A Welshman has revealed how his costly Turkey teeth operation left him with deep regret.

In total, the Brit spent about £14,000 on travel, accommodation, and surgery put together, but he says that he now has to book another operation after being another unsatisfied patient of a cosmetic operation done in Turkey.

Matthew Bowen, from Abercynon, spoke to Wales Online and revealed that he’s had dental issues since he was 19, when he broke his jaw after being assaulted at a Tesco.

Bowen was not happy with his teeth after a number of operations in Turkey (WalesOnline/Media Wales)

Admitting that his teeth ‘started crumbling’ after the incident, he revealed that in the years leading up to his Turkey teeth operation, the scaffolder worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week so that he could afford the cosmetic work.

He had to fly over to Turkey, as the exact Crowns he wanted weren’t available on the NHS, and a private operation would have set him back £27,000, significantly more than the price overseas.

A Turkish friend suggested he go to the Aras Selcuk Advanced Dentistry clinic in Marmaris, which was priced at £7,800 for the operation.

WalesOnline contacted Dr Selcuk, who explained: “This is the only patient with problems so far. Everyone is happy, only this guy is not.”

The surgery took place in January 2023, after flying over for discussions in 2022.

Bowen had 18 teeth removed and 12 metal implants put into his jawbone, which required a three-month healing period at home before coming back to get porcelain crowns fitted.

But this is where the problems began.

He explained: “The pain was so bad, I couldn’t get out of bed for weeks. Every time I stood up my whole head would hurt.”

The Brit has complained about continuous problems with his teeth (WalesOnline/Media Wales)

Living off a soft diet in recovery, Bowen returned to Marmaris in April 2023 for the next stage, but claimed that his gnashers were ‘falling apart’ within weeks, so he needed to head back in August 2023 for another operation.

Now, his crowns required dental glue, as they had been screwed in previously.

Dr Selcuk said that the operation in August was done for free out of goodwill, though admitted no wrongdoing.

Bowen further said: “I had the new set put in but the same thing happened,

“My teeth are chipped and cracked. There’s damage to ten of the crowns. I’ve got a big gap from my gums to my teeth. You can see all my saliva coming through the tops of my teeth,” the 35-year-old said.

As the problems seemingly continued, he returned to Turkey in August 2024 with no appointment, in search of a solution, but the doctor told him there was nothing he could do.

“I made it free the second time, and each time he comes with something else,” Dr Selcuk claimed.

He went on: “I told him the saliva between the gum and the teeth is normal. Even your original teeth can crack if you don’t take care about it. You have to be careful when eating and avoid grinding your teeth at night. Otherwise you can crack them — these teeth are porcelain.”

He has agreed to do another operation with a different dentist (WalesOnline/Media Wales)

Bowen stands by the fact that he took care of his teeth, sticking to a soft diet, and using night guards.

He claims he has woken up ‘with bits of my teeth in my night guard’, adding that he ‘feels down all the time’ due to his teeth.

His travel costs, amounting to £6,200, almost equal the amount he paid the clinic, but it looks like there is no solution to his issue in the UK.

Indeed, Bowen said that ‘no dentist in the UK will touch me now cause I’ve been to Turkey’.

But he has now revealed that another Turkish dentist might come to his rescue, recommending another operation which could save his implants, but will cost another £4,000.

“I don’t really want to pay any more, but I still want a perfect smile,” he stated.

Dr Selcuk went on to explain to WalesOnline that he carried the operation out as it would have been done around the world.

He added: “When we finished the work the first time, he said he wanted to change to another set, so we did new crowns, all for free, no charge at all. I asked him, ‘Are you happy?’ And he says everything is good… He should just be careful. He shouldn’t eat something hard.”

His clinic also states online that the dentist has treated 8,023 ‘happy patients’.

Strict new rules have been introduced by Singapore Airlines following the tragic death of a British man on a flight which encountered severe turbulence.

The world is still reeling from the sinister incident in the skies which unfolded on 20 May last week that left dozens of passengers injured and father-of-two Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, dead.

Ten hours into a journey from London Heathrow to Singapore, the flight hit ‘severe turbulence’ and dropped by 6,000ft in a few minutes with 211 passengers and 18 crew onboard.

Devastating images show the aftermath of the dramatic incident which forced the plane to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.

The flight from London to Singapore had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok after experiencing severe turbulence. (X/@tinchok555)

The husband of one passenger who has been left with a ‘life changing injury’ has since told how his wife was thrown from her seat and into an overhead locker before landing in the aisle during the terrifying turbulence.

Many travellers have since undergone surgery as medics deal with a host of spinal cord, brain and skull injuries.

Now, Singapore Airlines have announced that their in-flight polices have had a major overhaul as the firm has ‘adopted a more cautious approach to managing turbulence’.

The carrier said that they will no longer be serving hot drinks and meals when the seatbelt sign is on.

In a statement shared with The Independent, Singapore Airlines continued: “During poor weather conditions, particularly in turbulence, cabin crew will continue to secure all loose items and equipment in the cabin and galley to minimise the risk of turbulence-related injuries.

“Pilots and cabin crew are aware of the hazards associated with turbulence. They are also trained to assist customers and ensure cabin safety throughout the flight.

Singapore Airlines has made changes to its in-flight policies in wake of the incident. (Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“[Singapore Airlines] will continue to review our processes as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance.”

It added that flight attendants will ‘continue to advise passengers to return to their seats and secure their seat belts‘ as well as keeping a close eye on travellers who may require assistance.

Reports also suggest that Singapore Airlines appear to have altered the flight path for SQ321, as the two journeys it has completed since the deadly incident have dodged the area where the turbulence hit.

It has not flown over the part of Myanmar where everything went awry and has instead been soaring over the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, according to data from aviation tracker FlightRadar 24.

On Saturday, the airline said there were still 43 passengers and two crew members in various hospitals in Bangkok.

Seven of those – three Australians, two Malaysians, one Brit and one New Zealander – are in intensive care.

Daredevil and influencer Lewis Stevenson, 26, fell to his death on Sunday morning (13 October) when trying to scale the Castilla La Mancha bridge in Spain.

Plunging from the 630 ft (192m) bridge, the Brit was said to be making his way up Spain’s highest bridge without any assistance or safety equipment to take some photos and videos to post on social media.

Known as a ‘rooftopper’, Stevenson was warned by his family not to try the stunt, but as someone who ‘loved’ the hobby and completed several dangerous climbs in the past, he ‘always went out there believing he’d be alright’.

He was said to be a quarter of the way across the bridge (Lewis Stevenson)

Some of his more impressive snaps were some taken atop a New York skyscraper, some while hanging off a structure in Croatia, and a few looking out at Central London from a metal beam.

Tributes have poured in for the late adrenaline junkie, as authorities in Spain also revealed that he was with a 24-year-old friend.

It was reported that the pair were a quarter of the way across the iconic bridge before he lost his grip and fell to his death.

Local Councillor Macareza Munoz said that accessing the bridge was ‘totally banned’ after the Brit’s body was recovered at 7.14am on Sunday.

A spokesperson for National Police in Toledo said: “He was about 40 to 50 metres up, around a quarter of the total height of the bridge, when he fell.”

The statement added that ‘the reason he fell is not clear and will be investigated by a local court’, with bad weather being investigated as a possible reason.

Stevenson’s girlfriend, Savannah, has now spoken out about her boyfriend’s tragic death, explaining how tough the last few days have been.

Stevenson, originally from Derby, had tributes pouring in following his untimely passing (Lewis Stevenson)

Savannah Parker posted online: “It’s 5am and I haven’t eaten or slept. Someone tell me this is a nightmare.

“I feel violently sick at the fact you’re not coming back. Please come back. Answer the phone.”

She had last spoken to her boyfriend only eight hours before he died, with the last message she sent him reading: “Good night, I love you.”

However, Parker thinks that her partner passed out while scaling the bridge, causing him to fall off.

“He didn’t just fall. He lost consciousness because he wasn’t feeling well,” she claimed.

“His friend who he was with sent me over his police statement.

“He told his friend he wasn’t feeling well and he said, ‘Shall we go back down?’

“Lewis said, ‘Give me a minute’, and that’s when he lost consciousness and slipped,” Parker explained.

Stevenson’s girlfriend has revealed how she has been doing since her partner’s death (Lewis Stevenson)

She further added: “Every time he went away I would tell him to be careful, as much as it worries me, I don’t look into things because I worry enough as it is and I just let him do his thing and generally he just comes back.

“This weekend he didn’t. It is one thing to hear that he’s gone but it’s tragic how it happened,” she emotionally admitted.

One of the daredevil’s friends called the occurrence the ‘greatest sadness of my life’ in a tribute to the late Stevenson, while another thanked him after he ‘changed my perspective on life’.

Police, firefighters and medics rushed to the scene after the fall, but they couldn’t do anything to save him.

A mum has told of her horror after being forced to finish a rollercoaster ride next to her five-year-old son’s limp body when his ‘heart stopped’ around 20 seconds after the ride started.

Christine Tagle explained she was unable to rouse her little boy Ernesto after he suddenly became unconscious shortly after climbing onto their ‘favourite’ Guardians of the Galaxy coaster at Disney World Orlando.

She had been visiting the theme park in Florida with her family on 21 September when the terrifying incident occurred.

In a Facebook post detailing the ordeal, the mum explained she was unable to get the five-year-old to ‘wake up’ after noticing that he had ‘passed out’.

Reliving what has to be every parent‘s worst nightmare, Christine explained she couldn’t feel her son’s pulse.

“He’d ridden the ride before, so I really didn’t understand what was going on,” she told Fox 35 Orlando. “We had to complete the ride – like there’s no way to stop it or get off of it.

“I was screaming, hitting him, and saying something’s wrong.”

Ernesto, 5, suddenly lost consciousness while on the rollercoaster (Fox 35 Orlando)

After an agonising wait for the rollercoaster to end, the mum told how she frantically hauled Ernesto out of the carriage and began desperately ‘screaming for help’ before beginning to perform CPR on him.

Quick-thinking Disney staff then rushed over with an automated external defibrillator (AED) and shocked the youngster to kickstart his heart, while the little lad’s father – who is also named Ernesto – ran off to find more help.

Fortunately, the dad found an off-duty nurse and a paramedic, who helped the parents continue resuscitation efforts and ‘kept him stable as he began to have seizures’.

Explaining the events in an Instagram post, Ernesto wrote: “This past week has been a rollercoaster for our family. Rollercoaster being the key word. We were able to find another couple to help us get our son breathing again.

“Thank you Melissa Lynn Peters and Terry. We are forever grateful.”

The dad said his son was rushed to hospital where he was stabilised, before being transferred to another one via helicopter a few hours later.

The family were on their ‘favourite’ Guardians of the Galaxy ride when the scary incident occurred (Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)

“Test after test was performed to find out the cause and future prevention,” Ernesto wrote. “We were not sure if he would be ok when he woke. Brain damage? Heart damage? The unknown was the worst part.”

Doctors told the couple that the five-year-old has a genetic heart condition – catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, otherwise known as CTVT – which was triggered during their Disney World trip.

According to the British Heart Foundation, CTVT can cause the heart to go into arrhythmia when the sufferer does too much physical activity, experiences excessive excitement or a lot of stress.

The most common symptoms of the condition are blackouts, palpitations, dizziness and fainting.

Ernesto’s parents – who had no idea that he had CTVT before the rollercoaster incident – have since heaped praise on Disney World staff and the Good Samaritans who helped tend to their little boy.

Parents Ernesto and Christine have applauded quick-thinking Disney staff and heroic passersby for helping save their son (Fox 35 Orlando)

Christine told social media users: “My son is alive, my son lived because when his (now we know) genetic heart disease presented itself, we were at Disney, where there is an AED everywhere.

“My son is alive because we were at Disney with trained staff. My son is alive because of this couple. My son is alive because I was trained in CPR (parents PLEASE PLEASE get trained if you aren’t).

“Disney always had my heart, but now they own it , they have my thanks, and I am in debt to them forever and ever.”

Little Ernesto underwent surgery and is said to be ‘doing well’, with medics finding ‘no signs of brain or heart damage’.

His dad added: “Even better, this warrior is already home and already asking to ride his motorcycle. We love you so much Ernesto, brother, ET3. You are our miracle child. Not all heroes wear capes is so true in this story.

“Get CPR certified or get a refresher course. You never know when you’ll need it.”

Christine later revealed that she had been able to track down the heroic bystanders who lent the family a hand, adding that she intended to ‘give them hugs and love and say our thanks face-to-face’.