Turkey teeth costs vs the UK: what you are actually paying for

The cost of “Turkey teeth” depends on what’s being made (crowns, porcelain veneers or composite), how many teeth, and what the package covers: flights, hotel, follow-up and repairs. At Toothi in Edgware, composite veneers are £295 per tooth and porcelain (E.max) veneers £895 per tooth, with consultation and review included. A headline price only means something if you compare like with like, so here’s what to check.

There’s no single price. “Turkey teeth” is a nickname rather than a treatment. People use it for anything from a set of composite veneers to twenty full porcelain or zirconia crowns, and those are very different pieces of work. We don’t quote overseas prices on this page. They change often, vary from clinic to clinic, and aren’t ours to state. What we can do is explain what pushes the number up or down, so you can compare quotes properly.

Five things decide most of the cost, wherever the treatment is done. Ask about each one before you compare two quotes.

• ✓  Crowns or veneers. A crown covers the whole tooth and usually needs the tooth trimmed down all round. A veneer covers the front surface only. Many “Turkey teeth” smiles are crowns, so check which you’re being quoted for.
• ✓  Material. Composite is built directly on the tooth in one visit. Porcelain (E.max) and zirconia are made in a lab and cost more to produce.
• ✓  Number of teeth. Packages are often quoted for 16, 20 or more teeth. Many people only show six to ten teeth when they smile.
• ✓  What has to happen first. Decay, gum disease, root canal treatment or extractions add to any plan and should be treated before cosmetic work.
• ✓  Aftercare. Who reviews the work, who repairs a chip, and who you see if something goes wrong a year later.

Overseas packages often bundle the dentistry with transfers and a hotel, which is handy. The questions worth asking are about what the package leaves out.

• ✓  Travel you pay separately. Flights, time off work and any second trip for fitting or adjustments.
• ✓  Extra treatment found on the day. Root canals, extractions or gum treatment discovered after X-rays.
• ✓  Follow-up at home. Reviews, bite adjustments, a chipped crown, sensitivity or a gum problem months later. A UK dentist will charge for this as new private treatment.
• ✓  Guarantee terms. Whether a guarantee requires you to travel back, and who pays for that trip.
• ✓  Records. Ask for your X-rays, scans and a written list of exactly what was done to each tooth. Any dentist who treats you later will need them.

Plenty of people have treatment abroad and are happy with it. Just know the whole cost before you go, including what’s on top of the dental fee.

Our fees are fixed and published. Every bonding and composite veneer price includes the consultation, shade match, treatment and a review appointment. Consultations for bonding and veneers are free, and you leave with photos and a written quote.

Prices are fixed and taken from our fees page.

More detail in our veneers cost UK guide, our composite veneers cost guide and our guide to composite veneers.

Put the two quotes side by side, item by item, and ask both the same questions.

Often, yes. Plenty of people come in asking for a full set of veneers and get the look they want with a gentler plan. That might be whitening followed by composite bonding on the teeth that show, or Invisalign to straighten first and then edge bonding. Composite bonding usually needs little or no drilling and can be repaired or removed later. At the free consultation we’ll tell you which option suits your teeth, and that includes saying so when porcelain is the better choice.

See composite bonding at Toothi, composite bonding vs veneers, or, if it’s bonding you’re weighing up, composite bonding in Turkey vs the UK.