A woman who needs reconstructive surgery after dental work in Turkey failed says she is being kept going by a need to warn others of the dangers.
Leanne Abeyance, 41, from Telford – who underwent a so-called « Turkey teeth » operation – was left unable to breathe through her nose, which then collapsed days before she underwent an implant removal operation.
She remains in constant pain, which she controls with sleeping tablets and morphine every day, and feels too self-conscious to go outside.
« It doesn’t get any easier, but I’m glad that it’s touched so many people, » Abeyance said. « I just want to chop my head off and start again. »
She had started using a prosthetic nose but had to stop after suffering an allergic reaction.
In the week before the implant-removal operation at Guy’s Hospital in London, she said her septum « came apart » and would not stop bleeding.
« I got my mum round, I got everyone round. I actually said goodbye to my little girls, because I thought I was going to die, I thought I was going to get sepsis and die, » Abeyance said.
The failed dental work has also led her to develop auto-immune conditions that are causing damage to her face and have made it painful to eat.
Abeyance admits that she probably should have waited for reconstructive surgery instead of opting for a prosthetic nose.
« [But] when something is on your face like this everyone stops and stares at you, » she said.
Her injuries have « affected everything », including relationships, she said.
« I don’t want to go out anywhere, I don’t want to see anybody, » she said.
« Who wants to see somebody with bandages on their face? Who wants somebody who’s crying in pain every day? »
Instead of simply dwelling on her situation though, Abeyance has thrown her energy into raising awareness of the risks involved in cosmetic dental surgery and has tried to dissuade others.
« I’m doing this now for everybody else, » she said.
Advice from the NHS for people who are considering going abroad for dental work is that while it might be cheaper than the UK, the risks of the surgery need to be weighed against the savings.
Patients should consult their NHS dentist first, it says, as standards vary in different countries.
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