'Dubai dental work left me with nightmare veneers'

A woman who travelled abroad for cosmetic dental work said she was left with bite problems, a snapped tooth and bleeding gums after a botched procedure.

Jade Morgan, 36, from Liverpool, said she had a "nightmare" experience after having porcelain veneers fitted in Dubai.

The mum-of-three had booked the procedure with a well-known dental clinic she had seen on social media after spotting a comparatively low price compared to treatment in the UK.

But after being rushed through the treatment and feeling like she was "on a conveyer belt", she said she had been suffering with issues that left her "not wanting to leave the house".

Jade had decided to undergo treatment to replace her old composite veneers with porcelain in March 2025.

Having had a positive experience in the UK seven years earlier, she had assumed the process would be the same in Dubai but at a cheaper cost. She paid £2,800 for the treatment, not including flights and hotel costs.

But while the process in the UK involves careful planning, staged treatment and aftercare, Jade's entire treatment in Dubai was completed within four days.

"Initially, I didn't even see the dentist that I'd booked with," she said.

"An assistant carried out all the prep work, removing my existing composites and taking impressions of my teeth.

"I only met the dentist on the final day when the veneers were already made and ready to be fitted."

She said she had felt like a "deer in headlights" and there had been "little investment from start to finish in your desired results".

This was in contrast to her previous experience in the UK, where the process involves being fitted with temporary veneers to see the proposed size and shape and make any necessary changes.

In Dubai, Jade said she had not seen what her new smile would look like until the final veneers were permanently cemented in place.

"As soon as I sat up I knew they weren't right," she said. "I didn't like the colour and I literally immediately said, 'the bite's not right'."

She said she had been sent to another clinician who spent almost two hours drilling her teeth to try to correct her bite.

"My bite still didn't feel right, but I was told to let it settle," she said. "The following day, I was scheduled to fly home."

Then two weeks after returning home, Jade woke up one morning to discover one of her front teeth had snapped in half.

She also started to suffer with bleeding gums, something she had never experienced before.

"It was awful," she said. "I had a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of worry.

"Even if the clinic offered to fix it complimentary, I'd still have to pay for flights and a hotel to get back to Dubai.

"That's thousands more on top of what I'd already spent and that's not something people think about when they book these treatments."

In a bid for help closer to home, she contacted the Liverpool dentist she had had previous positive experience with for help.

They fixed her broken tooth and put a plan in place to replace all the veneers.

Robbie Hughes, owner of Dental Excellence, said: "Patients might think they're saving money, but when you factor in travel, accommodation and the risk of needing corrective treatment back home, it can end up costing far more, both financially and in terms of damage to their natural teeth.

"Jade's case is unfortunate but not uncommon. We're glad that we could restore her smile through replacing all of the veneers whilst eradicating any further issues."

He also warned of the importance of proper planning, staged treatment and accessible aftercare - and that cost comparisons can be misleading.

Jade described the dental work she had had done back in the UK as "life-changing".

"It's the benefit of having someone in the same country, being around the corner, being on hand, should there be any issues," she said.

She now wants to raise awareness of the risks of travelling abroad for cosmetic dental treatment and encouraged people to think carefully before doing so.

"Do your research and really look into where you're going and find out what the actual process is, and are you happy to travel should there be any problems?" she said.

"Make sure that the people you choose are experienced in their field.

"You only get one set of teeth."

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