Dental treatment and dental implants in Turkey

In recent years, Turkey has been among the first on the list of countries that come up with the term “health tourism”. Last but not least, this also applies to dental treatment in Turkey. A large part of the clinics in Turkey are experts in many areas of medicine and have a good technical level and highly qualified staff. Many people from all over the world choose Turkey to find a solution to their health problems. In addition to the low price, dental treatment and dental implants in Turkey are in demand because they offer thousands of tourists the opportunity every year to combine attractive vacation options with the required dental treatment in Turkey.

Another advantage of the dentists in Turkey, which ensures the worldwide popularity of this country, is the high level of willingness and striving to satisfy the patient. The golden rule applies not only in the traditional tourism industry, but also in dental clinics in Turkey that are geared towards the dental treatment of foreigners: “The customer (the patient) is king! That is why you will find many packages that offer dental treatment and dental implants in Turkey along with all the associated services, such as airport pick-up, accommodation and vacation arrangements.

Formalities for a dental implant in Turkey:

• First let your local dentist draw up a healing and cost plan.
• Send this to your dentist in Turkey by fax and ask for a cost estimate based on the model provided by your dentist or based on the forms from your insurance company.
• Submit this estimate to your cash register and be given the green light.
  
  Please note: You must pay for the entire treatment in cash (or by credit card) on site. You will receive the cash subsidy only after you have returned and on request. By the way: private patients are on the safe side anyway. Your insurers usually cover worldwide treatments. Nevertheless, make this clear beforehand!

What are the risks?

Saving is always good. But in the area of ​​health, quality is also important. Therefore, you should thoroughly inform yourself before treatment! Poor training, inadequate practice equipment and health-endangering materials – your dentists warn against dental tourism. Of course, on the one hand you fear losing your own patients, but on the other hand there are also risks: It may happen that dentures do not fit right away. Pressure marks may show up only when you are back from vacation. If your dentist then rejects the correction and refers you to the Turkish dentist, in the worst case a follow-up treatment on site could be necessary – with the corresponding travel costs. Many of the Turkish dentists have already responded here and set up networks in your home country. Partner dentists in your home country take on guarantee services and provide aftercare if necessary. It is best to find out from your Turkish dentist beforehand whether he has such a network.

What should be considered when doing dental treatment?

A big savings potential, a lot of paperwork and also some risks – here is the checklist that summarizes everything that needs to be considered:

• Let your dentist draw up a treatment and cost plan in your home country. On the basis of this cost estimate, you can determine the duration of the treatment with preventive and follow-up care. Plan your vacation accordingly.
• Find out about a suitable dentist who may speak your language at your desired holiday destination, either from friends or here via our travelassistant24 portal under the Dentist section. Then send them the treatment and cost plan and ask for their own cost estimate. This must correspond to the regulations and guidelines that are also valid in your home country.
• Discuss with your cash register whether it will grant the grant based on the cost estimate of the Turkish dentist. Private patients should not have any problems anyway, since their insurance is mostly valid worldwide.
• If you have the consent of your cash register, make an appointment with the Turkish dentist. Plan a few days more than he is planning for treatment. This leaves more time for a possible improvement.
• Find out in advance whether the dentist in your home town has contacts to colleagues who can take care of follow-up treatment if necessary. In addition, be sure to ask for a guarantee according to the law in your home country in advance. This will also eliminate any concerns of your cash register!
• Take enough money with you if you don’t have a credit card. You must pay for the treatment in full on site. You can only request that your health insurance fund be paid when you return.

Toothache on vacation: when to see a doctor

In certain emergencies, a visit to the dentist is also essential on vacation. You should not hesitate any longer with the following problems:   

• severe or long-lasting toothache
• severe swelling
•  if you get an additional fever
• if the tooth is broken out
• with heavy bleeding in the mouth

Dental treatment on vacation: who pays?

A toothache on vacation can do twice as much – namely, if a juicy dentist’s bill is waiting for you on site or when you return! How is it with the assumption of costs if you go to the dentist abroad?

The following applies to those insured by law:

In principle, your health insurance covers treatment in other EU countries and in countries with which there is a social security agreement. These include Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Tunisia and Turkey. In these countries, simply present your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to your doctor, which is usually printed on the back of your electronic health card. The foreign health insurance company then settles the treatment costs with your health insurance.

Important: You should only be treated by dentists from the public health system, not by private doctors.

But unfortunately there is a catch: The statutory health insurance only pays for treatments abroad what those insured on site are entitled to! As a tourist, you have to shell out additional payments and own shares that are common in your holiday country out of your own pocket. This can be fatal for toothache on vacation. Because in countries like Spain, dental treatments are not part of the statutory range of services, so you stay on the costs.

In addition, the process does not always work smoothly: Because billing can take a long time, some foreign doctors do not accept EHIC. You then pay in cash on site, but you can submit the invoice to your health insurance provider at home to have the costs reimbursed later. Be careful, many health insurance companies require an invoice formulated at least in English!

In most non-EU countries, people with statutory health insurance also go away empty-handed. For example, if you travel to the USA, Thailand or the Maldives, you will have to pay for dental treatment yourself in an emergency. In exceptional cases, your health insurance will only cover the costs if you can prove that you have been rejected by several private health insurers. To do this, contact your health insurance provider before you go on vacation.

Toothache on vacation: Insured persons are usually better protected

Are you privately insured or have you taken out additional private insurance? Then study the fine print carefully or call the hotline of your health insurance company to clarify the insurance coverage in your holiday country. Private insurance companies usually cover the cost of dental treatment in other EU countries. In contrast, they do not always work in non-EU countries. It is best to have your protection status confirmed in writing.
Travel health insurance covers gaps in coverage

If the coverage in your statutory or private health insurance is incomplete, it is worth taking out travel health insurance. These offers are usually not expensive, but give you the certainty that you won’t be left with treatment costs for toothache on vacation.