Couple who flew to Turkey to have £4k dental surgery say it ‘ruined their lives’

‘Nothing seemed to take the pain away’

A couple who flew to Turkey to have £4,000 cosmetic veneers fitted to their teeth claim it “ruined their lives” and has left them unable to eat or drink without pain.

Jade Tushingham, 32, and her partner Kelly Tushingham, 30, went to Antalya, Turkey, in September 2022. They planned to combine a beach holiday with the procedure, after being lured by the lower cost of cosmetic surgery in the country. In the UK, it can cost up to £20,000.

The day after arrival, the couple apparently visited a private clinic near their hotel for the first stage of their transformation. After having X-rays they were given doses of local anaesthetic as dentists filed down their teeth, which they claim caused them both “instant” pain.

The couple then reportedly had to wait in the clinic's reception for around five hours with their “shark teeth”, before dentists fitted them each with temporary veneers. These were left in for over five days while they waited for a permanent set.

Jade and Kelly compared the temporary veneers to “horse teeth” and claim they were fitted badly, making it difficult to eat anything more than soup or mashed potatoes.

Six days later, they were called back to have their crowns fitted, a procedure they described as a “blood bath”.

Jade, from Chester, Cheshire, said: "Lots of our friends had already had it done and told us that it didn't hurt. I've always wanted it done, even though my teeth before were actually OK. But even now, we're both still in constant pain.”

Leaving Turkey a week later, the couple, who paid £4,240 altogether for both sets of permanent veneers, were still in severe pain.

“We messaged the dentist on Instagram about it when we got back,” Jade said. “It was difficult to communicate due to the language barrier, but she advised us to take Ibuprofen for five days and also try a muscle relaxant.

“We had already been taking Ibuprofen anyway and it didn’t make a difference, so we didn’t know what to do. Nothing seemed to take the pain away.”

Jade and Kelly Tushingham after having their teeth filed down (Courtesy Jade Tushingham / SWNS)

She said that the pair would not have done it if they’d known the pain it would cause: “'It's cost us so much money and it's been hell. We used some savings we already had to pay for it doing.”

She added: "They look lovely, and in pictures are perfect but it's like a nightmare.”

Despite trying to get help back in the UK the girls have struggled to find a dentist who can help.

“No dentists in the UK would even touch them," Jade said. “We're almost four months into this now. One of our friends is six months post-surgery and she is also still in pain, so I think we'll give it until six months and probably look to fly back out there.

“Our teeth visually do look lovely, and we have people asking us all the time where we had them done because they want theirs doing.

“We always say no, absolutely do not have them done. We would never recommend them to anyone.”