Turkish teeth: what the phrase means and how we plan a natural result

"Turkish teeth" is the name people in the UK give to a new smile made at a Turkish dental clinic. In most cases it means a full set of crowns across the top and bottom teeth. Sometimes it means veneers. As a Turkish dentist in Antalya we hear the phrase every day, and we think it is worth explaining what sits behind it, because the treatment you need may be quite different from the one you have seen on social media.

This page covers what each option involves, why some sets of Turkish teeth look bulky or too white, and how our dentists plan a result that still looks like you.

What people usually mean by Turkish teeth

When someone says they are "getting Turkish teeth", they usually mean one of three things:

• A full set of crowns. Each tooth is reduced on all sides and covered with a cap, usually zirconia. This is the most common meaning and the biggest change.
• Veneers. A thin layer of ceramic is bonded to the front of the tooth. Less tooth is removed, and the back of the tooth stays natural.
• A mix. Crowns on teeth that are broken, heavily filled or root-treated, and veneers or bonding on teeth that are still sound.

The words matter because the trade-offs are different. A crown is a repair for a damaged tooth. Using crowns purely to change the colour of healthy teeth costs you tooth structure you can never get back.

Why some Turkish teeth look bulky or too white

Most of the sets people criticise share a few features. None of them is caused by the country. They come from decisions made in planning.

• The shade is brighter than any natural tooth. The whitest shades look flat and opaque, especially on someone over 50 whose skin and lips have changed with age.
• The teeth are too long or too thick. If a crown is built out to cover a crowded or crooked tooth without enough planning, it can push the lip forward and look like a gum shield.
• Every tooth is the same. Natural front teeth vary slightly in shape, edge and translucency. A row of identical blocks gives the game away.
• Red, swollen gums. Crown edges placed too deep, or a set fitted on gums that were not healthy to begin with, leave the gum line inflamed.
• Too much in too little time. Twenty or more teeth prepared and fitted in a rush leaves little room to check shape, bite and gum health.

We say this openly because it shapes how we work. A good result is one that people notice as a nice smile, not as dental work.

Crowns, veneers or keeping your own teeth

The question we start with is not "how many teeth?" but "what does each tooth need?". A lab study that weighed teeth before and after preparation found that a crown removed roughly 63% to 72% of the visible tooth structure, while veneer preparations removed about 3% to 30%. That difference is why we do not crown healthy teeth just to change their colour.

Many of our plans for "Turkish teeth" end up as a mixture: crowns on the teeth that genuinely need them, veneers or bonding at the front, and whitening of the rest. Dt. Hüseyin Bayram, who does much of our veneer and crown work, has a strong preference for keeping natural tooth wherever the result allows it. You can read more about veneers on our Turkish veneers page and about whole-mouth crown work on full-mouth crowns.

How we plan a natural result

1. Photos from home. You send photos of your smile and, if you have one, a recent X-ray. A dentist replies with a written, itemised plan. Nothing is paid at this stage.
2. Examination and X-rays in Antalya. On your first day we check every tooth, root and gum. Gum disease or decay is treated first, because crowns on unhealthy gums do not look or last well.
3. Digital smile design. We photograph and scan your teeth and design shape and length around your lips and face. Dt. Şeyda Yılmaz leads much of this design work at our clinic.
4. Trial smile. A temporary mock-up of the design is placed over your teeth. You see it, speak with it and ask for changes before any tooth is prepared.
5. Preparation and temporaries. Teeth are shaped under local anaesthetic and scanned. You wear temporary teeth while the lab makes the final ones.
6. Try-in and fitting. Fit, bite and shade are checked in daylight. Anything that is not right is changed before the crowns or veneers are fixed.

On shade, we will tell you honestly if we think a very bright white will look artificial on you. The final choice is still yours. If you want lighter natural teeth to match, they should be whitened before the shade is picked, because ceramic does not change colour afterwards. Our digital smile design page explains the design stage in more detail.

The honest trade-offs

Preparing a tooth for a crown is irreversible. Once the enamel is gone, that tooth will need a crown for the rest of your life, and every crown will eventually need replacing. Research on single crowns shows good survival over five years for zirconia and other ceramics, with chipping among the commoner problems. Reviews of veneers report most still in place after ten years, with fracture and debonding the main reasons for failure. Those are averages from studies, not promises about your mouth.

Other limits worth knowing:

• Some sensitivity to cold is normal for a few days, more where a lot of tooth was removed.
• A small number of crowned teeth need root canal treatment later, usually ones that were badly damaged already.
• Decay can still start at the edge where crown meets tooth if cleaning slips.
• Grinders chip ceramic. If you grind, you will be asked to wear a night guard.

Turkish teeth are not a good idea if your gums are actively diseased and you are not willing to treat them first, if your teeth are healthy and only need whitening, or if you are hoping to fix a bite or crowding problem that really needs orthodontics. In those cases we will say so.

What Turkish teeth cost at our clinic

Turkish teeth cost depends on how many teeth are treated and which material each one needs. Our main prices are:

• Zirconia crown: £150 per tooth
• Full set of 24 zirconia teeth: £3,600
• E-max crown: £225 per tooth
• E-max laminate veneer: £300 per tooth
• Composite bonding: £125 per tooth

With the zirconia package, 5 hotel nights and airport and clinic transfers are included. Flights are not. Any extractions in your plan are free. The final price is confirmed after your examination and scan in Antalya, and you pay against the plan you have approved. Every item is on our prices page.

Your trip and your guarantee

Most crown and veneer cases need one trip of about 5 to 7 days. The first day is for examination and the trial smile, the middle days for preparation and lab work, and the last for try-in and fitting. Please do not book a return flight that leaves no time for adjustments.

Crowns carry a 5-year written guarantee and laminate veneers 3 years. Conditions are in the written terms, including regular check-ups and a night guard for grinders. Any guarantee work is done at our clinic in Antalya. The full wording is on our guarantee page.