Total: Overall, if you go for the LEAST expensive options I posted it’s about $1803.50 for the trip and for the MOST expensive options it’s about $1991.50 for the trip.
– Mirna
I am not a licensed travel agent of Ontario and make itineraries as a hobby. Any itineraries used by readers are of their own free will and choosing. Site owner is not responsible for any misadventures, mishaps, airline issues or accommodation issues that occur on trip itineraries that are posted or individually e-mailed to readers.Please research the Visa restrictions for your destination as well as the Covid entry requirements prior to booking.
I can’t believe it has been one year since I finished the process to get my veneers done in Antalya, Turkey. I also can’t believe that on this day a year ago I was on a beach enjoying my brand new teeth and today I am sitting at a desk with my damn mask on unable to go anywhere. Awful, stupid Corona.
This is my one year update on what having my new veneers has been like.
Here is a summary of this post: IT’S BEEN AWESOME. I REGRET NOTHING
For the amount of bullshit commentary I received before I went, while I was getting done and afterwards – I finally began to realize it was people projecting their own fears of medical tourism that led them to saying that nonsense. You’re afraid to venture into the unknown, so the rest of us should be afraid as well right? Yeah, no chance.
Prior to going and getting my teeth done I wrote a post letting people know I’d be going and all the planning that went into that. You can read that here.
I was so nervous then, well prepared, but nervous.
Then I got to Turkey and got through the whole process just fine, and I also wrote a recap about that here.
One year later, I knew I’d want to write an update on how having nice teeth has been.
Well first of all, let’s discuss the cons of having veneers.
I really miss chewing on bones when I eat certain meats. Examples: chicken wings, oxtail, pigtail etc. Now I can only eat the meat surrounding the bone, and even then I have to be pretty careful at the way I bite so I don’t bite the actual bone. The teeth are definitely strong enough to withstand it, but I’m not taking chances.
The second thing I notice myself missing is being able to open things with my teeth. I’m sure we all get into situations when there’s a bag that needs to be opened with no scissors in sight. No more using my teeth to rip that stuff open, can’t risk the damage. (with Corona happening, this is probably for the better anyways)
I catch myself drinking ice and then wanting to chew it, but I stop ASAP and just let it melt in my mouth or spit it out. Can’t chip veneers on no damn ice cubes just because I felt like chewing those. Not worth it.
That really is about is for the cons.
Now the PROS of having veneers? I love it all.
My whole demeanor and facial expressions have changed since I finally have nice teeth. I find myself smiling more at people, with people and in photos and videos I’m totally unfazed. There is no need to ever retake a photo, because in that first shot my smile was perfecttttttt. That makes me feel so damn good.
All smiles.
The adjustment after getting the veneers was a little odd because I assumed anything I bit into would have my teeth fall out or something. I was obviously very wrong and it was just in my mind. I eat everything pretty much the same.
Having to wear a mask when you have new teeth that you want to show off all the time has slightly diminished my shenanigans, but I think folks know I’m smiling at them underneath.
A big pro veneers have for me is I no longer bite my nails. I thought this habit would be really hard to break for me because I had been doing it since I was young, but it was shockingly easy? I think once my body figured out you actually can’t bite the damn nail with veneers, it was like ‘no, I need something else, this sucks‘ – and I stopped biting them cold turkey.
I recently went for a dental check up here in Toronto and the dentist said my teeth were great and it was probably the quickest cleaning I’ve ever had. 1) things don’t stick to veneers as easily as your regular teeth and 2) once you have veneers you upkeep them waaaay better than your actual teeth, or, well, that is true for me.
Maintaining the teeth is all the time for me. I don’t go anywhere without my dental floss and I no longer chew gum, I just put in one of those Listerine thingys that dissolve in your mouth. This has lead to my gums and overall dental hygiene being way better than it was before. I have to protect my investment right? This had lead to my gums bleeding less and also being less sensitive. I wasn’t too sure if this was from when they lasered them for the placement of veneers or if it was because of my new rigid upkeep, but I’m happy at the outcome either way. I invested in a WaterPik for cleaning my veneers because some floss couldn’t fit between the crevices of the new teeth. Also, there are some very tiny spaces (still) between the veneer and your actual tooth and you want to make sure that is kept super clean. If the lifespan of veneers is 15-years, I’m making sure mine go the distance with proper maintenance.
The adjustment to wearing a mouth guard while sleeping wasn’t too radical either. I’m someone who clenches their jaw when they sleep and also grind my teeth and a dental guard while sleeping was necessary. I don’t even notice it anymore, it just makes it a bit difficult to speak once you have it in. Definitely only a, ‘I’m about to knock out‘ time to wear it.
That’s it, that’s my update.
It has been a wonderful year of all smiles, even though these masks trying to hold me back.
I wanted to end the blog post with the actual before and after photos the clinic sent me upon completion. If you needed any more convincing that this may be the route for you, these photos will do it.
When you see places on Instagram and want to go there to see it for yourself. That was my trip to Pamukkale.
I had seen many pictures of Pamukkale and also it was listed as probably one of most popular tour options from Antalya, so I had to do it.
Pamukkale / Hierapolis
For once, I did NOT book my excursions ahead. Because I was in Antalya to get my teeth done, it would be too hard to plan. Once I knew when my appointments were, I made time to take a day trip.
During a night-stroll in the old town of Antalya I walked by a ‘Nirvana Tours’ location. I stopped in and seen that the cost of a trip to Pamukkale was only 45 Euro ($66.00 Canadian) – yep. BOOKED IT!
The tour included roundtrip transport (Pamukkale is like 250km away), breakfast and visit to a handicrafts workshop. Obviously, it also included the entry into Pamukkale / Hierapolis. For $66.00 I think this was a steal.
They picked me up at about 6:45am and we left to get the other tour passengers. The bus was full, but at least it was comfortable. The drive from Antalya to the handicrafts shop was about an hour and a half. During this time the tour guide gave us some history and information about the city. Most of the people on the bus (including myself) were sleeping.
We arrived at the handicrafts place and I mean, it’s high key a tourist trap – but I guess it worked because I ended up buying something. I happen to have a friend who is a SUPER hippie so these mineral trinkets I knew would make an awesome gift.
The stopover for touristy purchases was about 45 minutes and then we finally went over to our breakfast/lunch location. THIS PART WAS AMAZING.
Probably the best buffet I’ve ever been to. The food was so damn good and I was surprised because the place was so busy. I didn’t expect such high-quality food in a place like this. Very impressed. This was an enjoyable food break.
It was CRAZY busy when we finally arrived at Pamukkale. Tour buses and locals and just wow. To be expected during the height of tourist season, but not so awesome if you want to take time to enjoy the place.
We were told that we had about 1.5hrs to go enjoy the limestone hills and then to meet at a certain time to head over to Cleopatra’s pool for a swim.
There is no other way to describe these limestone grounds besides; it was busy, bring water shoes (if you have sensitive feet), be careful if you’re clumsy like I am and WEAR A LOT OF SUNSCREEN. I was in Europe for 23 days and the only day I burned a little was because of the reflection off the white ground.
Cleopatra’s Pool
After risking my life walking on the limestone whilst being incredibly clumsy, it was refreshing to head over to Cleopatra’s pool for a swim. The tour guide gives you a key for a locker to store your things in before entering, including your cell phone. They do not allow you to take your phone into the pool, so leave the waterproof bags at home.
The story we were told was that Cleopatra herself would come to this pool and bathing in it was what kept her beautiful and her skin nice.
I think because it was so hot this day, I really hoped to dive into some cold/refreshing water but it was warm. The damn water was warm, and it had a lot of people inside of it. I really loathe tourist season.
I swam around for about an hour. They have a professional photographer in the water if you do want pictures, since no phones allowed. Also, be prepared to climb over some columns while in the water. This place is very old and you basically end up doing an obstacle course inside the pool to get to different areas of it.
Should you go visit Pamukkale? I think so. Maybe don’t go during August like I did, though. It is pretty cool to see the limestone grounds and get to swim somewhere that will make you more beautiful.
Yesterday was officially one month until I leave for my Euro Trip 2019.
August 9th I will take off and be visiting:
Naples, Italy
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Kotor, Montenegro
Mostar, Bosnia
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Antalya, Turkey
Banja Luka, Bosnia
Crikvenica, Croatia
Pula, Croatia
I have been planning and saving for this trip since last year. Going away for 23 days is already pretty costly with paying for all the transportation, accommodations and the food I will no doubt be consuming 24/7 in Europe. HOWEVER, to add to all that, I also intend on getting my teeth done in Turkey. I will become a dental tourist! You would have thought I’d get a BBL before I’d get my teeth done, but here we are.
Why?
Well, my family has been going to Bosnia for sometime to get their dental work done because Canada and the United States charge an arm and a leg for it. Initially I also thought I would go home to get my teeth done, but after doing a lot of research the time frames given didn’t work for me. I am gone for 23 days, and quite frankly, there is no need to be in Bosnia for 14 days of those 23. I love my home, but aside from Neum, WHERE THE BEACHES AT? I love beaches and if I’m going to be somewhere warm in the middle of summer, I want to occupy myself with the beach.
There was a lovely young lady named Brooke who had posted her trip to Turkey to get her teeth done on a YouTube channel. After seeing her post, I decided maybe Turkey was a good idea. Flying from Bosnia to Turkey is cheap and throughout all the posts I was seeing on YouTube and Instagram, it looks like they do some fine dental work there.
The Planning
First I made contact with Dental Center Turkey. I had seen many MANY posts about them on Instagram and all I ever heard was awesome reviews about the work they do.
I contacted them via e-mail and then WhatsApp back in January of this year. By the beginning of February I had already sent them pictures of the current state of my teeth, told them I wanted a smile makeover and asked what they thought.
The e-mail I got back from them VERY CLEARLY stated all my options with a price breakdown. When I tell you the e-mail was like 3-4 pages, I am not kidding. They put everything out in so much detail, it was amazing.
From the choices they gave me, I (believe, because who knows what I’ll want when I get there) I will be doing 16 porcelain veneers, gum contouring, I need a crown and I will also need a gum shield for my new teeth.
British Pounds will be the death of me. But this was the cost breakdown I was given for the work they think I will be needing. This may seem like a lot, but please now watch this:
About $5400.00 to get all that work done. Which, just to give you an example, a SINGLE porcelain veneer in Canada is about $1,200 per tooth.
16 x $1,200.00 = $19,200
ALMOST TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS just for the veneers if I wanted to get them here at home. Not to mention that I still need the crown, the gum shield and the gum contouring. So let’s just say, the cost of all this work would have been about 4x the amount here in Canada vs in Turkey.
I made sure to book my hotel in a good location in Antalya, even though the dental center offers transport to and from every appointment in the price. (awesome!) I’ll probably be inside upset that my face is huge from all the injections, so I need a good hotel to hide out in with a pool.
Oh no, THE FOREIGNERS!
I really wish people would stop asking me if I’m scared about ‘third world doctors‘. You have to wonder if folks think the only doctors that exist in this world are in Canada, America and the UK. I promise you, people in the other 193 countries also need dental work done and have dental schools. It becomes insulting because I happened to be born in another country and because it feels like folks think you’re stupid? Which leads me to some of the most annoying things I have had to experience….
The Questions
‘Oh, did you do your research?‘ – no I am blindly going into this because an IG influencer said so. The fuck do you think? Of course I did.
‘I don’t think I could do that.‘ – no one asked you/no one is asking you to
‘What if something goes wrong?‘ – that is MY cross to bare
‘If you ask me, I think you look fine now‘ – I didn’t fucking ask you, and you are not paying for the procedure nor does your opinion matter about it. I’m not here to please YOU
‘So I had a friend who had his done in ______ and didn’t like the results‘ – I’ve also heard of airplanes crashing, therefore, I should not ever take an airplane yes?
‘The veneers don’t last forever!‘ – I’m well aware, neither did your last two marriages
‘What if you have to go back to Turkey to do more work in 10-15 years?‘ – it is a $100 flight from Sarajevo to Turkey, it’s really not that serious to me
‘Why didn’t you just get braces/Invisalign/some other dental thing done instead of having to file down your natural teeth?‘ – So like, first, can braces fix your teeth in a week? Ohhhh. Ok. They can’t. The name of my blog is not ‘The Incredibly Patient Tourist’ – you get the point. Secondly, none of these procedures will fix the points I have on my left and right side (K9’s), the chip I have in my front tooth, the two teeth that stick out at the top, the spaces between my bottom teeth, the shading etc. Veneers fix all my smile issues in a short amount of time and that makes me SUPER happy.
Finally…..
I’m very excited to go get my teeth done. That’s really all that matters to me at this point. I’ve worked hard and non-stop to get the money together to pay for the damn teeth, so I will enjoy them. I’ve wanted to change my smile for some time now and I look forward to being able to smile HUGE in pictures with my friends and in selfies because I will finally have nice teeth.
Make sure you stay tuned to my Instagram between August 9th – September 2nd for all the videos and posts in the aforementioned countries. I will definitely be writing a post talking about how the dental work went with before and after pics, etc.
If you want to plan your own flight + stay to Turkey for teeth (or whatever other reason) you can feel free to request an itinerary on my contact page!
Total: Overall, if you go for the LEAST expensive options I posted it’s about $1083.01 per person for the trip and for the MOST expensive options it’s about $1252.66 per person for the trip.
I am not a licensed travel agent of Ontario and make itineraries as a hobby. Any itineraries used by readers are of their own free will and choosing. Site owner is not responsible for any misadventures, mishaps, airline issues or accommodation issues that occur on trip itineraries that are posted or individually e-mailed to readers.
