Before we were founders, we were patients. This is the story of how extensive dental damage, months of independent research, and one shared discovery turned into Guided Smiles.
Andy and Jon didn't set out to build a business. Like a lot of people, they'd each reached a point where years of dental problems had caught up with them. This wasn't a filling or a single crown — both needed their entire smiles rebuilt, essentially from the ground up.
For Jon, that meant a genuinely extreme case: ten extractions, ten implants, two sinus lifts and a bone graft, all completed in a single afternoon. It's the kind of treatment plan that sounds unbelievable until you're the one signing the consent forms.
Andy's journey covered similarly extensive ground — full-mouth reconstruction consisting of thirty zirconium crowns that UK dentistry quoted at a price, and a timeline, that simply wasn't realistic for either of them.
Here's the part that still surprises people: Andy and Jon didn't research clinics together. Each of them spent months — independently — digging through patient reviews, before-and-after galleries, dentist credentials, clinic accreditations, and honest forum threads from people who'd been through it themselves.
They asked the questions most people are too nervous to ask: What happens if something goes wrong? Who's actually doing the surgery? What's the real aftercare like, not just what's promised in the brochure?
When they finally compared notes, they'd each landed on the exact same clinic in Turkey, for the exact same reasons: the quality of the surgical team, the transparency of the treatment planning, and an aftercare approach that didn't just end when you left the chair.
Neither Andy nor Jon went to Turkey for a couple of veneers. This was major reconstructive dentistry, and it needed a team that could handle real complexity.
Removing failing and damaged teeth to create a clean, healthy foundation to rebuild from.
A full arch of implants placed in a single extended session — precise, planned, and closely monitored.
Two sinus lifts and a bone graft to build up the jaw structure needed to support long-term implants.
Andy's full-mouth reconstruction used thirty zirconium crowns — chosen for their strength, natural translucency, and long-term durability, giving a complete new bite as well as a completely new smile.
"When you've been through ten extractions, ten implants, two sinus lifts and a bone graft in one sitting, you understand what real aftercare needs to look like. It's not a taxi to the airport — it's someone checking on you at 2am if you need them."— Jon, Co-founder
Going through this made one thing obvious: the treatment itself is only half the story. The other half is everything around it — the nerves before your first consultation, the logistics of travel, the disorientation of recovering somewhere unfamiliar, and the simple, practical problem of what on earth you can eat when you can barely open your mouth.
We built the company we wish had existed when we were researching our own treatment. We arrange your first UK consultation with the clinic we personally chose. We help you plan your treatment. And then we come with you — not as a rep meeting you at arrivals, but as people who've sat in that same recovery chair.
