Turkey Teeth: What the Term Means and What to Check

Turkey teeth is a phrase that came out of UK media coverage rather than dentistry. It is usually used to describe a full set of very white crowns fitted quickly abroad, and it is often used critically, because some patients have returned with healthy teeth heavily reduced and problems that were expensive to put right.

If you are searching the term, what you probably want to know is which treatments are actually involved, what is reversible and what is not, and how to tell a reasonable plan from a bad one. That is what this page covers.

What the phrase usually means

In most cases it refers to crowns fitted across the front teeth, sometimes on both jaws, in a short trip. Crowning requires the tooth to be reduced on all surfaces so the crown can fit over it. That reduction cannot be undone. Where a tooth was healthy to begin with, a crown commits it to being crowned again in the future when the restoration eventually needs replacing.

The phrase is sometimes used loosely for veneers as well, which are a different treatment with different tooth preparation. The two are not interchangeable, and a plan that uses the words as though they are the same is a warning sign.

Crowns, veneers and bonding are different

A crown covers the whole tooth and is used where a tooth is broken down, root treated or already heavily filled. A veneer covers the front surface and needs far less tooth removed, but it is only suitable for certain cases. Composite bonding adds material to the tooth and removes little or nothing, though it stains and chips more readily.

Where teeth are discoloured but sound, whitening may be the appropriate treatment and no tooth needs to be cut at all. Where teeth are crooked, moving them with orthodontic treatment or clear aligners addresses the position rather than disguising it.

The question a dentist should answer is not which of these you asked for, but which one matches the problem, and what the cost is in tooth structure.

What is irreversible

Tooth reduction is permanent. So is nerve damage where a tooth is prepared too aggressively and later needs root canal treatment. Gum recession around poorly fitting margins can expose the join and is difficult to correct. These are the outcomes that generated the term in the first place.

A plan that involves crowning healthy teeth purely to change their colour should be questioned, and the alternatives should be set out in writing before anything is prepared.

Questions worth asking before you book

• Which teeth are proposed for treatment, and why each one?
• How much tooth will be removed, and is any of it healthy?
• What are the alternatives, including whitening, bonding, orthodontics or no treatment?
• Who is the treating dentist, what is their registration, and which facility will be used?
• How many visits are needed, and what is fitted between the preparation and the final restoration?
• What happens if something fails after you return home, and who pays for it?

The answers should be in the written treatment plan rather than given verbally.

Aftercare once you are home

Crowns and veneers do not remove the risk of decay or gum disease; the margins where they meet the tooth need cleaning as carefully as natural teeth, and gum health determines how well the work holds up. See our teeth cleaning and periodontal treatments pages.

Arrange who will review the work in the UK, and keep the written plan, the materials used and the aftercare instructions, because a UK dentist will need them if anything requires attention.

How Revitalize approaches this

Treatment arranged through Revitalize takes place in Izmir. The dentist and the facility are contracted providers and are named in your written treatment plan, so their registration and experience can be checked before you travel. See our contracted surgeons and specialists and contracted hospitals pages.

Where a full set of crowns is not the right answer, the plan should say so. The relevant treatment pages are Hollywood Smile, veneers, dental crowns and full mouth makeover. Our treatment process page sets out the stages and the treatment guarantee page explains the limited written warranty that applies.

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