Do NOT go to ISTESTRELLA in…
Do NOT go to ISTESTRELLA in Istanbul!!!!
Hello,
I would like to share my disappointment with the clinic Istestrella in Istanbul. My wife and I received an offer for zirconia crowns — €6200 in total for both of us. The plan was 24 crowns for her and 26 for me. The coordinator sent us an offer along with “before and after” photos for promotional purposes, as well as a treatment schedule including 4 nights and 5 days of procedures. Based on this, I booked our flights accordingly.
Everything seemed fine at first. We arrived in Istanbul, were picked up from the airport, and taken straight to the clinic for tooth preparation.
That’s where the first red flag appeared. They asked for payment in cash, even though this had never been mentioned beforehand. After about three hours of discussions and arguments, I managed to pay by card, but they added a 7% fee, supposedly for bank charges (I have the receipts). I later checked — such fees don’t exist. They simply don’t want to pay taxes.
Second red flag — complete chaos in coordination. The Bulgarian translator was supposed to stay with my wife, but she was everywhere except where she was needed. I managed with my doctor because he spoke some English. Whenever we needed the translator, she had to be called, and by the time she understood what needed translating, she had already forgotten the beginning. On top of that, she left at 7 PM, leaving us without any translation support. Her explanation? “For this salary, that’s enough.”
Several times I even had to help translate for other patients. Procedures continued until midnight!
They would tell you to be at the clinic at 10 AM, and then you would wait until 3–4 PM. Zero organization.
When it came time to place the zirconia crowns, my wife’s seemed to fit at first, but over the next three days they adjusted them at least five times. My crowns had to be redone twice because they were done very poorly. Even my doctor got frustrated with the lab for not following his instructions.
After two days of delays — and me having to buy new plane tickets — we left shortly after the crowns were placed. This time, they booked the tickets for us, but didn’t even include luggage, and there was no time for proper testing and adjustment.
That’s when the real problems started.
Once my wife stopped taking painkillers, she began experiencing severe pain in her jaw and teeth — unbearable pain. After contacting the clinic and receiving inadequate responses, and after visiting three dentists in Sofia, we found out she had four cases of pulpitis under the crowns.
Before going to Istestrella, neither of us had any dental issues apart from minor cosmetic concerns. They even killed one of her teeth unnecessarily and affected the nerve — something that had never been required before, nor was it discussed with us.
In Turkey, she didn’t feel this pain because they gave us painkillers from day one.
It turned out the pulpitis was caused by poor tooth preparation — not because the nerves were directly exposed, but because the teeth were drilled without proper cooling, and the heat damaged the nerves.
My wife was in extreme pain for days. The clinic told us to come back to Turkey so they could fix the problem they themselves had created. She категорично refused, as she had already fallen into depression from the whole experience.
I informed them we would not return, as it made no sense to be treated where the issue was caused. I asked for reimbursement for the additional flight tickets due to their delays, the extra card payment fee, and partial compensation for my wife’s treatment in Bulgaria.
Since then — no response at all.
And we are not the only ones. Out of the patients we met there, at least four others were also dissatisfied.
I personally didn’t experience pain, but I had a different doctor. Still, I had to visit dentists in Sofia multiple times to adjust my bite. The problem that remains is that I still have difficulty speaking properly (lisping), because the upper front crowns were made too thick — despite me telling them several times at Istestrella.
I won’t even go into detail about the issues other patients had with poorly placed implants, which they shared while we were there.
The staff changes very frequently — I wonder why. One patient mentioned that just four months earlier, the doctors were completely different.
If you want quality service, proper treatment, and healthy teeth, crowns, or implants — do NOT go to Istestrella.
I have proof for everything I’ve stated: chat screenshots, before-and-after dental images, medical reports from Bulgarian dentists after the procedure, photos from the clinic, and audio recordings of conversations.
Good luck!