Dental Work in Turkey: Implants, Veneers and Crowns Before You Fly

Dental work in Turkey usually means one of three treatments, implants, veneers or crowns, and the key planning fact is that they fit a trip very differently: veneers and crowns can often be done in one stay, while implants may need two trips several months apart because the bone has to heal around the implant first. The treating dentist decides which applies to you. The travel around it is the easy part, starting with a private airport transfer from $60 per group.

Get Turkey Tours is a licensed travel agency (TÜRSAB A-15751), not a dental clinic or a health-tourism intermediary. We do not sell or recommend dental treatment, clinics or dentists, and this page is not dental advice. It explains in plain terms what each treatment involves, what UK and US dental bodies advise, how to check a clinic in Turkey, and how to plan the days in Istanbul around appointments.

Implants, veneers and crowns in plain terms

The American Dental Association (ADA) describes the three treatments like this:

• Implants replace a missing tooth. A dentist places the implant into the jawbone, the bone grows around it over time (osseointegration), and a crown, bridge or denture is then attached. The ADA says some patients wait up to several months for this healing before the replacement teeth go on, while some can have the implant and teeth in one visit.
• Veneers are thin shells bonded to the front of teeth to change their colour or shape. Porcelain veneers involve removing a small amount of enamel from the front and sides, and the ADA states that the treatment is not reversible because enamel is removed. Composite veneers may need less enamel removed and fewer visits, but are less resistant to stains and wear.
• Crowns are caps that cover a whole tooth. The ADA lists uses such as strengthening a tooth with a large filling, protecting a weak tooth, holding a bridge, covering an implant, and restoring the shape or look of a tooth.

The word "smile makeover" in an advert can mean any mix of these. Ask the dentist exactly which teeth get which treatment and why.

One trip or two: how treatment fits a travel plan

The number of trips is decided by the treatment plan, not by the travel package. This table shows the general pattern; your dentist's written plan replaces it.

If your plan needs two trips, book the first trip's flights as changeable. The healing time is a clinical decision, and the date of the second visit can move.

Veneers are permanent: take that decision slowly

The phrase "Turkey teeth" is used in the UK press for full sets of crowns or veneers, and the decision that matters most is made in the dental chair, not at the airport. Porcelain veneers and crowns both involve removing tooth structure, and that cannot be undone. The ADA also notes that a veneer may chip, crack, wear down or loosen over time and need to be re-bonded, repaired or replaced, which means you will need a dentist for it later, probably at home.

Questions worth putting to the treating dentist:

1. Why veneers or crowns rather than whitening, bonding or orthodontics?
2. How many teeth, and how much of each tooth will be removed?
3. What happens if a veneer or crown fails in five years' time, and who will repair it?
4. Can I see the plan and think about it at home before any tooth is touched?

A good answer to the last question is "yes". Avoid making an irreversible choice on the day of your first consultation.

What UK dental bodies advise

The General Dental Council (GDC), the UK dental regulator, publishes a guide for people going abroad for dental care. It advises speaking to your own dentist first and suggests asking the clinic abroad, among other things:

• Who will carry out my treatment, and what qualifications do they have?
• Will the team speak English, or will a translator be provided?
• Are you regulated by a professional body and registered with it?
• Is the work guaranteed, and for how long?
• What aftercare do you provide, and who can I contact after treatment?
• What happens if I am unhappy, and who pays for extra flights, hotel and remedial work?
• Do you have insurance for this procedure, and a complaints system I can see?

The British Dental Association has also published survey findings from UK dentists who treat patients after treatment abroad, reporting crowns and implants as the treatments that most often needed follow-up work. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, on its Turkey travel advice, says it is aware of 7 British nationals who died in Turkey in 2025 following medical procedures, and advises discussing plans with your UK doctor, dentist or clinician before going ahead.

Checking a dental clinic in Turkey

Turkey's International Health Tourism and Tourist Health Regulation, republished in the Official Gazette on 26 April 2025, requires facilities treating foreign patients to hold a Ministry of Health authorisation certificate. Companies that arrange treatment for foreign patients need their own authorisation, issued through USHAŞ.

How to check:

• Ministry of Health lists. The Health Tourism Department (shgmturizmdb.saglik.gov.tr) publishes lists of authorised facilities and intermediaries. They were last updated on 5 October 2026 when we checked.
• HealthTürkiye. The official portal, healthturkiye.gov.tr, lists facilities and health professionals and has a 24-hour support line on +90 850 288 38 38.
• Legal name. Ask the clinic for its legal name and address and match them to the list, since brand names can differ.
• The dentist's name. Ask for the name of the dentist who will treat you, not just the clinic.

A listing tells you the clinic may treat international patients. It does not tell you whether the treatment plan is right for you, which is why a second opinion from your own dentist is useful.

Planning your days in Istanbul

Dental appointments are often spread across several days, with gaps while the lab makes veneers or crowns. That gives you free time, but the days are not always predictable.

• Arrival. Istanbul Airport (IST) is on the European side and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side. Our airport transfer guide explains the 45 to 90 minute drive.
• Hotel. Choose one close to the clinic, so a short-notice appointment does not mean an hour in traffic. Our where to stay in Istanbul guide covers the main districts.
• Appointments. A private car with driver is handy on days with two visits.
• Free days. Short, flexible outings work better than full-day trips that you cannot leave early.

Ideas for gaps between appointments, if your dentist is happy:

• A Bosphorus lunch cruise with hotel pickup, about 3 hours. Think about what you can comfortably eat that day.
• An afternoon small-group tour of Topkapi Palace, Hagia Irene and the Grand Bazaar.
• A Grand Bazaar and Spice Market shopping tour on a day without appointments.
• A day on the Princes Islands for companions, or for you once treatment is finished.

Aftercare once you are home

Dental work lasts years, so the relationship with a dentist does not end at the airport. The US CDC advises asking for your records in English before you fly home and sharing them with any provider who treats you later. Practical steps:

• Ask for a written summary listing each tooth treated, the materials used and any implant system or brand.
• Find out what the clinic offers if something fails, and who pays for flights and hotel if you need to return.
• Tell your home dentist what was done, ideally before you go.
• Keep receipts and the treatment plan together.

Check insurance before you travel. The UK government notes that EHIC and GHIC cards are not valid in Turkey and that standard travel insurance usually does not cover planned treatment abroad. Before booking flights, see our Turkey visa requirements page.

Tours that cover this

These are travel services only. They are not dental prices, and we do not arrange treatment.

• VIP private airport transfer, Mercedes Vito, from $60 per group.
• Topkapi Palace afternoon small-group tour, from $150 per person, 6 hours, with Hagia Irene and the Grand Bazaar.
• Bosphorus lunch cruise with hotel pickup, from $75 per person.
• Princes Islands full-day tour with ferry and lunch, from $90 per person.

Browse all Istanbul tours, our half-day tours, or the Istanbul destination guide.

Frequently Asked Questions