British soldiers are being warned not to travel abroad for so-called ‘Turkey teeth’ as it could mean they cannot be deployed on active service.
Army dentists have urged troops not to fall for the craze, driven by social media influencers, which claims to offer dazzlingly white teeth for a fraction of what it would cost in the UK.
They said the procedure can often lead to tooth decay, gum disease and abscesses because of the shoddy standard of dental work in Turkey and some East European countries.
In some cases, it is so bad it may result in soldiers being declared medically unfit for frontline duty. Troops with bad dental hygiene cannot be deployed abroad because of the lack of treatment options in war zones.
According to Soldier, the official Ministry of Defence magazine for the Forces, Army dentists are increasingly repairing the teeth of troops after cosmetic procedures overseas.
It warns that the treatment, which sees teeth filed down and covered with veneers, will often result in soldiers requiring medical attention within 12 months.
A questionnaire submitted to Army dentists revealed half were repairing work done abroad.
‘Of those who’d had to manage problems relating to cosmetic surgery abroad, the majority deemed the quality of care as poor or very poor,’ said Lieutenant Colonel Wassim Slim.
British soldiers are being warned not to travel abroad for so-called ‘Turkey teeth’ as it could mean they cannot be deployed on active service (Stock Photo)
Troops with bad dental hygiene cannot be deployed abroad because of the lack of treatment options in war zones (Stock Photo)
‘Many said they would be concerned about managing such cases moving forwards because of the complexity of the treatment required.’
The Mail on Sunday revealed in August that 173 recruits had been rejected by the Army due to gum disease and rotting teeth over the past four years.
Poor dental health is one of many issues – including lack of fitness and sight problems – hampering efforts to find recruits, with troop numbers now standing at some 70,000 compared with more than 100,000 in 2010.
A survey showed that for every 1,000 troops deployed on operations, up to 150 needed dental treatment. The British Dental Association previously found more soldiers were incapacitated with dental issues in Iraq and Afghanistan than through combat.
Many are from impoverished backgrounds and do not have a good diet, which can contribute to dental illness.
The MoD urged ‘any service person considering any cosmetic dental procedure… to discuss this with their unit dental officer to get impartial advice on potential consequences’.
