Istanbul or turkey for teeth aligners

[FloridaCheese]

Has anyone been to turkey (was thinking Istanbul) for teeth aligners and can share their experience. Lots of options from Google, almost too many! It's £4k in the UK and it just feels far too much to spend to perfect my teeth (not far off being done really). Thank you

That’s a good price! Where was this if you don’t mind me asking?

You’re very welcome. Even if one person reads this thread, and it makes them consider their options, then we’ve done our job, so it’s definitely not useless. Good luck with whatever you decide x

My colleague had hers done and also had significant cosmetic surgery and had excellent results.

My ex boyfriend had his teeth done there last year and they look great and he has had no problems.
Both started off with personal recommendations and then researched those dentists ( and surgeons) before making their mind up.

Neither went for the cheapest option.

DD had Invisalign - it cost £4000 but it was worth every penny. She changed her trays weekly and typically we saw the orthodontist every 4 weeks throughout treatment to check progress and add/adjust things. There’s lots of factors with Invisalign that you don’t think about - interproximal reduction (shaving a tiny amount in between teeth for crowding), adding attachments, metal buttons for elastics, rescanning for refinement trays etc.

It’s not as simple as just getting a big box of plastic aligners and expecting them alone to straighten your teeth with very limited orthodontist input.. I was very glad that DD’s was only 5 mins down the road as there were points where it felt like we were there 24/7! What are you going to do when inevitably an aligner isn’t fitting correctly, an attachment etc pops off and you’re hours away in a completely different country? OP, you think you’re saving money but realistically you’re paying for suboptimal treatment (and plenty of flights/hotel stays..) Just save up and get it done properly in the UK.

You asked for advice, and you're seriously (rudely) saying that this comprehensive but concise advice from an experienced dentist is too long to read?

I was going to tell you about my friends experience of treatment in Spain. But because you are so rude, I won't bother.

I take it you’ve never had aligners previously then?

Theres no way you’d consider having them abroad otherwise, absolutely pointless 😂 Where are you gonna go if one cracks/you need rescanned and revised aligners?

Theres things I understand why people want to go abroad for but this is not it😂

My colleagues from work have gone to Albania… we are gov department so not exactly risk takers.. just boring civil servants.. 18 of us now based on recommendations from the front runners.. everything from filling to full implants.. at 1/6 of the UK cost.

I had a bit of the side edge ground off one of my front teeth so my teeth could realign.

There is no way in hell I would let an unknown overseas dentist do that. My dentist is not an orthodontist (obviously I guess), but is extremely experienced and works with people with all kinds of special needs in the dental department. I trust her completely but it was still scary!

(A few years down the track now and all is well, she did a brilliant job.)

I got distance aligners in the US from Smile Direct for $1800 for a 6 month course about 10 years after my expensive UK orthodontic fixed braces left me with perpetually slowly moving teeth that were constantly cutting my mouth open years after treatment. A UK orthodontist isn’t any guarantee of quality. That was 6 years ago. My teeth are aligned and aren’t slowly moving back anymore. Can you get Smile Direct in the UK still? Might save you the cost of flights. They did a 3D scan and made aligners perfectly.

A dentist who doesn't even use capital letters at the start of paragraphs?

What’s that got to do with anything?

I find it hillarious that everyone swears treatment from abroad.
Yes, you probably do need positive reviews etc
And yet the NHS is far from perfect, they ruined 2 perfectly good teeth of mine and extracted another that could've been saved. Because the NHS chooses the cheapest option not the best option.
I've been using private now for the last 7 years, I wouldn't ever go back to the NHS.

But now I need more treatment and can't afford private here so will be going on holiday. My cousin actually works in Antalya I think it's called in Turkey so will be relying on him to take me around, but it's a no brainer the costs are so much less.
One thing I will say is, some people don't follow instructions at all, which causes issues.
Like, one lady was getting implants in Turkey, so she had some teeth extracted, then they fitted temporary teeth while waiting for her gums to shrink, she was told to come back after 3-6 months.
Well she went back in a month and insisting on having her implants, the dentists told her that her gums are still shrinking so this could cause gaps at the top if they fitted them then, she instead anyway as she said she couldn't come back etc etc.and she had paid nearly all of the treatment by then anyway.
So they did.
Later on, she and her NHS dentists just slated the Turkish doctors but who was at fault here?

I used Casper Smile for my aligners.
I had previously had braces as a teen so it was minor movement that I needed. It was a crooked bottom tooth and top teeth overlap. I did tell my dentist and they were not concerned .
I've just completed the overnight treatment- 10 hours a night. I started wearing them last June and I am really happy with how they look. I've got to keep a retainer for 2 years. It cost me about £900.

Go do it. You've clearly made your mind up and don't want to hear otherwise. Fingers crossed it goes OK but you're definitely taking a chance I wouldn't risk.

Istanbul is in Turkey?

I keep having to go back to get my aligners check. I don't see how you do that in Turkey.

I changed mine every week, not every two or four

You could have a good experience for that in Turkey. Stick to Istanbul. Look into the qualifications of the orthodontist. Anyone who qualified in the US or Germany would be a good bet.

No they went bust , partly as a result of all the litigation from people whose teeth were damaged because there was no dentist to do an in person check up , X-rays and follow up appointments . There were problems ranging from decay and gum disease through to lost teeth due to inappropriate movements through to teeth not moving because of lack of interproximal reduction (shaving of teeth) or wrong computer generated treatment plan.

There was a class action against them in the states and plenty of litigation in the U.K. When they went bust they left a lot of people in limbo.

There have been a few other “remote orthodontic” companies that have similarly gone bust for exactly the same reasons .

Most teeth will move after treatment unless you wear a retainer for life or have a permanently bonded wire retainer placed behind the teeth.

AI that doesn't use capital letters and makes typos. I would look carefully at the cost of flights and accomodation. There could also be quite a few extras beyond the advertised cost of the treatment.

You rendered the thread useless by being a rude asshat OP. Good luck with your teeth. Shame you can’t buy manners.

That post wasn’t AI, but since it didn’t instantly cheerlead your decision, I can see why it’s convenient for you to dismiss it as such.

I’m guessing that’s how you tell the good dentists from the poor ones: capital letters 😂 It’s probably the main discriminator on dentistry exams and suchlike.

Can I just point out Istanbul is in Turkey so it isn't actually a choice.