Mum raises alarm over cosmetic works abroad after 'nightmare' Dubai trip
A mum says she was influenced online to get porcelain veneers fitted overseas but is now warning others after she suffered a "nightmare" to get her teeth fixed.Jade Morgan travelled to Dubai to visit a cosmetic dentist at a fraction of the price, paying just £2,800 for the procedure, excluding hotel costs and flights.The mum-of-three said she was influenced to have the treatment after seeing it on social media, reports Liverpool Echo.However, within two weeks of travelling back home to Liverpool, Jade says her gums were bleeding and one of her teeth even snapped off.Speaking about her experience, Jade said: "Initially, I didn't even see the dentist that I'd booked with. An assistant carried out all the prep work, removing my existing composites and taking impressions of my teeth. I only met the dentist on the final day when the veneers were already made and ready to be fitted."The veneers were cemented to Jade's teeth in under an hour and she "immediately" noticed her bite felt wrong but was sent to another clinician who spent almost two hours drilling her teeth to try to correct it. The 36-year-old said: "My bite still didn't feel right, but I was told to let it settle."When her tooth snapped a fortnight after arriving back in the UK, she said it would be a costly fix."Even if the clinic offered to fix it complimentary, I'd still have to pay for flights and a hotel to get back to Dubai. That's thousands more on top of what I'd already spent and that's not something people think about when they book these treatments," she explained.Jade also experienced bleeding gums following the procedure and claimed she was never fitted with temporary veneers, something that is provided as standard in the UK to allow patients to see the proposed size and shape and make any necessary changes.The mum is urging others to be more cautious and think more about the aftercare. She admitted: "When you're having the new veneers fitted, you go into that final appointment blind. You're trusting that everything will be right but ultimately, you don't get a chance to see how they look or feel first."After her tooth snapped, Jade revisited Liverpool's Dental Excellence and a plan was put in place to replace all of the porcelain veneers she had had fitted in Dubai. The dentist said: "In the UK, cosmetic dental work like veneers is carried out through a structured process."That includes temporary restorations, allowing the mouth to settle, checking the bite properly and making adjustments over time. Fitting multiple veneers at once without that process can lead to serious long-term problems."Patients might think they’re saving money, but when you factor in travel, accommodation and the risk of needing corrective treatment back home, it can end up costing far more, both financially and in terms of damage to their natural teeth."According to the British Dental Association and the British Endodontic Society, 70% of dentists report seeing an increase in patients returning from abroad with complications following dental treatment.Nearly half of those complications involve irreversible damage to teeth. NHS England has also reported spending millions each year managing issues arising from dental tourism.
