I saved £33k on dream smile in Turkey but paid the price when I had 5 brain ops, nearly died & ended up in a wheelchair

A BRIT who flew to Turkey for a Hollywood smile at a fraction of the UK price was left fighting for his life after a devastating brain infection. Martyn Kurrant thought he was finally getting the teeth he had always dreamed of. Martyn Kurrant went to Turkey because the dental treatment cost a fraction of the price he was quoted in Britain Credit: Supplied But three months after receiving the surgery he was rushed to hospital after suffering seizures Credit: Supplied Instead, just three months after the first stage of his treatment, the 46-year-old collapsed at home while suffering multiple seizures. As his nightmare unfolded he endured five brain operations, spent three months in a wheelchair and faced the gruelling task of learning to walk and talk again. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! Martyn ended up needing five brain operations Credit: Supplied Martyn has had to spend three months learning to walk again Credit: Supplied He has been left suffering with the brutal pain of aphasia — a condition that affects speaking, writing and understanding — and has been unable to return to work. An infection in his sinus spread to his brain following dental treatment at Istanbul clinic Lema Dental Clinic. But he now faces a lengthy legal battle after the clinic categorically denied that the treatment caused his condition and rejected allegations of negligence or malpractice. Martyn had travelled to Turkey because he desperately wanted to smile and chew normally again. Years of gum disease had left 15 of his teeth severely damaged or missing. A private UK dentist had quoted him around £40,000 for treatment. After six months of research, Martyn decided to travel to a clinic called Lema in Turkey, who offered to do it for £6,400. Most read in Fabulous Martyn has been left with permanent scaring Credit: Supplied Martyn had suffered years of gum disease before making the decision to have a smile makeover Credit: Supplied “I just wanted to be able to smile and chew again,” Martyn says. His treatment was due to include nine implants and 28 crowns designed to give him a dazzling white “Hollywood smile”. In April 2024, Martyn sent pictures of his mouth to the clinic over WhatsApp. He says he was sent an eight-page treatment plan just 47 minutes later, without a physical examination. The package included accommodation and airport transfers. The eventual bill was more than £8,000. Martyn says he told the clinic he had an infected abscess above one of his canine teeth which had been there for around a year. His legal claim alleges he was told this would not be a problem and that surgery went ahead despite the infection. Three months after the surgery he developed a clear discharge from his nose and his wife noticed that his face had begun to droop Credit: Supplied An MRI revealed a subdural empyema — a potentially fatal collection of pus between layers of the skull Credit: Supplied The clinic disputes this and says it rejects the allegation that medically inappropriate treatment was carried out in the presence of an infection. The first stage involved the removal of two teeth, a bone graft and a sinus lift in May 2024. He had his operation and then spent six days recovering before flying home. Martyn was then fitted with temporary dentures while waiting six months for his implants and crowns. He even sent the clinic a message of thanks. “You guys have literally changed my life,” he wrote in May 2024. But just three months later, his life changed again. In August, Martyn began feeling increasingly unwell. He developed a clear discharge from his nose and his wife noticed that his face had begun to droop. Then, on August 31, he started suffering seizures and lost consciousness. An MRI revealed a subdural empyema — a potentially fatal collection of pus between layers of the skull. NHS clinical summaries record his main diagnosis as “subdural empyema post-dental procedure in Turkey”. Part of his skull had to be removed, leaving his brain exposed Credit: Supplied Martyn says the experience has left him feeling anxious Credit: Supplied Doctors found infections and brain abscesses and Martyn underwent two rounds of emergency brain surgery, as well as endoscopic sinus surgery. Part of his skull had to be removed, leaving his brain exposed and requiring him to wear a protective helmet. He spent eight weeks in hospital and doctors had told him he was lucky to be alive. Martyn has since undergone a total of five brain operations, including having a titanium plate fitted to his head. He spent three months in a wheelchair before teaching himself to walk and talk again. But the ordeal has left its mark. “I’m sleeping a lot, my anxiety is huge, and I’ve lost a lot of confidence,” he says. Once a confident businessman who described himself as “a happy chappy”, Martyn now spends much of his time at home with his dogs, Rexy and Halo. His 23-year-old son Joe helps care for him and often has to communicate on his behalf because his speech can be difficult to understand. Before the incident, Martyn described himself as a ‘happy chappy’ who could talk to anyone Credit: Supplied Before the disaster, he had run his own business, an app for companies in the facilities management sector Credit: Supplied Martyn has also paid £300 a month speech therapy for the past two years. Before the disaster, he had run his own business, an app for companies in the facilities management sector. Launched in 2022, it was doing well and earned him around £60,000 a year and his son worked alongside him. Martyn has since sold the company. “I was a happy chappy, very talkative,” he says, “I could sell snow to the Eskimos.” Now he is reliant on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and unable to work. He is taking legal action in Turkey against Lema and the dentist who treated him, seeking £201,000 for pain and suffering, with further claims for lost earnings and lifelong care. His legal claim alleges that he was not properly warned about the risks, that his concerns over the infection were dismissed and that the sinus lift was unnecessary and should have been delayed until the infection had cleared. It also alleges he received little or no aftercare. Martyn says he repeatedly contacted Lema after becoming ill, but says communication stopped after he mentioned his condition. Lema has rejected the allegations. A spokesman for the clinic, which has treated almost 100,000 patients, including approximately 50,000 from the UK, says: “Lema Dental Clinic does not accept the allegations made by Mr Kurrant. “Mr Kurrant’s treatment was carried out following a clinical assessment, in accordance with the agreed treatment plan, by qualified and experienced dental professionals, and with his informed consent. “Mr Kurrant and his family, like all of our patients, are important to us and we were sincerely saddened to learn of the serious health problems Mr Kurrant has experienced. We extend our heartfelt wishes for his recovery and sincerely hope that he makes a full recovery. “Nevertheless, we do not accept the allegation that the treatment provided by Lema Dental Clinic caused or contributed to the neurological conditions Mr Kurrant subsequently experienced.” The clinic said the relevant legal and medical explanations and supporting evidence had been submitted to the Turkish court. Martyn’s son Joe now helps take care of him Credit: Supplied Martyn is now reliant on Personal Independence Payment and unable to work Credit: Supplied It also denied failing to conduct necessary examinations, carrying out inappropriate treatment despite an infection, or any medical negligence, fault or malpractice. The clinic stressed that none of the allegations had been established by a final court judgment. Lema, founded in 2021, describes itself as a leading Istanbul dental clinic. Lema has numerous positive testimonials online, although Trustpilot has placed a warning on its page concerning fake reviews. UK-based Canko Law, is representing Martyn. A spokesman said: “We have brought a claim on Martyn’s behalf in the Istanbul Consumer Court. “It alleges that the surgery went ahead despite an infection Martyn had raised with the clinic beforehand, that he was not told about the risks and never gave informed consent. The clinic denies everything, and it is now for the court to decide. “We regularly come across patients who have been through similar things: a plan built from phone photos, no physical examination, money taken up front and a rushed schedule. Most of the people who contact us were promised perfect results and were never told the risks. “Martyn has chosen to speak out so that nobody else goes through what he and his family have.” For Martyn, the dream of a perfect smile has become a nightmare he is still struggling to wake from. And worst still, he is stuck in a no man’s land, as no dentists in the UK will finish the dentistry work now as they could become liable. The man who once said a cheap Turkish dental trip had “literally changed my life” is now fighting to rebuild the life he had before it and he warns “Don’t do it, I almost died.” Comment now