn contacted her dentist in Ireland because of the pain and said she was “exhausted” and “starving.” She said she had lost weight since getting them done, adding that she was mainly eating soup which couldn’t be too hot or too cold.
She went on to develop a large abscess in the bone of her jaw which subsequently spread into her face. “These turkey teeth have actually affected every aspect of my life, my home life, my work life, my social life,” she said.
At the end of May, Martyn, who takes painkillers every day, had spoken to two dentists in Ireland and the only treatment available to her due to her teeth being filed down, was to either get implants or dentures, and until that decision is made, she will have to get several root canals.
“He explained about the dentures, and how me removing all of my teeth could sink in my face,” she said before adding that she was “horrified.” Saying that implants were the route she was going to take, she added: ”financially, it’s going to cripple me.”
“I’m just appreciative of the fact that there are Irish dentists that are willing to deal with me,” she said.
“My word of advice for anyone who is still adamant on going to Turkey is go speak to your own dentist. It’s advice I should have taken myself because if you run into problems, and a lot of us do, you need the backup of a dentist at home.”
In a statement to the Irish Mirror, a spokesperson for the Irish Dental Association said they were unaware of an increased interest in dental care abroad but added: “Though it is possible that this notion is being promoted by commercial interests who are seeking to generate business.”
The spokesperson said that the Irish Dental Association is concerned about the results many Irish persons have experienced where they have chosen to travel for dental care in other countries and urges people to discuss their oral health with a dentist at home first before making any decisions on their dental care.
“We need to encourage people who may be travelling abroad to focus on the quality of work they receive, and whether that work is really necessary, not just the price of that work,” he said.
The spokesperson said that more than three out of four Irish dentists had treated patients for problems arising from treatment they received abroad, according to a survey we conducted in 2009.
Of 440 dentists questioned in the 2009 survey, 76% said that over the past 12 months they had seen patients who underwent cheaper procedures overseas. Common problems included too much dental work being done over too short a time frame, unnecessary work being done and poor materials being used by dentists abroad.
The Irish Dental Association encourages those who plan on having procedures abroad to consult the association's guidance on choosing a dentist which can be found here.
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