Love Island’s Connor dazzled (blinded) us all last week when he debuted his shiny set of teeth, purchased on the cheap from the shores of Thailand.
Since the 25-year-old showed off his dazzling set, Google searches for ‘Thailand teeth’, ‘veneers Thailand’ and ‘Thailand veneers price’ rocketed, up by 100%.
It’s no surprise when you consider that 71% of Brits under 30 think good teeth is the most attractive trait a person can have.
And he’s not alone in swapping out the old gnashers for a glistening row of pearly whites.
Every year, thousands of Britons fly to destinations including Hungary, Poland, Turkey and Bulgaria, and sometimes even as far-flung as Colombia or Thailand, to undergo cosmetic dental procedures such as porcelain and composite veneers.
But dental tourism can have its downsides, even if the prices are too good to resist.
And there’s a lot of misinformation floating around too. Recently, a tweet went viral after claiming you have to shave down your teeth to accommodate the veneers.
But as some pointed out, this is seldom the case. Different treatments require different methods and as technology has advanced, so too has cosmetic procedures.
So for your convenience and perhaps destination to brilliant fake teeth, we’ve spoken to the experts to find out the long-term risks of the procedure.
How many kinds of veneers are there?
Dr. Marques from the Dr. Richard Marques Dental Practice tells us there are:
- Porcelain Veneers – These are the most used form of veneers as they produce a natural result like normal teeth
- E-max veneers – These veneers are strong and can be made thinner and lighter but are more translucent
- Zirconia veneers – these are the strongest of all veneers. They are good for blocking out dark teeth underneath
- Lumineers – These are some of the thinnest veneers
- Contact lense veneers – Require no preparation at all but can only be used in some cases
- Composite veneers – A form of bonding that requires no tooth preparation but is not as strong as porcelain veneers
Prices can vary for veneers, depending on which you choose. The most common is porcelain, which can range from £500-£1000 per tooth in the UK.
According to The Dental Guide, the cost of composite veneers can vary from £150- to £400 for a single tooth.
While composite veneers are substantially cheaper than porcelain, they are more likely to become stained and generally don’t last as long.
You can expect composite veneers to last between 5-8 years with proper care.
There are two methods for the type of veneer you choose; preparation and no preparation veneers.
With traditional veneers, your dentist will remove a very small amount of enamel from the tooth or teeth that will be receiving the veneer.
Then, they take an impression of your slightly shaved tooth, so a veneer can be crafted for it.
It’ll take between two and four weeks to receive the veneer. In the meantime, if you’re worried about showing your teeth, you can get temp ones to suit your smile.
With no-preparation veneers, there is no removal or shaving your natural teeth required, and the veneers are fitted directly over your existing natural teeth.
Happy days.
But still, it can be painful or uncomfortable if your teeth are sensitive.
If you look through YouTube, you’ll be met with countless video diaries of the treatment, detailing the whole journey, whether at home or abroad.
While many sing the praises of the ‘quick and painless’ treatment (sometimes getting theirs sponsored or discounted in exchange for exposure), others have spoken out about how traumatic and even painful it can be.
YouTuber Aleasha Ajadi, who goes by Duchess of Fashion, did an hour-long vlog of her veneer placement, which almost left her in tears.
She tells Metro.co.uk how she was insecure about her ‘gummy smile’ and small teeth. When she got her porcelain veneers in Turkey, she had gum contouring which involved removing a small section of her gum line on her upper jaw to give her a ‘gum lift’.
‘Then I had to wait a few days for my gums to heal before moving to the next stage,’ she explained.
‘The worst part of the entire process was getting my teeth filed down, it was incredibly painful and water from the machine kept spraying on my face making it difficult for me to breathe.
‘At one point I even had a slight panic attack and the dentist had to stop the procedure. After that I was given temporary teeth to wear for a few days, then you come back to design your new teeth and the final stage is getting your new teeth fitted.’
Though the teeth filing was painful for her, Eleasha says the low cost was still worth the effort. However, she warned others that the procedures can be time-consuming and may require additional work, so not ideal if you’ve booked a short holiday.
Her advice to those looking to do it aborad are to take off enough time and also to take a loved one for moral support.
Despite the overwhelming amount of information, with both glowing recommendations and horror stories, the popularity of veneers endures.
21-year-old N Hussain tells Metro.co.uk how she wants fake teeth to stop her friends from poking fun at her natural teeth.
‘I want veneers cos my friends bully me 24/7, saying stuff like “please mind the gap” and “do you use rope to floss”.
‘I was planning to go to Istanbul but I found an alternative in London. The max I’m willing to pay is £2500.’
UK dentists don’t recommend flying abroad. Dr Alastair McGill, from New Town Dental Care, believes that dental tourism simply isn’t worth the risk to patients.
‘So-called ‘dental holidays’ are presented as a cheap and easy alternative, but if things go wrong, it can be anything but,’ Dr Alastair tells us.
‘It sounds too good to be true – discounted treatments, great teeth and a holiday in the sun to boot – and it often is.
‘We’ve had patients coming to us after getting treatment abroad because they now need to have repair work done, whether that’s replacing mismatched or poor-quality veneers or sometimes having to undergo reconstructive work, such is the level of damage inflicted.’
A combination of lower dental standards and rushed work can all contribute to a less than desirable result, according to Dr. Alastair and his colleagues.
Whilst there are undoubtedly skilled dentists abroad, their costs are likely to be similar to UK practices when you factor in the costs of travel and accommodation and return trips to fix them.
Dr. Alastair’s advice was echoed by another doctor Dr. Christopher Orr, owner of Advanced Dental Practice in central London, who says the fact that veneers are not a one-time procedure should deter millennials looking abroad.
He said: ‘Regardless of who does it, nothing lasts forever and veneers/crowns etc will need to be replaced several times over the person’s lifetime, so it makes sense not to do these things if there are more conservative alternatives available, especially in younger patients.’
Dr. Orr also warned that anyone who has had dental treatment abroad, such as veneers, crowns or implants, may not be eligible for treatment on the NHS if they have a problem.
‘Flying back to the country you had the original treatment may be difficult and/or expensive. And you may not be able to rely on the NHS to fix it either.’
So just be sure to explore all options before saying bye to your natural teeth.
MORE: Student left in tears after buying disappointing veneers on the internet
MORE: Woman learns the hard way not to buy £5 veneers off eBay in hilarious video
MORE: Grandma loses her false teeth, finds out the dog is wearing them
source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/20/veneers-are-all-the-rage-right-now-but-do-you-really-have-to-shave-down-your-teeth-12069517/
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