THIS week, yet another overseas treatment plan was thrust under my nose for perusal.
I’m getting so used to seeing these ‘plans’ that I can now tell you what they say without even reading them, as each one of them is eerily identical.
A 20-year-old man had received the standard treatment outline of 24 crowns, root fillings and implants to fix his teeth, all the treatment to be miraculously completed in one day (payment upfront... allowing the dental practice a reprieve of at least a few days before the problems post-treatment set in).
This was all decided upon, by looking at a few of the patient’s mobile phone photos. Phone pics, while great for Snapchat, are spectacularly under par for dental diagnosis.
The victim, I mean young man, hadn’t been X-rayed or directly examined. This is akin to a car mechanic telling you what is needed to fix your vehicle without looking under the bonnet.
Deep breaths in, and I looked at his proper photos and X-rays. Yes, as unfortunately suspected, this work completed in one day would create carnage in this young person’s mouth.
If someone carried out this work in my child’s mouth, I would send over Liam Neeson’s Taken character.
When I started in dentistry, I realised that a person could have an outwardly beautiful smile, but underneath things can be so diseased that the teeth don’t have long left with their owner.
This extensive and destructive treatment was all decided upon by looking at a few of the patient’s mobile phone photos. Phone pics, while great for Snapchat, are spectacularly under par for dental diagnosis
It’s the same when people are looking at their friends’ ‘Turkey teeth smiles’.
Leaving aside the Katie Price fake-look smile, some of the Turkey smiles can look good. But close up they actually send shivers down my spine.
I’ve been drill-deep in trying to fix holiday tourism smiles and it isn’t pretty. Bridges coming off too soon, crowns wallowing in buckets of pus, gums blood red and angrily sore, all due to sloppy dentistry and poorly fitting dental work.
Read more: Stormont’s Public Health Bill places health professionals in an intolerable position
But the biggest thing that turns my blood to boil, is the amount of unnecessary and destructive treatment that’s being carried out abroad. If only I had those Turkey dentists’ cojones...
Ask your dentist for their opinion on your mouth before embarking on Turkey teeth treatments.
Lucy Stock is principal dentist at Gentle Dental Care in Belfast, gdconline.co.uk
