I got veneers in Turkey — they left me looking like a shark

He is spilling the “tooth” about veneer removal.

Jack James, 22, was initially thrilled with the results of his $3,900 dental procedure after flying to Istanbul, Turkey, for the surgery.

The Britain-based model loved the look of new pearly whites at first following the procedure in September 2022. But when his gums later started to bleed, he realized they’d have to be removed.

However, James was horrified to find his original teeth had been shaved down for the veneers, recalling them looking like “something out of a horror movie.”

“They looked good until they started to bleed and hurt,” James recalled to South West News Service. “I searched for an emergency dentist and had x-rays done.”

According to James, the dentist told him his teeth were a “mess” and he had an infection, recalling that his gums leaked pus and his breath was “terrible.”

The news only got worse.

“They said it would cost up to $26,000 to fix,” he said.


Blonde young man showing off perfectly white straight teeth.
James was initially thrilled with the results — but that soon changed.
Jack James / SWNS

Blonde man crying to camera.
He was distraught and in pain after his veneers led to a serious infection.
Jack James / SWNS

After getting in touch with the Turkey clinic that performed the surgery, they insisted it wasn’t their fault.

“They said I’d have to pay again to get it fixed,” he claimed.

Desperate, he flew out to Turkey again in May to have the veneers removed — which cost nearly $6,000.

“When they took the veneers out, I saw they had shaved my teeth down so much — I looked like a shark,” he recalled. “It was like something out of a horror movie.”

James isn’t the first person to have a terrible tooth experience after undergoing dental surgery in Turkey.

In May 2022, a 19-year-old named Anya shared a TikTok video titled “WORST PAIN OF MY LIFE WOW,” where she documented the process.

In the clip, she showed off her pearly whites all filed down to stubby-looking teeth. Although her TikTok followers insisted it was going to ruin her chompers and she’d regret it, Anya ultimately called it the “best decision I’ve ever made.”


Young man showing off teeth.
James shows off his teeth before surgery. He wanted to improve them but was left with what he called a shark-like appearance.
Jack James / SWNS

Dr. Shaadi Manouchehri, a dentist based in London, told her TikTok followers that the procedure has the ability to damage a tooth’s nerve, which is why it isn’t recommended to be done on healthy teeth.

Many of Anya’s commenters shared similar opinions, as one commented, “Girl I work as a dental nurse and before then I wanted my teeth done too but in a few years you’ll be spending thousands on root canals and implants!!”