“Aesthetic” tourism on the coast in recent months. Whether for hair implants or the placement of dental veneers, many people no longer hesitate to travel abroad to obtain these interventions at a lower cost. And it is generally in Turkey that they go to do this. The young Alana Boone, a 23-year-old Belgian from East Flanders, cracked a year ago for an all-inclusive trip to Antalya to give herself the smile of her dreams.
A dream that, apparently, has come true: Alana has 28 new, very white facets. But in reality, these new teeth are a real nightmare that has been making the young woman suffer for months. “Drinking water hurts me. Eating something hot hurts me. The painkillers hardly help… The only thing that relieves me a little, it’s terrible to say, but it’s the alcohol, ”she explains to the Nieuwsblad.
influenced
If today Alana is still ashamed of having yielded to this practice, she still speaks up to prevent other people from finding themselves in her situation. Because she admits it, it is the speeches of the influencers who have… influenced her. “A lot of people have had their teeth redone. I had a complex with mine which were not pretty: yellow with white spots. I wanted beautiful teeth. So when a friend of her mum puts her in touch with a Belgian agency (Dental Tours Turkey) that organizes “dental trips” to Turkey, Alana sees a great opportunity. “For 6,720 euros, I could have completely new teeth in Turkey, flight and hotel included. »
Empowered by the reviews on the organization’s Facebook page, the young woman flew to Antalya on July 25, 2021. “The next day, at the Alp dental clinic, they filed down all my teeth until only dots remain. As I was in pain, they extracted 18 teeth. This represented an additional 3,420 euros which I was able to pay by bank transfer. Because for the rest of the transaction, everything had been done in cash.
Nightmare
A few days later, Alana finally sees her crowns laid. “Without anesthesia, I cried out in pain,” she says. After a week spent in Turkey, the young woman was already back home. “I had my beautiful teeth, but then my nightmare started. »
Excruciating pain, metallic taste in the mouth… “Secondary” effects that never left her. “I panicked and went to every dentist I could find. Their response was the same: ‘It’s your problem, go back to Turkey to solve it’”.
No Belgian dentist wants to take responsibility for this operation which went wrong in Turkey… This is something Alana understands, who however will never return to Turkey for treatment. But… “I asked how much it would cost me to have everything redone in Belgium: 27,630 euros. I don’t have that amount! »
She has since filed a complaint against the agency which organized the trip to recover her money and works every day to obtain the sum necessary for her new operation in Belgium. Contacted by our colleagues, Dental Tours Turkey did not respond to requests.