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A Welshman has revealed how his costly Turkey teeth operation left him with deep regret.
In total, the Brit spent about £14,000 on travel, accommodation, and surgery put together, but he says that he now has to book another operation after being another unsatisfied patient of a cosmetic operation done in Turkey.
Matthew Bowen, from Abercynon, spoke to Wales Online and revealed that he's had dental issues since he was 19, when he broke his jaw after being assaulted at a Tesco.
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Admitting that his teeth 'started crumbling' after the incident, he revealed that in the years leading up to his Turkey teeth operation, the scaffolder worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week so that he could afford the cosmetic work.
He had to fly over to Turkey, as the exact Crowns he wanted weren't available on the NHS, and a private operation would have set him back £27,000, significantly more than the price overseas.
A Turkish friend suggested he go to the Aras Selcuk Advanced Dentistry clinic in Marmaris, which was priced at £7,800 for the operation.
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WalesOnline contacted Dr Selcuk, who explained: "This is the only patient with problems so far. Everyone is happy, only this guy is not."
The surgery took place in January 2023, after flying over for discussions in 2022.
Bowen had 18 teeth removed and 12 metal implants put into his jawbone, which required a three-month healing period at home before coming back to get porcelain crowns fitted.
But this is where the problems began.
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He explained: "The pain was so bad, I couldn't get out of bed for weeks. Every time I stood up my whole head would hurt."
Living off a soft diet in recovery, Bowen returned to Marmaris in April 2023 for the next stage, but claimed that his gnashers were 'falling apart' within weeks, so he needed to head back in August 2023 for another operation.
Now, his crowns required dental glue, as they had been screwed in previously.
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Dr Selcuk said that the operation in August was done for free out of goodwill, though admitted no wrongdoing.
Bowen further said: "I had the new set put in but the same thing happened,
"My teeth are chipped and cracked. There's damage to ten of the crowns. I've got a big gap from my gums to my teeth. You can see all my saliva coming through the tops of my teeth," the 35-year-old said.
As the problems seemingly continued, he returned to Turkey in August 2024 with no appointment, in search of a solution, but the doctor told him there was nothing he could do.
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"I made it free the second time, and each time he comes with something else," Dr Selcuk claimed.
He went on: "I told him the saliva between the gum and the teeth is normal. Even your original teeth can crack if you don't take care about it. You have to be careful when eating and avoid grinding your teeth at night. Otherwise you can crack them — these teeth are porcelain."
Bowen stands by the fact that he took care of his teeth, sticking to a soft diet, and using night guards.
He claims he has woken up 'with bits of my teeth in my night guard', adding that he 'feels down all the time' due to his teeth.
His travel costs, amounting to £6,200, almost equal the amount he paid the clinic, but it looks like there is no solution to his issue in the UK.
Indeed, Bowen said that 'no dentist in the UK will touch me now cause I've been to Turkey'.
But he has now revealed that another Turkish dentist might come to his rescue, recommending another operation which could save his implants, but will cost another £4,000.
"I don't really want to pay any more, but I still want a perfect smile," he stated.
Dr Selcuk went on to explain to WalesOnline that he carried the operation out as it would have been done around the world.
He added: "When we finished the work the first time, he said he wanted to change to another set, so we did new crowns, all for free, no charge at all. I asked him, 'Are you happy?' And he says everything is good... He should just be careful. He shouldn't eat something hard."
His clinic also states online that the dentist has treated 8,023 'happy patients'.
Joshua Nair