Gran spends £8k on new tooth after shedding half her gnashers to gum illness
A grandmother was forced to have all her teeth removed and replaced with £8k implants after losing more than half of her teeth to gum disease. Hayley Debra Potter, 57, started losing teeth 14 years ago.
She lost or had to remove 19 teeth due to gum disease-induced abscesses, and the remaining teeth were so yellow that Hayley hadn’t shown her teeth while smiling in years. Eventually, she decided to opt for ‘Turkey Teeth’ at a highly-rated clinic in Antalya, Turkey, after she’d “had enough” of her dental issues.
The full set of implants and bridges cost her £8k, which was £20k less than the prices quoted by clinics in the UK. Earlier this month (October 6), the grandmother of three flew to Turkey and underwent a four-and-a-half-hour procedure the next day to remove all 13 of her remaining teeth.
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She had 10 dental implants inserted and will wear dentures for six months until it heals enough for crowns and bridges to be added. But she says she can’t stop smiling now and her “confidence is through the roof”.
Hayley, a hospital ward housekeeper from Derby, East Mids. , said: “Before the surgery, I felt so insecure and I would never smile with my teeth.
“I had to mentally prepare myself so I would stay calm and think of the end result.
“I was awake the whole time – but I was ok with that because the surgeon was bloody handsome! Afterwards, I got very swollen and bruised – I was unrecognisable.
“But now I feel wonderful. I know it will change my life completely. I’ve never smiled so much in my life.
“It was worth every penny!”
She selected Smilepod Dental Clinic, Antalya, for her transformative dental work, splashing out £8k for the procedure, with an extra £1k on flights, and jetting off. The elated client raved: “I was unrecognisable afterwards, but I looked worse than I felt.
“I had no pain whatsoever the first day, I was completely numbed.
“I was given painkillers and anti-inflammatories.”
Despite being a bit battered, she found comfort in the fact that many at her hotel were also recovering from cosmetic procedures, saying: “I was very swollen and bruised but everyone in the hotel was having some kind of cosmetic surgery so I was well supported.”
Hayley was fitted with a set of permanent dentures to sort for the next half-year, awaiting the moment her dental implants heal to have her ‘proper’ teeth — the dental bridges — attached.
Post-procedure, she flew back to Britain on October 17 and continues to stick to a soft-food regime, which will persist for six months until the final bridge placement. Yet, she’s already ecstatic with her pearlescent new chompers.
Hayley gushed about the experience: “I did have nerves beforehand but everything went so smoothly, I don’t have a single complaint.”
She added that her dietary restrictions aren’t dampening her spirits, as her previous dental state was limiting anyway: “I can’t eat tough foods at the minute but I couldn’t anyway because of how bad my teeth were before.”
Her happiness is clear and she reports a transformational shift in her mood: “I feel wonderful. I already know it will change my life completely.”
She concluded, with undeniable joy, “Whenever I walk past a mirror I smile – I can’t stop smiling! I’ve never smiled so much in my life.”
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