17Feb

Dental Implants in Turkey – is cut-price worth it?

“Turkey is cheaper!” – this is what we hear every day while talking to patients. We want to bring clarity to this – how cheaper it actually is and what are the factors to consider. Finally, by reading this post, you will know how to easily recognize which offer is genuine.

Here are the most common prices of implants in Turkey:

1 implant: 150 Euro – 450 Euro
The price usually depends on the implant brand and as you will later in the text find out the crown price.

ALL-ON-4: 2000 Euro – 3500 Euro
The price depends on if fixed temporary teeth are offered on the first visit; the material of the permanent teeth (i.e. zirconium); presence of titanium bar; bone grafting procedure. Quite often the offers include free hotel and transfers.

By seeing hundreds of offers for dental implant treatment from clinics in Turkey, we spotted a few patterns.

COMPARE PRICES BY IMPLANT BRANDS

Quite normal (and there is nothing wrong with it) each clinic wants to stand out and to show they use quality implants and they usually stress on the brand and the origin. Very often you will see implant brands like Straumann and Bego.

Straumann is the top range implant brand. The producer-to-clinic price for one implant with an abutment is in the range of 500-600 Euro. This is why you have to be alerted when you see the term “Straumann brand” in your offer for an implant that costs less than 800 Euro. This usually means the offer actually get another brand of implant, possibly owned by the Straumann group.

If you ask any Turkish dentist if there are cheap Turkish implants – the answer will undoubtedly be Bego. Prodicer-to-clinic prices are in the range of 30 Euro to 50 Euro. Hidden behind its German registration, Bego will be sold to you as a premium German implant. Not that this matters so much in reality, as it is the implantation protocol what you should really care about, but this should be another yellow light for you.

The actual make of the implants, however in our opinion, should be of less concern compared to other price factors. This is widely used as a marketing distraction from the more important things consider.

HIDDEN COSTS: CROWNS AND BONE GRAFTING

An implant is worthless without a crown, right? What usually stays hidden in the low-cost implant ads is the price of the crown. Quite often there will not be a mention of the type of crown and stating the brand of the material is very rare. This trick is used to offset the low implant price with a higher margin on the crown. For example, zirconium, which is considered a standard material for crowns now, varies 20X depending on quality. But what matters most often to you is the bundle price – an implant together with a crown. You will be surprised how often the maths somehow do not work well here…

The same goes for the bone grafting (or sinus-lift). Bone grafting is the procedure of adding bone to places where it lacks. This is usually used as an “addon” bonus to clinics to compensate them for the low price they quote you upfront. Bone grafting is a standard surgical procedure and although its success is generally high, there are never guarantees it will eventually work out. Besides, it takes 6-12 months before you find out the result. The cost of the procedure usually varies between 300 Euro and 700 Euro. As it is difficult to control the actual manipulation, you will have to trust the surgeon on this.

What to watch out for? The NO-GO zone

Let’s face it! Too many dental clinics in Europe and beyond are led by their financial interest rather than your health benefit. Turkey however seems to be particularly affected. In December 2022 the British Government came out with an official warning to all British citizens heading for medical tourism in Turkey after 22 confirmed death cases. Below are the things you should definitely consider while choosing where to have your treatment done.

The PROMISE for implant treatment based on a X-RAY image – BEWARE!

There is one simple rule in dental implantology – NO BONE – NO IMPLANT! Sadly, this is the reality in roughly 50% of the patient cases. And to make it even worse, the X-ray is worth almost NOTHING when proving if there is enough bone. A 3D CBCT scan is the one and only test that gives a 100% clarity on how thick and dense your jawbone is – only with a 3D scan the surgeon can make an objective decision where exactly and what type of implant to place, everything else is just shooting in the dark.

There is a clear position statement from the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (AAOMR) “that 3D CBCT is the imaging method of choice for gaining the assessment of all dental implant sites”.

The important thing to know is, and that in fact our best hint for you – any promise for an implant treatment based on an X-ray, rather than a 3D CBCT scan is a SCAM! In short, any offer/promise for an implant treatment based on a simple X-ray will very likely not follow the right protocol and you will end up losing your money but more importantly health issues will follow shortly.

NO MENTION OF GUIDED SURGERY?!

While this by itself is not necessarily a scam, the lack of guided surgery si a clear sign that the clinic is using outdated protocols and your health benefits are not their number one priority. Guided surgery is the proven technique for implantation which guarantees accuracy, faster recovery and most importantly long-term success. It requires special surgeon skills, advanced dental lab and expensive tools. Nowadays, all implant cases in the USA are done with guided surgery.

WHAT IS IN THERE FOR ME? HOW TO SHOP FOR А DENTAL IMPLANT TREATMENT IN TURKEY?

The important thing to remember is that to stay away for treatment promises (or offers) based on an X-ray but rather on a 3D CBCT scan. Failure to do so is a gamble with your health and you may likely end up getting implants that you difinetely do not want to have. Do ask for guided surgery.

On average, the widely advertised cost of a single dental implant in Turkey can range from around 150 to 450 Euro. However, the total cost of a dental implant treatment can be higher if additional procedures, such as bone grafting or sinus lifting, are required.

As a conclusion we can say that the price of dental implants in Turkey can vary depending on several factors, such as the number of implants needed, the materials used, the experience and qualifications of the dentist, and the location of the clinic.