An insurance broker who rotted his teeth by drinking three energy drinks a day has had a £9,000 transformation in Turkey.
Nicholas Mudford got hooked on the drink 20 years ago because he liked the taste and it was “fashionable.”
Soon, he was drinking 21 cans a week and two of his front teeth eventually fell out while four of his back ones snapped.
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The 39-year-old also had a fear of the dentist and hadn’t been for a check-up for a decade.
He flew to Turkey last month to have his teeth replaced with a full set of veneers, setting him back £9,000.
Nicholas said it was the best thing he’s ever done.
“I’d been drinking energy drinks for around 20 years and it absolutely ruined my teeth,” Nicholas, From Tiverton, Devon, told Need to Know.
“My back teeth were damaged from playing sports in school and being kicked.
“I have a massive fear of the dentist from being a kid.
“My dentist had massive hands and it was horrible having them in my mouth so I stopped going.
“I didn’t brush my teeth thoroughly.
“One day, I was driving to work and my front tooth fell out and it was the final straw.
“I realised that I shouldn’t be looking like that. I’m established in my job, I’m not living on the breadline but I look unemployed, like a bum.”
Nicholas flew to Turkey where he had 10 teeth extracted, six implants, two sinus lifts, a bone graft and a full set of veneers.
He says it would have cost around £15,000 to have the same procedure in the UK.
Nicholas said the treatment has been “life-changing” as he’s able to confidently smile in photos.
He gave up energy drinks a year ago and has learned to take care of his veneers.
Nicholas said: “Life is loads better because I’m so much more confident.
“I hated my teeth and always angled myself away when I was having photos so they couldn’t be seen.
“Now, I’m smiling all the time and constantly taking photos.
“I look like a different person. What they’ve done is amazing.
“I don’t need to go to the dentist now but I’ll go to Turkey every two years to have my gums checked.
“I brush them properly now. I messed up my real teeth, so I need to take care of them because they’re paid for.”
Nicholas is sharing his story to encourage others to avoid energy drinks.
He added: “Energy drinks really messed my teeth up. If I see someone drinking an energy drink I tell them not to do it.
“Stay away from energy drinks, they ruin your teeth.
“The first thing that people see is your smile.
“People can’t afford to get their teeth done in the UK but I wouldn’t think twice about having them done in Turkey.
“It wasn’t painful, I could just feel pulling and it was all about me, they were asking how I was.
“If that was my dentist when I was a kid, I wouldn’t have had the fear.”
