A man who couldn’t secure an NHS dentist undertook a four-day journey across 14 trains and buses to obtain £6,000 ‘Turkey teeth’ after an accident left him unable to fly. Nick Bishop, 65, eventually decided to have his teeth fixed following their loss in an accident aged 18.

In a determined quest for dental care, 65-year-old Nick Bishop embarked on a remarkable four-day journey involving 14 trains and buses to get dental implants in Turkey. This came after a car accident prevented him from flying. Bishop, who lost his teeth in an accident at 18, had been struggling to find an NHS dentist and faced prohibitive costs for private care in the UK.

Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Bishop traveled to Izmir, Turkey, where he paid £6,100 for dental implants. After an initial fitting, he was scheduled to fly back on January 17 to complete the procedure. However, an unfortunate car accident left him with a punctured lung, grounding him for 12 weeks as per doctors’ advice.

Refusing to delay his dental treatment, Nick’s son, Jordan Bishop, 30, assisted in organizing an alternative route. They secured a £500 Interrail pass, allowing Nick to traverse multiple countries by rail. His journey from Bournemouth involved 13 changes and spanned four days, and he is currently en route back home.

Bishop, who works as a builder in Bournemouth, Dorset, shared his perspective: “I could have stayed at home doing nothing during my recovery, but instead, I chose to travel and achieve something. It’s been a worthwhile journey, I can assure you!”

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“I helped him look online, avoiding any potential scams, then one day he was working in London and he popped into a clinic he saw. They are based in London, but do the procedures at a clinic in Izmir, Turkey. They seemed legit and it was within his budget, so he went ahead with them.”

Nick then embarked on his journey in early July 2024 to have his implants fitted, which involves drilling the implants for new teeth into the gums. Nick’s gums then required six to nine months to heal, and he planned to return to Turkey in mid-January for a check-up, until he was involved in a serious accident.

Nick said: “It was three days before I was due to leave for Turkey when I got into my accident. I was walking out to my parked car when another car from across the way lost control on the icy roads.

“The car spun out and hit me, sandwiching me between their vehicle and mine. I had a severe head injury, a punctured lung, broken ribs, a broken femur and a dislocated knee.

“I was in hospital for nearly 10 days, to the point of recovery where I could move about on my own. But the punctured lung means I can’t fly for 12 weeks.”

It became apparent following the accident that Nick wouldn’t be able to attend his original appointment, but the 12-week postponement was unbearable for him. Jordan assisted him in mapping out the journey and acquiring the £500 Interrail pass enabling him to traverse the continent.

It took Nick four days to reach Izmir using 12 trains and two coaches, then five days to return on 13 trains.

Nick said: “I was a little apprehensive at first, but I knew I couldn’t just sit around and wait. My doctors in the UK gave me the all-clear to go as long as I didn’t fly, so I thought it was worth it.

“I ended up travelling on 12 separate trains and two coaches. I went from London to Brussels, to Munich, to Budapest, to Bucharest, to Plovdiv, to Istanbul and finally to Izmir.

“It all went pretty much to plan with a few delays – I missed a train in Bucharest, so had to unexpectedly stay the night in a hotel. I shared 10 hours with a lady from New Zealand on way out and I just spent two hours using a translator device to chat with a guy from Goran who was on his way to his sister in Ruse.”

Currently making his way back, Nick is expected to arrive in Bournemouth this weekend.

He said: “I’m hoping it keeps running smoothly. I’ve gotten my teeth now so I’m ready to be home.”