Dental Implants in Turkey 2027: How to Time Your Two Istanbul Trips

Dental implant treatment in Turkey usually means two trips to Istanbul, a few months apart: one to place the implant and one, after it has healed into the bone, to fit the final tooth, bridge or denture. Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust says you usually need to wait at least three months before an implant can support replacement teeth, so the real planning question for 2027 is how to pair two sets of travel dates. This page is a travel calendar. Your clinic decides the medical timeline, and you should have it in writing before you book. We handle the travel around it, from a private airport transfer at $60 per group to a car and driver on the days in between.

Get Turkey Tours is a licensed travel agency (TÜRSAB A-15751), not a clinic or a medical intermediary. We do not book or sell treatment and we do not recommend clinics or dentists.

Why implant treatment usually means two trips

An implant is a small post placed in the jawbone. Before it can hold a tooth, the bone has to grow around it, and that takes time. UK hospital guides describe the treatment in stages:

1. Assessment: examination, X-rays or scans and a treatment plan.
2. Bone grafting, only if there is not enough bone to hold the implant.
3. Placing the implant.
4. Restorative treatment: making and fitting the crown, bridge or denture, which can take several appointments.

The first three stages can often happen on the first trip, and the fourth on the second. Some clinics talk about fitting a tooth on the day of surgery; whether that is possible is a clinical decision for the dentist who examines you, not something to assume when you plan flights. Plan for two trips unless your clinic tells you otherwise in writing.

How long to leave between trip one and trip two

The gap is set by healing, not by the calendar, and it varies:

• At least three months before an implant can support replacement teeth, according to Guy's and St Thomas'.
• Two to six months for the implant to bond to the bone, according to Leeds Teaching Hospitals.
• Four to six months longer if you need a bone graft, again according to Guy's and St Thomas'.

So a realistic plan is a second trip three to six months after the first, and possibly longer. Ask your clinic for its expected interval and what would make it longer, then pick both sets of dates together so that the second trip does not land on a holiday week or the peak of summer.

Pairing your two trips across 2027

The table pairs a first trip with a second one at three and at six months. The temperatures are long-term averages for Istanbul from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).

Two pairings work especially well for comfort: February and May, if you keep the May trip outside Eid week, and June and September. Both keep you out of the July and August peak, when hotel rates in Istanbul are highest. For more on the seasons, see the best time to visit Istanbul and our guide to Istanbul in September.

2027 dates that make either trip harder

None of these closes a dental clinic for long, but they fill hotels and flights or change opening hours:

• 9 to 11 March: Eid al-Fitr. With the Turkish school mid-term (8 to 12 March), domestic travel peaks from 6 to 14 March, and some businesses, including the Grand Bazaar, usually close on the first day.
• 26 to 29 March: Easter in Western Europe, with Easter Sunday on 28 March.
• 16 to 19 May: Eid al-Adha, after a half-day eve on Saturday 15 May. Many people take the whole week off.
• 25 June onwards: the Turkish school summer holiday, which overlaps with the European summer peak.
• 1 to 3 October: the Formula 1 Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park, on the Asian side.
• 29 October: Republic Day, a Friday, which makes a long weekend.

Ramadan runs from 8 February to 8 March 2027. Clinics, hotels and transport keep working, so a February trip is not a problem. Christmas is a normal working day in Turkey, so late December is possible if you avoid New Year week.

How long each trip lasts

Only the clinic can tell you, because it depends on how many implants you need, whether you need a graft and how the work is split between the trips. When you ask, request a day-by-day schedule for each trip, including:

• the assessment and scan day, and whether it can be the same day as surgery;
• the surgery day and any check-up before you fly home;
• for the second trip, how many appointments the restorative work needs and how many days the dental laboratory needs between them;
• what happens if something takes longer, and who pays for extra nights.

Then add a spare day at the end of each trip. The second trip in particular can stretch, because the crown or bridge is made to fit and may need adjusting. Ask your clinic, too, when you may fly after surgery and what it advises for the first days, such as food and exercise.

Flights and tickets for a two-trip plan

Two trips mean two sets of flights, two hotel stays and two sets of transfers, so put them into your budget from the start. A few rules make the plan cheaper and less stressful:

• Book the first trip with a flexible return. If the clinic adds a day, changing a flexible fare costs less than buying a new one.
• Hold off on the second trip until the clinic confirms the interval after surgery, or buy a fare that allows date changes.
• Choose the right airport. Istanbul Airport (IST) is on the European side; Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) is on the Asian side. Fly into the one on the same side as your clinic and hotel if you can, and stay near the clinic rather than near the sights; our guide to where to stay in Istanbul explains the districts.
• Avoid tight connections on the way home. A direct flight is easier after a procedure.

The transfer from either airport to central districts takes about 45 to 90 minutes, depending on traffic. Our Istanbul airport private transfer page explains pickups and waiting times. Entry rules depend on your passport; check our Turkey visa requirements page before each trip.

Between the trips: what to sort out at home

The months between the trips are when most of the practical questions come up, so settle them before the first flight:

• Temporary teeth. Ask whether you will have a temporary tooth or denture while the implant heals, and what to do if it breaks.
• Your dentist at home. Tell them your plans before you travel. The UK government's travel advice for Turkey recommends discussing treatment plans with your own doctor or dentist first.
• Records. The US CDC advises getting copies of your records before you leave the clinic, translated if needed, and confirming who will provide follow-up care at home. It also warns that follow-up care can be expensive and may not be covered by health insurance.
• Insurance. Standard travel insurance usually does not cover problems caused by planned treatment abroad, according to the NHS. Read your policy, or ask your insurer, before you go.
• The second trip's dates. Confirm them with the clinic as soon as it has checked the healing.

Checking the clinic and the paperwork

Turkey regulates health tourism under the Regulation on International Health Tourism and Tourist Health, published in the Official Gazette on 26 April 2025. Facilities that treat international patients need an International Health Tourism Authorisation Certificate from the Ministry of Health, and any company that arranges treatment for you needs its own authorisation from USHAŞ, the state company for international health services. The official portal is HealthTürkiye (healthturkiye.com), and UK travel advice says the Ministry lists its approved providers there.

Before you pay a deposit, ask the clinic for its authorisation, the name of the dentist who will treat you, the written plan for both trips and the full price in writing, including what happens if a third visit is needed. Treatment prices come only from the clinic; our prices cover travel services and nothing else.

Tours that cover this

Travel services only. They are not linked to, and do not include, any treatment.

• Istanbul Airport VIP Transfer: Private Mercedes Vito to Your Hotel, from $60 per group. Book it for both trips.
• Istanbul Private Driver Tour: Mercedes Vito for 8 Hours, 1-6 Guests, from $299 per group, for a slow day with stops of your choice.
• Morning Bosphorus Cruise Tour in Istanbul with Spice Bazaar Stop, from $40 per person, for a free morning.
• Istanbul Half-Day Morning Tour: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Bazaar, from $67 per person, a short guided walk in Sultanahmet.

For a do-it-yourself afternoon on the water, read our guide to the Bosphorus ferry. All our half-day tours and Istanbul tours are listed on the site, and our Istanbul destination guide covers the city in more depth.

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