'I went to Turkey to fix my teeth and was left with rotting holes in my head'
A cancer survivor unable to afford dentistry treatment in the UK after radiotherapy left her teeth crumbling went to Turkey to get veneers fitted - a call she described as "the worst decision of her life".
Sarah Watson's procedure abroad, which cost £3,500, left "rotting" holes in her head and she became "frightened" to eat as she feared her veneers would fall out.
The 51-year-old woman was too embarrassed to smile and now, almost three years on, she is still paying around £10,000 to have a private dentist fix the botched procedure.
Sarah is one of a growing number of Brits looking for cheap dentistry alternatives abroad as they're unable to find an NHS centre, or book an appointment at one amid a staffing crisis.
She was quoted £27,000 by a London dentist to repair damage believed to have been caused by 18 rounds of radiotherapy during her breast cancer journey.
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Sarah sent the dentist in Turkey photos to show how the cancer treatment had damaged her teeth (Kennedy News/ @sarahwatson1972)
Mum-of-two Sarah is pictured after getting the procedure done in Marmaris (Kennedy News/ @sarahwatson1972)The mum of two jetted off to Marmaris, Turkey in September 2020, despite her husband's warning not to go and, after the first stage of her transformation, Sarah said she was left with eight teeth on her top row and 10 teeth on her bottom, which were shaved ready for the next step of the procedure. A temporary bridge was then fitted to her top teeth and she then returned the following day to have the same procedure done on her bottom teeth.
Sarah was then given a three-day break before returning to the dental surgery to have her permanent veneers fitted and flew home that evening. Sarah said: "[After having your procedure done] someone else is already in the chair by this point getting their teeth done.
"They took out my temporary ones and brought in my permanent ones. Within two minutes they were done. They just pushed them into place. I had never seen this many people waiting to get their teeth done. Everyone in my hotel was there for the same reason to get their teeth done."
Straight after having her new teeth fitted, the mother said she noticed gaps around her front teeth at the top and bottom but claims she was told by the Turkish dentist that this was normal and they would disappear when her gums healed from the procedure.
But following her return to the UK, Sarah said her teeth just got progressively worse. Three months after the procedure, Sarah said her teeth began to move and she was left with gaps the thickness of her thumb nail around the edges of her teeth, which caused food to get stuck in the holes and rot.
Sarah shows the gaps around her teeth months after the procedure abroad (Kennedy News/ @sarahwatson1972)
The owner of a cleaning firm is now seeing a private dentist in the UK to fix damage caused (Kennedy News/ @sarahwatson1972)Sarah, the owner of a cleaning company, was constantly using mouthwash to gargle and "blow" food out of the gaps in her teeth. The private dentist in this country is now repairing the damage caused.
"I just wanted a nice smile. I had to undergo 18 rounds of intensive radiotherapy for my cancer and I was also taking a chemo-based tablet which stopped me producing oestrogen which ruined my hair and teeth," Sarah added.
"My hair and teeth went downhill. My hair was so thin you could see my scalp and my teeth just crumbled. They didn't fall out but they broke and I had loose teeth.
"I was wearing extensions in my hair because it was so thin and at the time, I would have done anything to make myself look and feel better.
"I was so excited for the procedure. My teeth were awful by this point and I had gone through such a tough time with the cancer."
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Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2018 and underwent two surgeries to have her lymph nodes removed from her armpits after the cancer spread. After being given the all clear, she flew out to Turkey with her sister Bridie Murphy, 49, to undergo her seven-day teeth transformation. Sarah had to pay the £3,500 upfront in cash.
But now the businesswoman has warned others not to go to Turkey to have this procedure done.
Sarah said: "I would have never gone if I could reverse time. I would tell them please do not do this and get them done there.
"I'm not saying every dentist in Turkey is the same but when you're getting your teeth done in one week from start to finish there's a problem."
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