A mother from Telford, Shropshire, fears she may lose her top lip after a dental implant procedure in Turkey left her with a hole in her face. Leanne Abeyance, 40, travelled to Turkey in May 2024 to replace her 13-year-old veneers with implants, a procedure that would have cost £40,000 in the UK but was priced at £8,000 abroad.
After a dentist recommended a sinus lift and bone grafts, Leanne had eight implants fitted on her top jaw and seven on the bottom. Two days later, temporary teeth were inserted. However, weeks after the procedure, she began experiencing intense headaches and sinusitis. A scan at a private dentist revealed that two implants had pierced her nose, creating a hole that now leaks and bleeds constantly.
Leanne told the British Brief: 'I'm scared that I'm going to have no lips left. It's already gone under my top lip and onto my gums. It doesn't stop leaking and bleeding. I can't even eat properly anymore because it's so sore and painful.' She has been hospitalised overnight on an IV feed and has visited A&E multiple times, but doctors have been unable to help, describing her case as a 'grey area'.
Leanne is now awaiting confirmation from her GP as to whether she has osteomyelitis, a serious bone infection. She has also faced negative reactions online but has found hope in an appointment with her original surgeon in London in a few weeks. She urges others in similar situations to 'please go private, do not leave it. Do not accept no for an answer.'
