A GRANDMOTHER had all her teeth removed and replaced with £8,000 implants after losing more than half of them to gum disease.
Hayley Debra Potter, 57, began losing teeth 14 years ago, with some 19 falling out or having to be removed after the disease caused abscesses.
Her remaining teeth were so yellow Hayley hadn’t smiled properly in years.
She decided to book herself in for “Turkey Teeth” at a well-reviewed clinic in Antalya, Turkey, after she’d “had enough” of her dental problems.
At £8,000 for a full set of implants and bridges, it was £20,000 less than clinics she had looked up in the UK.
Earlier this month the grandmother-of-three hopped on a flight and in a four-and-a-half hour procedure the next day had all 13 of her remaining teeth removed.
She had ten dental implants inserted – and will wear dentures for six months while it heals enough for crowns and bridges to be added.
But she says already she can’t stop grinning – and said her “confidence is through the roof”.
Hayley, a hospital ward housekeeper from Derby, East Mids., said: “Before the surgery, I felt so insecure and I would never smile with my teeth.
“I had to mentally prepare myself so I would stay calm and think of the end result.
“I was awake the whole time – but I was ok with that because the surgeon was bloody handsome!
“Afterwards, I got very swollen and bruised – I was unrecognisable.
“But now I feel wonderful. I know it will change my life completely. I’ve never smiled so much in my life.
“It was worth every penny!”
She chose Smilepod Dental Clinic, Antalya, for the procedure and paid £8,000, booked her flights for an additional £1,000, and was on her way.
She said: “I was unrecognisable afterwards, but I looked worse than I felt.
“I had no pain whatsoever the first day, I was completely numbed.
“I was given painkillers and anti-inflammatories.
Symptoms of gum disease include:
Gum disease can lead to:
See a dentist if:
Ask for an urgent dentist appointment if you or your child have gum disease and other symptoms such as:
“I was very swollen and bruised but everyone in the hotel was having some kind of cosmetic surgery so I was well supported.”
Hayley was given a set of permanent dentures to wear for six months, at which point her dental implants will be fully healed and she can have her ‘proper’ teeth – the dental bridges – put on.
She returned to the UK on October 17 and has since continued a soft-food diet – which she has to maintain for six months until she gets her bridges.
But she said she’s already over the moon with her shiny white new smile.
Hayley said: “I did have nerves beforehand but everything went so smoothly, I don’t have a single complaint.
“I can’t eat tough foods at the minute but I couldn’t anyway because of how bad my teeth were before.
“I feel wonderful. I already know it will change my life completely.
“Whenever I walk past a mirror I smile – I can’t stop smiling! I’ve never smiled so much in my life.”
But while Hayley is over the moon, others have complained of unspeakable agony after getting “Turkey Teeth”.
In 2022 The Sun reported how Lisa Martyn’s dream of returning from the sunshine with a new set of pearly whites turned into a nightmare.
She suffered six months of agony, two abscesses and needed two root canals after her cut-price dental work – and had to come to terms with the fact she’ll likely need dentures.
Documenting her treatment on social media, she previously told followers: “What the f*** was I thinking getting these teeth done?”
