A growing number of Britons are travelling to Turkey for routine dental treatment, driven by difficulties accessing NHS dentists and high private costs in the UK, according to a first-hand investigation inside an Istanbul clinic.
Taila Nichole Thompson spent several days at a clinic run by Dentakay, speaking to British patients and local dentists and undergoing treatment herself. She found that many patients were not seeking cosmetic smile transformations but practical solutions to long-standing dental problems.
Cost and access concerns drive travel
One British patient, Andrew from Chelmsford, travelled to Istanbul for the first time after years of problems with his teeth. He said he had struggled to find an NHS dentist and that securing private appointments could involve waiting six to eight weeks. In the previous six months, he had spent around £750 on just two teeth in the UK, including £520 for one emergency out-of-hours appointment.
“Just to see a dentist, out of hours,” he told Thompson. “I’m here primarily to get my teeth fixed, not for a holiday.”
Dentakay founder Dr Gülay Akay said cost remains a major reason British patients travel to Turkey, but argued that time has become important too. A procedure that might be completed within four or five days there, she said, could take considerably longer to arrange in Britain.
Rising patient numbers and advice
Dr Akay said the increase in British patients has been dramatic. “In 2019, we had around 20 people coming a month from the UK. Now we have over 500,” she said through a translator. Dentakay says around 35% of those patients now come through referrals.
Despite running a business in a country synonymous with cosmetic dentistry, Dr Akay said some patients simply should not have veneers. Someone with very crooked teeth may require too much healthy tooth structure to be removed, while weak, infected or unstable teeth and poor oral hygiene can also make somebody unsuitable. She suggested whitening for patients with otherwise healthy teeth who want them brightened.
Her advice to anyone considering travelling for treatment was to get an X-ray before travelling, research the clinic and check that it holds the appropriate Turkish government accreditation. She also warned patients against assuming an impressive digital presence automatically means there is an established clinic behind it.
A personal decision
Thompson chose Emax veneers for some relatively minor issues she wanted to correct. She said she did not want teeth so white and uniform that they no longer looked like hers. Three months on, she said she is happy with the result and that friends have complimented her teeth without immediately asking whether she had them done.
She acknowledged that overseas treatment is not risk-free, noting stories of patients returning to Britain with pain, infections and complications, as well as warnings about healthy teeth being unnecessarily filed down for crowns. Follow-up care is also more complicated when the dentist is in another country.
Thompson said she did not return home believing everyone unhappy with their smile should book a flight to Istanbul, but she did understand why the option has become so attractive. She said the experience left her thinking less about “Turkey teeth” and more about the problems surrounding British dentistry.
