A woman has revealed her harrowing ordeal after being left with no teeth following botched surgery in Turkey.
Alana Boone, 26, had longed to fix her teeth for a while but wasn’t sure where to go.
Her mum’s friend then put her in touch with a dental surgery in Turkey, where she booked herself in to have crowns – a tooth-shaped cap –placed.
READ MORE: ‘My life has turned into absolute hell after BOTCHED surgery left me with a COLLAPSED nose’
She was initially quoted 6,720 (EUR) (£5,600) for the entire treatment plan, including hotel and plane tickets – but this ended up costing 10,140 (EUR) (£8,400).
But the difference in price was the least of her worries – as she’s now been left with no teeth at all.
“I hope people see my story as a warning because unfortunately, I didn’t have one,” the HR employee told Need To Know.
“After advice from several dentists, I went to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon to ask his opinion on my situation.
“His verdict was clear; everything had to come out.”
Alana, from Gavere, Belgium, got in touch with the dental practice in January 2021 via Facebook.
She claims to have discussed her entire treatment plan via the social media platform and had to take photos of her teeth to send across.
On 26 July, the process started – starting with grinding all of her real teeth down.
Then, the nightmare began.
She said: “I already started to experience pain [the next day].
“It was then decided that my teeth had to be devitalised [which is removing the diseased dental pulp from inside the tooth].
“Of course, this entailed extra costs [and two days later] my permanent crowns were placed.
“I shouted and screamed because it hurt so much.”
When travelling home on 1 August, the pain persisted and only worsened.
Alana then started to feel “grooves” in her mouth, coupled with a “nasty” taste.
After much back and forth with the dentist in Turkey, she then visited a local practice for a second opinion – where they confirmed the treatment was a “complete failure”.
She was then faced with three options; costing between 27,400 (EUR) (£22,800) and 37,800 (EUR) (£31,540).
Since April 2024, she has been toothless and has had eight implants out of 12 placed.
While she’s still not completely pain-free, and there’s still a long road to recovery left, Alana is “relieved” that the surgeon’s “botched” work has been removed.
It’s hoped her treatment will end in July 2025.
Now, she’s sharing her story to warn others.
She added: “Think twice before choosing dentistry abroad.
“If it goes wrong, you have to solve the problem in your own country and often, you’ll end up paying three times as much.
“This situation has had a major impact; not only are my teeth gone, but my quality of life has also suffered.
“I miss being able to eat well and smile broadly.
“This is really starting to take its toll, but I will keep going.”
