A Leeds dentist has said Love Island and social media has led to a rise in customers wanting "teeth like Molly Mae".
31-year-old Dr John Hewitt revealed that a lot of his customers are asking for teeth like Gemma Owen - the daughter of England football legend Michael Owen - as well as Love Islanders Jack Fincham and Connor Durman.
The dentist, who works at Smmmile in Boar Lane, says people are bringing in photographs of celebrities to show what they want their teeth to look like. John blames social media for influencing people to jet off to abroad - to places like Turkey - for cheaper dental treatments.
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However, the Invisalign specialist suggests celebrities such as Molly-Mae Hague and Gemma Owen likely haven't themselves got 'Turkey teeth' - but had the work carried out in the UK. The procedure in Turkey can cost as little as £3,000 while Dr Hewitt estimates the same done in the UK would be around the £16,000 mark.
Dr Hewitt said clients come to him and say "if you can't help me, I'm booking a trip to Turkey". He added: "When I do cosmetic work, people often come to me saying they want the 'Love Island look'. In Turkey they do it for much cheaper and faster upfront compared to the UK, so people go there.
"But they don't realise there can be real long-term damage using that method. When you get a full set of crowns, the teeth are permanently filed down to pegs - like that infamous Katie Price photo. It might be cheaper upfront but people going to Turkey also don't think about having to get them restored every 10 to 15 years."
Dr Hewitt added: "The driving force behind it is social media - seeing celebrities smiling with white teeth which are all the same length. I also noticed a jump after lockdown thanks to people seeing themselves in the camera on a Zoom call.
"Young people tempted by the 'Love Island look' need to be aware of the permanent damage it can have when using this method." Dr Hewitt said he has seen a rise in young people as young as 18 wanting a new smile.
Many aspire to the bright white "very square, very unnatural" look sported by the likes of former Love Islanders Jack Fincham and Connor Durman. Dr Hewitt said: "In the UK to do that we would straighten and whiten the teeth. Then we use composite bonding which does minimal damage to the teeth."
He predicts it would be around £8,000 for the treatment in the UK. But in surgeries abroad, he said in order to get the teeth straight in just a couple of days, they "file them down to pegs then slide a crown over the top."
He said: "I've had clients tell me 'if you can't help me, I'm just going to book a trip to Turkey''. I had one young lady come to me in tears saying 'please help me, I know I have ruined my teeth'.
"Her gums were so unhealthy that after the hygienist had cleaned them, there was significant bleeding which was concerning to see. Another client came who had been to Turkey and her teeth were literally fused together - you couldn't even pass floss between them."
He added: "If you get crowns from Turkey, they will need re-doing every 10 to 15 years. While the initial procedure might be cheap, they can cost from £800 per crown to replace if you get them done in the UK rather than going back to Turkey. If someone gets 'Turkey teeth' at 18 they might need four restorative cycles in their life."
He warned that the amount of damage this can do in the long-term would mean they might even end up with dentures in later life.
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