f you’re the type of person who follows influencers on social media, you’ll be aware of the trend that is travelling abroad to achieve the perfect smile.
Cosmetic teeth procedures are much cheaper in countries like Turkey than here in the UK, and many companies even offer free treatments for influencers who have a large following on sites like TikTok, in exchange for promo.
Many smaller influencers have even taking to showing off their shaved-down ‘shark teeth’, before they’re fitted with what are claimed to be ‘veneers’.
Of course, it must be tempting to achieve the ‘perfect smile’ for very little cost – or even for free – but it could all come crashing down when they require dentures by the age of 40, dentists say.
Dr Emi Mawson, a Cornwall-based dentist, has taken to TikTok to warn others against the invasive treatments carried out overseas, which leave people with ‘pegs’ for teeth.
‘These are not veneer preparations,’ she said of the shark teeth, shown off by the likes of Katie Price. ‘These are crown preparations and there’s a big difference.’
Now, a number of a dentists fear that young people not knowing the difference between crowns and veneers could cause catastrophic consequences for their teeth later in life.
Dr Shaadi Manouchehri, a London-based dentist, shared a TikTok of an influencer showing off her ’shark teeth’ and comparing them to a gorgeous-looking mouth full of crowns, however the dentist warned ‘she’s going to have dentures by the age of 40’.
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♬ original sound - Dr S Manouchehri
This differs hugely from crowns, where at least two milimetres or more of the tooth must be shaved off, like we see in many influencers’ teeth transformation videos.
However, the difference is that dentists in the UK and the US wouldn’t use crowns on healthy teeth, meaning many people who travel to the likes of Turkey are having healthy teeth shaved down to pegs for no reason at all, other than the process ‘requires less skill’ from the dentist, according to Dr Mawson.
In fact, the process of shaving teeth down is actually a dangerous one, as it risks compromising the tooth’s nerve, which is ordinarily protected by the enamel.
Dr Mackie explained, ‘This is only done if there were cavities to take out or the teeth were already broken.’
Once your teeth are shaved down, it can’t be undone, and will likely need to be redone every 10 years, resulting in a lifetime of expensive treatments.
