A TOP dentist has revealed the best way to fix your smile without resorting to "Turkey teeth" - and what treatments to avoid.

Dr Adam White, 33, who practices at both The Richmond Dentist and Sardinia House Dental, has warned patients of the dangers of cut-price treatment.

Popular Instagram and TikTok posts have fuelled trends which see people clamouring to get a set of gnashers just like their favourite celeb.

One trend has been dubbed "Turkey teeth" as it becomes increasingly popular for people to shell out on the dental treatment while over there.

It has seen thousands of Brits head across Europe in a bid to get a Hollywood smile - but the reality does not always match their dream.

Dr White says it's great to have a healthy white smile but going for procedures abroad that you haven't researched is a big no-no and can lead to "destructive treatment".

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He said: "There are clearly a number of dental clinics who are looking into the market and looking for dental tourism.

"But real destructive treatment is going on for a lot of young people which they are regretting.

"What myself and my colleagues are very, very worried about is that these people are not consenting for what they go for.

"Numerous young patients are having their drilled down abroad into what we call crowns. A crown is something we've used in dentistry for many years to protect very broken down teeth, it's excellent for doing that."

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But expert Adam says this procedure should only be done on a tooth which really has no other option and definitely not on healthy teeth.

The procedure of having crowns done can be aggressive and invasive to teeth - as they require almost 70% of your teeth to be filed down.

He continued: "To do that to a healthy tooth which hasn't had any dental treatment prior is very concerning.

"To do that to every single teeth for a young patient...well that is something that is going to have to be replaced many times over their lifetime.

"It's very sad and worrying, from my point of view we need to think about the work that will happen after all that fails."

'RISKY'

The TikTok hashtag "#TurkeyTeeth" is now so popular it has even reached more than 130 million views.

But Dr White explains that the NHS doesn't cover replacement for a full mouth of crowns which makes it even more risky.

"It's something we just wouldn't offer to our own patients. We treat our patients for a lifetime.

"We don't just want to send them back on a plane and hope for the best. Teeth are for life, not just for Christmas."

The cosmetic dental expert confessed he was worried that the majority of patients with crown problems because of treatment abroad were very young.

Dr Adam said they were mostly in the "20-30 age group with some in their forties".

We don't just want to send them back on a plane and hope for the best. Teeth are for life, not just for Christmas."

Dr Adam warns that the consequences of botched treatment could be very severe for your teeth and could cost you thousands.

He said: "When you are cutting down a healthy tooth which is not straight it means you are cutting down very close to the nerve.

"That can be potentially lead to prolonged problems with the nerve which could result in a lot of pain and sensitivity or root canal treatment which is basically when the nerve is taken out.

"If that happens with a tooth with a crown on you have to think about replacing the whole crown. You'd have to pay double the fee that you had it done.

Dr White admitted that it was sad for him to be approached by so many people coming from Turkey with crowns who wanted help.

He added: "When a crown is on the tooth, we may not even be able to put a new crown on and you could lose your tooth.

"It is an extremely complicated and costly procedure to fix. I urge patients to do thorough research before ruining their teeth."

"If we went ahead with some of the treatment I've seen patients come back from Turkey with, we would probably lose our dental license.

"When teeth need to have some further treatment down the line dentists in the UK cannot help you because we're not having to deal with dental work we haven't even done."

SAFER ALTERNATIVES

And dentist Adam stresses that there are cheaper and safer ways to get your dream smile instead of heading abroad.

These methods "last long-term" and are "far healthier" than turning to Turkey Teeth.

He said: "You can use invisalign, whitening and bonding to get the same effect.

"If you're unhappy with your smile, quite often just moving the teeth into a better, straighter position is the best option to begin with.

"People think you need big, fixed metal braces which won't look nice. That's why we offer Invisalign."

Dr White explains that dental technology "invisalign" involves clear aligners which still make you look and feel good.

These are essentially invisible trays putting around your teeth which you change every week or so, gradually moving your teeth into a nicer smile.

He adds: "Once that is achieved, usually in a few months, other additional options can be used to get the perfect smile."

The dental expert adds that professional tooth whitening to change the colour is a far better option than getting your teeth drilled in Turkey.

And recontouring - which means changing the shape with very minimal invasive treatment - is another method the dental expert uses.

This can change the shape or even in some cases cover slight marks and chips to achieve a perfect smile.

The dentist adds that straightening teeth means experts can carry out the procedure without touching your pearly-whites.

He said: "This is completely different than cutting down a tooth to a small peg.

"Patients need to understand that going to abroad are not really being given the options or going through valid consent to actually know what they're getting done.

"It worries me as it can cause irreversible damage. Knowing the problems these young people have is something of concern to me and my colleagues.

"I want to help people be more informed with what their doing to their teeth."

'LIFE-CHANGING DECISIONS'

And the top dentist says he doesn't want to see the British public getting "irreversible treatment" done to their teeth.

"Once you start drilling that precious tooth structure is gone forever, I cannot stress that enough.

"These life-changing decisions should not be taken, especially at such an early age. It's really worrying to see that."

Dr White, who has worked in Australia and other countries, says the UK is very safety-conscious compared to other nations with cosmetic surgery.

The dentist also said its important to understand not all treatment abroad will end up botched.

He said: "Not all Turkish dentistry is bad, there are some good clinicians out there.

"But Brits aren't really doing their research before jetting off to get that dream smile.

"Unfortunately they are going for the cheapest prices which more often than not results in a lower quality of treatment."

Adam graduated as a dentist in 2013 before undertaking postgraduate training with the Royal College of Surgeons.

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He has worked in a private practice in Australia as well as completing a post-graduate double Masters in fixed and removable prosthodontics - a speciality of dentistry which involves the rehabilitation of smiles.

The dental expert has overseen lots of happy patients and great smiles during his time as a professional.

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