"Invested all his money." A Belarusian from Poland flew to Turkey for dental treatment – now he needs over 25,000 euros for correction

However, complications began after the first trip, leading to additional expenses. Now the Belarusian is trying to find more than 25,000 euros to restore his teeth in Poland after the Turkish clinic. He shared his story with Most.

Treatment plan made based on X-rays

Before the trip to Turkey, Aliaksandr had already undergone treatment in Poland — correcting his bite and restoring missing teeth. This was expensive, and yet some teeth were still lost. Due to high costs, he began looking for alternative options.

— I compared different countries where the final sum was lower, and I settled on Turkey. Besides, I was afraid of the language barrier, so I chose a clinic with a Russian-speaking consultant.

Based on the X-rays taken in Poland, the clinic drew up a treatment plan. The proposed price — about 4,000 euros — seemed attractive to him.

The cost increased by a thousand euros

The first alarming signal appeared upon arrival. No one met Aliaksandr at the airport: the consultant-interpreter who was supposed to accompany him had left, and communication with the clinic had to be conducted online. This was concerning, but he decided to continue the treatment, as the trip had already been paid for.

At the clinic itself, it turned out that the initial treatment plan had changed: another tooth needed to be extracted and an additional implant installed. The cost increased by approximately one thousand euros.

— I tried to object, but then it became clear how it works: first they name a low price, and then they increase it on site. You find yourself in a situation where it's difficult to refuse — you've already flown, spent money, taken time off.

Aliaksandr agreed and underwent two weeks of treatment. His teeth were prepped, crowns were placed on all existing teeth, and implants and bridges were installed. Three implants were left without crowns — for this, he had to return in six months.

"They advised changing my toothbrush and toothpaste"

A few weeks after returning to Poland, Aliaksandr started having problems: his gums began to bleed, and his teeth became sensitive to cold and hot.

He contacted the clinic, but the Russian-speaking consultant no longer responded. Communication continued through another employee with the help of an interpreter. In response, he was advised to change his toothbrush and toothpaste.

The clinic offered him to come back for a redo. Aliaksandr decided to combine this with the placement of crowns on the implants and arranged to return in six months.

Front crowns chipped off

The second time, Aliaksandr flew to Istanbul entirely at his own expense: he paid for the flight, accommodation, and all incidental expenses.

He recalls that legally, the situation seemed opaque from the very beginning. During the first visit, the entire sum had to be paid in cash. No official contract was concluded — he was only given a paper with the amount and an assistant's signature. At the time, this seemed suspicious to him, but he didn't attach much importance to it.

During the second visit, it turned out that his front crowns had chipped off after the first treatment, and his bite remained incorrect.

— I already had serious problems. I insisted that everything be redone under warranty.

According to him, the clinic had previously promised a warranty — two years for labor and up to 20 years for materials, but this was not officially documented anywhere.

— The doctor did not want to redo it for free. After long disputes, they agreed, but with an additional payment for the crowns on the implants.

Aliaksandr says that, in fact, a significant part of the treatment had to be done again. This process turned out to be difficult not only physically but also psychologically.

— I already understood then that it was a medical error.

"Doctors are simply shocked"

Despite repeated treatment, the problems did not disappear. According to Aliaksandr, the result did not satisfy him either functionally or aesthetically.

— They promised me a beautiful smile, but the crowns still look unnatural. The doctor said he couldn't do better because the case was complicated. But this should have been said before the treatment, not after all my teeth had been prepped.

Upon returning to Poland, he contacted several clinics to get an independent opinion.

— Everyone comes to roughly the same conclusion. They say that inflamed areas — cysts or granulomas — were left under the crowns. In addition, some crowns are loosely fitted. There's even an implant placed at a strange angle. Doctors are simply shocked by such an approach to treatment.

All three years of savings are gone

Initially, Aliaksandr expected to spend about 4-5 thousand euros, but in the end, the cost of treatment in Turkey exceeded 6 thousand — not including flights and accommodation. This used up almost all his savings from three years of work.

When he sent the Polish doctors' conclusions to the Turkish clinic, the answer was, according to him, predictable: they offered him to come again, but without guarantees that the redo would be free.

— I started to study how the issue could be resolved legally. I consulted with lawyers and inquired about courts in Turkey. Processes can drag on for years, and decisions are often not made in favor of foreigners. Even if you win, only part of the damage is compensated — not including flights, accommodation, and lawyer's fees.

According to him, lawyer's services cost from 1500-1700 euros to start, and expenses only increase from there.

Aliaksandr contacted several Polish clinics for an estimate of treatment costs. They vary greatly — from several tens of thousands of zlotys to 172 thousand in one of the clinics (the man provided medical documentation to the MOST editorial office). Aliaksandr is aiming for more than 100 thousand zlotys (25 thousand euros). Meanwhile, the Belarusian's income is small: it's barely enough for rent and basic expenses.

Aliaksandr says he tried to contact various foundations to open a fundraiser, but received rejections. Therefore, he is telling about the collection on his Facebook.

"The clinic actually seems not to exist"

Trying to understand the situation, Aliaksandr began to independently search for information about the clinic.

According to him, he found out that it might have been operating not entirely legally. He published his story on Turkish online platforms, indicating the clinic's name and links to its social media pages — this is how he managed to find additional contacts.

At some point, he located the building where the treatment took place, but he was informed there that they had no direct connection to that clinic.

— Then I got the impression that this might be a fraudulent scheme. They actively advertise, publish beautiful videos and reviews, but at the same time, they don't always have permission for medical tourism.

Aliaksandr claims that the clinic did not have its own premises — it rented an office in another medical center and operated under a different name.

— I noticed that we, foreign patients, were treated on the lower floor, out of sight. Local patients were treated on the first floor, where the windows face the street. Now that clinic is no longer there — they have moved out.

The clinic started threatening legal action

Aliaksandr also failed to find the doctor who performed the treatment: according to him, the doctor moved to another clinic and stopped responding.

— I tried to contact him through his new workplace, but I'm not sure if the information was even passed on to him. They are more likely to support each other.

Furthermore, when the clinic learned that the former patient was spreading his story, the Belarusian began to receive threats of legal action.

— They said I was slandering and ruining their reputation. But I'm just telling what happened to me.

"I learned a lot from a former employee"

Aliaksandr received some information about the clinic's work from its former employee. This is how he learned that the clinic where he was treated might have been operating under a different name and without its own premises.

— They have many Facebook pages in different languages — Turkish, English, Russian, Arabic. They try to reach various audiences and attract people with beautiful videos and, as it seems to me, misleading information.

At the same time, Aliaksandr emphasizes: externally, the treatment result may look better than it did initially, but this does not reflect the real condition.

— I chose expensive materials — zirconium dioxide, wanted a good smile, and invested all my money in it. So, in photos, it might look decent. But in fact, it's just an external effect, and the problems remain.

"It will be very difficult to protect your rights"

Having gained such an experience, Aliaksandr drew several conclusions for himself.

— One should not trust online reviews. They might be written immediately after treatment, when the consequences are not yet visible. People publish beautiful photos and videos, but it's unknown how the situation will develop over time.

He advises checking the reputation of doctors in advance, clarifying what documents the clinic has, what equipment is used, and definitely demanding a contract.

— And it's important to understand: if something goes wrong, it will be very difficult to protect your rights, — concludes the interviewee.

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