What’s the reality behind the ‘Love Island smile’? – podcast

As the ninth series of ITV show Love Island kicked off yesterday, viewers may have noticed contestants' perfectly straight, white teeth. But are there risks associated with achieving a flawless smile? Madeleine Finlay speaks to dentist Paul Woodhouse about some of the dangers of dental tourism

In a survey last year of over 1,000 dentists, the British Dental Association found that 94% of respondents had examined patients who had travelled abroad for dental treatments. For patients, this can be a cheaper way to achieve their perfect smile' and several previous Love Island contestants and social media influencers have shared videos of their own trips abroad to have veneers or crowns fitted. On TikTok, videos labelled with turkey teeth', named after one of the popular cosmetic dentistry destinations, have amassed more than 130m views. But there are also many well-documented cases of people being left with serious complications and significant follow-up costs to repair the damage done to their teeth.

Dentist Paul Woodhouse tells Madeleine Finlay about the different kinds of cosmetic dentistry, how procedures can go wrong, and why patients considering going abroad need to know the risks