A mum-of-two has said she is living in constant pain and is unable to breathe through her nose after getting ‘Turkey Teeth’ done – and now she is warning others to stay away from getting cosmetic procedures
A woman is pleading with people not to get their teeth done in Turkey after her “horrible” nightmare left her with a disease and a ‘ruined’ nose. Leanne Abeyance says she is struggling to cope and doesn’t know where to turn to as her mouth and nose are in constant pain, and she is struggling to breathe properly. This all happened after she gained a flesh-eating virus following a ‘Turkey Teeth’ procedure.
The 41-year-old, from Telford in Shropshire, says her dental work also caused a collapsed septum which she said the NHS would not fix as it was deemed a cosmetic procedure. Plus her teeth implants could not be removed due to the infections. The DJ spent over £3,000 on the initial treatment and has since spent another £2,000 on private work at home to relieve the pain.
The common misconception is that one appointment applying veneers has you set for life, but that is far from the case. Leanne got her ‘Turkey Teeth’ done back in 2009 and says it was “the best thing she’d ever done”.
Then on a day out with her friends at the Grand National last year, one of her veneer’s fell out – and she “had to glue it with nail glue” to keep it in place. In August last year, Leanne went back to Turkey to a clinic for an appointment, and couldn’t wait to see the results.
Speaking about what she had done, Leanne explained: “I had full 4D scans and this confirmed my gums weren’t strong enough so I would need a bone graft and sinus lift extra screws 7 in top and 6 on bottom. At this point you don’t think any different you are there and want the best looking teeth ever.”
However, on the day she had all her teeth removed, she felt like something wasn’t quite right.
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‘I was gluing my teeth like a puzzle’
Leanne, who has been sharing her story openly on social media, added: “On the day I had all of my teeth removed, I was awake and felt everything. I had 26 injections and one in my hip. I then had the bone graft and then sinus lift (not sure why I needed them) but I could feel the hammer smashing up into my face it was horrendous.”
Leanne, who is a mum-of-two, said the pain was “the worst” of her life. She further explained: “The day after I go and have my temporary plate cemented in. At this point you try to forget about the pain because you have these pearly whites and love them. I was due to go back five months after to get the final plates screwed in as permanent.”
A few months after getting her new temporary teeth she claims they kept “snapping”. “I was gluing them in like a puzzle,” Leanne said.
‘Something wasn’t right’
Things quickly took a turn for the worse as she started getting serious pain, sinusitis and constant nose bleeds. “Something wasn’t right,” she insisted.
Leanne says since then, she has been admitted to hospital over eight times, attending “350 doctors appointments” and had had so many course of antibiotics that she has now become “immune”. Finally, at a private dentist, an X-ray showed the implants were piercing her nose. The temporary teeth were removed and dentures put over the top.
However, it was also confirmed that she has an infection and flesh-eating virus called necrotizing fasciitis, which can be a severe and rare complication of tooth-related issues.
“It is to the point now where they [medical experts] won’t see me because they can’t help me,” Leanne insisted. “I’m becoming very poorly,” she added.
‘Just don’t have your teeth done’
Leanne is hoping to raise awareness of the risks of getting work done abroad, and she also hopes that sharing her message will help her get the help she needs.
The worried woman added: “I’m looking now to see if I can find just that one surgeon who is willing to fight with me and make me pain-free again. I need the implants removed and rhinoplasty because the infection has eaten my nose.
“I am begging from the bottom of my heart we find a cure because at this rate I’m going to end up dead.”
Leanne believes her only option now is to find a private surgeon. She has used “every bit of her savings” to put towards surgery, and is struggling to “keep a roof over our head”. The devastated woman has set up a Go Fund Me page in hopes of raising £6,000 for surgery. So far she has raised over £4,000.
Leanne added: “I know people are probably thinking ‘it’s your own fault for going to Turkey’, but it wasn’t my fault I’ve contacted a evil virus that is killing me.”
“If you are thinking about going to get your teeth done or anything, just don’t have it done. What have I done so badly to deserve this?”
Will UK dentists repair turkey teeth?
The cosmetic dental treatments infamously done in Turkey, most commonly known as “Turkey teeth,” won’t be fixed, if needed, by the NHS.
The owner of the Shard End Dental Practice in Birmingham, Vijay Sudra warned a patient that he could not help them if they got the cosmetic procedure abroad. He highlighted how UK dentists would not fix issues resulting from having veneers in another country due to legal fears of being liable for further damage caused.
Dr Richard’s Clinic supports this, the clinic site stating: “Many people think the NHS will help if something goes wrong, but this is not the case. Although the NHS “will provide any clinically necessary treatment needed to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy and free of pain,” this does not include repairing the damage done by a botched cosmetic treatment”.
An NHS England spokesperson said: “Patients are entitled to NHS dental care if there is a complication or an oral health issue, but the NHS isn’t going to – for example – fix an aesthetic issue with veneers as that isn’t something the NHS would usually fund anyway”.
“Self-funded care that the NHS would not routinely fund would not usually be offered or replaced once stabilisation has been achieved,” they added.
