I Keep Seeing Ads to Go to Turkey to Get New Teeth. Is This a Good Idea or a Bad Idea?

I understand why people are tempted.

You’re scrolling through Instagram or TikTok and you see someone fly to Turkey with teeth they hate and come home a week later with a completely different smile. The teeth are straight. They’re white. The photos look incredible. There may be a hotel included, transportation from the airport, sometimes even a vacation wrapped around the dental work.

And then you see the price.

If you’ve already talked to a dentist in the United States about veneers, full-mouth reconstruction, implants, or replacing an entire arch of teeth, the price difference can get your attention very quickly.

So I get the question:

Is going to Turkey to get new teeth a good idea or a bad idea?

My answer is that the country itself is not really the issue.

There are excellent dentists in Turkey. There are mediocre dentists in America. I would never tell somebody that dental treatment is automatically bad because it happened overseas.

What I would tell you is to be very careful about buying a “new smile” before you really understand what is being done to your mouth.

That’s the part I think gets lost in the advertising.

First, what does “new teeth” actually mean?

This matters more than people realize.

When someone says they’re going to Turkey to get their teeth done, they may be talking about veneers. Or crowns. Or implants. Or full-mouth reconstruction. Sometimes they’re talking about removing an entire arch of failing teeth and replacing them with an implant-supported bridge, which may fall under terms like All-on-X or full-arch dental implants.

Those treatments are not remotely interchangeable.

A veneer is generally a thin restoration on the front of a tooth.

A crown covers essentially the entire visible portion of a tooth and normally requires significantly more tooth reduction.

A full-mouth reconstruction may involve crowns, implants, bridges, bite correction, treatment of worn or broken teeth, and sometimes rebuilding most of the mouth.

Full-arch implant treatment is something different again. If the teeth are failing and cannot reasonably be saved, they may be removed and replaced with a fixed set of teeth supported by implants.

When I see an advertisement offering someone “a whole new smile,” I want to know what that actually means clinically.

Because the photograph at the end may look similar whether someone had conservative veneers or twenty heavily prepared crowns.

The biology underneath them is very different.

The biggest thing I would want to know: what are they removing?

This is where I tend to be more conservative.

If someone has healthy natural teeth, I need a pretty good reason to remove a large amount of healthy tooth structure.

Once enamel and tooth structure are removed, we cannot put them back.

That doesn’t mean crowns are bad. Crowns are one of the most useful treatments we have in dentistry. If a tooth is badly broken, heavily restored, cracked, worn down, or otherwise compromised, a crown may make perfect sense.

But there is a big difference between putting a crown on a tooth because the tooth needs a crown and reducing a healthy tooth because we want a faster cosmetic transformation.

That concern is not unique to American dentists criticizing overseas dentistry. The issue has been discussed directly in the dental literature.

A 2023 article in the British Dental Journal about so-called “Turkey teeth” questioned the wisdom of aggressively reducing teeth to create a very white, very even smile when less destructive alternatives may sometimes be available.

That doesn’t tell us that every dentist in Turkey practices this way. They clearly don’t.

It does tell us that the concern is legitimate.

And if somebody is recommending crowns on most of your teeth, I think you deserve a very clear answer to a simple question:

Why does every one of these teeth need to be cut down?

Not why would the smile look better.

Why does the tooth itself need that treatment?

Those are different questions.

There is also a problem with the way people compare the prices

This is probably the part I think patients should think about the longest.

Most people compare the American price with the overseas price.

Let’s say the overseas treatment costs dramatically less.

On the surface, that looks simple.

But that comparison assumes the treatment works, stays healthy, and doesn’t need major correction.

A better question might be:

What is the total financial risk if this goes wrong?

Because if a full mouth of dentistry fails, you may not simply pay for the same procedure again.

Corrective dentistry can be much more complicated than the original treatment.

That distinction is important.

If it fails, you may not just be buying the dentistry twice

Imagine someone has twenty teeth prepared for crowns.

They travel home and initially everything looks good.

Then problems start.

Maybe the bite is wrong.

Maybe several teeth become painful.

Maybe a crown comes loose.

Maybe there is decay underneath a restoration.

Maybe an implant develops a complication.

Maybe the gums remain inflamed.

Maybe a bridge fractures.

Maybe the patient simply cannot function comfortably with the bite they were given.

At that point, the dentist who is trying to correct the problem isn't necessarily starting with twenty untouched teeth.

We may be starting with teeth that have already been heavily prepared.

Existing crowns or bridges may need to be cut off.

Some teeth may need root canal treatment.

Some may no longer be restorable.

Implants may need to be identified.

If an implant has failed, it may need to be removed.

If bone has been lost, rebuilding the area may be necessary before another implant can even be considered.

Temporary teeth may have to be made during healing.

And then, after all of that, the definitive dentistry still has to be made.

That is why I don't love the phrase, “Well, worst case, I’ll just get it redone when I get home.”

Worst case may not mean doing the same procedure a second time.

Worst case may mean undoing the first procedure before you can even begin the second one.

That can get expensive very quickly.

This is something dentists are already seeing

There is a temptation with a subject like this to throw out a statistic and say, “Turkey teeth have a failure rate of X percent.”

I don't think that's responsible.

I have not seen good research that follows a large representative group of patients treated in Turkey and directly compares their long-term outcomes with similar patients treated in the United States.

So I would be very skeptical of anyone giving you a precise percentage.

What we do have is a growing dental literature describing the problems dentists are seeing when patients return from treatment abroad.

A 2023 article in the British Dental Journal specifically noted increasing numbers of patients presenting to dentists after having treatment overseas and warned about the difficulty patients may have obtaining remedial treatment when something fails.

Another article in the same journal addressed the aftermath of highly invasive cosmetic dental treatment performed elsewhere. The author described the need for careful diagnosis and long-term treatment planning to correct these cases and specifically noted that this corrective treatment is likely to require private care at substantially greater cost.

That gets very close to the point I'm making.

The financial risk isn't simply:

Turkey costs this much. America costs that much.

It's:

What have I already paid, what has already been done to my mouth, and what will it take to get me healthy again if something goes wrong?

Those numbers can look very different.

Implants create another issue: somebody has to maintain them

Dental implants are not generic screws.

There are many implant manufacturers and many different implant systems.

Components, drivers, screws and restorative connections can differ.

That matters when somebody has to service the implant later.

The dental literature has documented the difficulty clinicians can face when patients present with complications involving implant systems placed elsewhere that cannot immediately be identified.

That doesn't mean an overseas implant can't be maintained.

It means I would want to know exactly what is going into my mouth.

If you're having implant treatment abroad, ask for the manufacturer.

Ask for the implant model.

Ask for the sizes.

Ask for copies of your imaging.

Ask for the operative report.

Ask what restorative components were used.

Keep all of it.

Because five years later, when a dentist is trying to loosen one screw underneath one tooth, “I had my implants done somewhere in Turkey” isn't enough information.

And then there is follow-up care

This may actually be the biggest difference between destination dentistry and having extensive treatment done locally.

Complex dental work doesn't necessarily end when the final teeth are inserted.

Sometimes gums need to be monitored.

The bite may need adjusting.

An implant may need to be watched while it heals.

A temporary restoration may need modification.

Something may chip.

A screw may loosen.

A patient may have discomfort that needs to be evaluated.

None of those things automatically mean the treatment failed.

That's dentistry.

Even excellent treatment occasionally needs maintenance.

The difference is what happens next.

If your dentist is twenty minutes away, you call the office.

If your dentist is 5,000 miles away, that's a different problem.

So before having major dentistry abroad, I would want a very specific answer about aftercare.

Not “we guarantee the work.”

What does the guarantee actually mean?

Who evaluates you if something hurts next month?

Who pays for the flight if you have to go back?

How long do you need to stay?

What happens if you cannot travel?

If a local dentist makes a repair, does that affect the warranty?

If an implant fails, who pays for bone grafting and replacement?

Those are boring questions compared with picking the shade of the teeth.

They may be more important.

The speed of the treatment deserves some thought too

One of the attractions of dental tourism is speed.

Fly in.

Have the treatment.

Come home with a new smile.

I understand why patients love that.

But some dentistry is biologic. Biology has its own schedule.

Implants have to integrate with bone.

Soft tissue has to heal.

Bone grafts have to heal.

Inflammation needs to resolve.

The bite sometimes needs to be evaluated over time.

There is also the simple issue of flying shortly after treatment.

A review published in the British Dental Journal looked specifically at dental treatment and air travel. The authors noted that dental tourism often involves a short stay followed quickly by flying home and discussed the potential for flight-related dental pain and pressure-related complications after certain procedures. Their proposed minimum waiting periods varied depending on the treatment and were longer for more significant surgical procedures such as sinus lifts.

Again, that doesn't mean you cannot travel after dental work.

It means the logistics of a dental vacation are part of the treatment whether the advertisement mentions them or not.

I would also separate cosmetic treatment from treatment for genuinely failing teeth

This distinction matters a lot.

If someone is 30 years old with healthy teeth that are a little crooked or discolored, my thinking is very different than it would be for someone who has severe periodontal disease, extensive decay, broken teeth, failed bridges and a mouth that is genuinely falling apart.

Those are not the same patient.

Sometimes extensive dentistry really is necessary.

There are people whose teeth cannot predictably be saved.

For some of those patients, removing failing teeth and rebuilding an arch on dental implants can be a very reasonable solution.

That's where treatments such as All-on-X or full-arch implant dentistry come into the conversation.

The goal isn't to save every tooth at any cost.

The goal is to figure out which teeth are worth saving and which are not.

That's a diagnosis.

And it should happen before anyone starts selling you the final smile.

The opposite mistake happens too

I also don't want to pretend that “conservative dentistry” means never doing anything aggressive.

Sometimes keeping a hopeless tooth is not conservative.

Sometimes it just delays the inevitable.

If a tooth has very little structure left, severe bone loss, recurrent infection or a poor long-term prognosis, repeated attempts to patch it together may cost the patient more money and more time than treating the real problem.

There are patients who have spent years having one tooth fixed, then another tooth fixed, then another.

Eventually they realize the entire system needs to be looked at together.

That's where full-mouth reconstruction or what we call Total Smile Rejuvenation becomes useful.

Instead of asking, “How do we fix this crown?” we ask:

What is happening to the whole mouth?

Why are the teeth breaking?

What is the bite doing?

Which teeth are strong enough to build around?

Where are implants useful?

How much tooth structure is left?

What are we trying to make this mouth look and function like ten or fifteen years from now?

That kind of dentistry takes more planning than choosing a package from a menu.

So is dentistry in Turkey bad?

No.

That would be an easy article to write, but I don't think it would be an accurate one.

Turkey has trained dentists, specialists, universities, implant surgeons and excellent private clinics.

There are undoubtedly patients who travel there, receive good dentistry, save money and are very happy with the result.

I'm not arguing otherwise.

What I am skeptical of is the idea that you can judge major dental treatment primarily by three things:

The before photo.

The after photo.

And the price.

Those tell you almost nothing about the health of what is underneath the restorations.

A photograph doesn't tell you how much natural tooth was removed.

It doesn't tell you if the margins fit.

It doesn't tell you whether the bite is stable.

It doesn't tell you whether an implant is positioned correctly.

It doesn't tell you whether there is adequate bone.

And it definitely doesn't tell you what that mouth will look like in ten years.

Before I got on the airplane, I would get a second opinion

If you are seriously considering traveling abroad for major dental treatment, I think getting an independent examination at home is money well spent.

Bring the treatment plan.

If they're proposing twenty crowns, ask another dentist whether they agree that twenty teeth need crowns.

If they're proposing removing all of your upper teeth, ask whether those teeth are actually hopeless.

If they are proposing implants, ask whether you're a good implant candidate.

If you have significant bone loss, ask whether grafting is likely.

If they tell you everything can be completed in an unusually short amount of time, ask what biological healing has to occur and how they are accounting for it.

You aren't obligated to accept the second dentist's treatment plan either.

You're gathering information.

For a decision this irreversible, I think that's reasonable.

Here are the questions I would ask the clinic

I wouldn't focus only on price.

• Which of my teeth actually need treatment, and why?

• Are you recommending veneers or crowns?

• How much natural tooth structure will be removed?

• Are any of these teeth healthy enough to leave alone?

• If you're recommending extractions, why can't those teeth be saved?

• If implants are being placed, which implant system are you using?

• Who actually places the implants?

• What happens if an implant does not integrate?

• How long should I remain in the country after surgery?

• What records will I receive when treatment is finished?

• What happens if something breaks after I return home?

• Does your warranty include travel expenses?

• If another dentist touches the work, does that void the warranty?

• What is the plan if the treatment fails five years from now?

If a clinic gets irritated because you're asking those questions, I would consider that useful information.

And I would ask myself one more question

This is probably the simplest way I can explain my concern.

Don't just ask:

How much does it cost if everything goes right?

Ask:

What happens to me if it goes wrong?

Because with very conservative dental treatment, the downside may be relatively small.

With extensive, irreversible dentistry, the downside can be very different.

If you've had a full mouth of natural teeth aggressively reduced, those teeth are never going back to their original condition.

If you've had teeth removed, they are gone.

If implants have been placed and subsequently fail, correcting the problem may require surgery, grafting and additional treatment.

And if the dentist who performed the procedure is on another continent, the practical problem becomes part of the dental problem.

That doesn't automatically make the treatment a bad decision.

It means the price on the advertisement is not the whole price.

What I would do if these were my teeth

I would want the diagnosis before I wanted the deal.

I would want to know exactly which teeth can be saved.

I would want to know why any healthy tooth structure needs to be removed.

I would want to know what implant system is being used if implants are part of the treatment.

I would want copies of everything.

I would want to understand how long the treatment is reasonably expected to last and what maintenance it will require.

And I'd want a very clear plan for what happens if there is a complication.

If I got satisfactory answers to all of those questions and still decided the overseas option made sense, then at least I would be deciding based on the dentistry.

Not the hotel.

Not the airport pickup.

Not the Instagram transformation.

And not just the number at the bottom of the quote.

For something as significant as rebuilding an entire smile, I think that's the conversation worth having.

Dr. Bradly J. Mouritsen, DMD

Mouritsen Dental StudioNaples, Florida

Research referenced in this article

• British Dental Journal (2023), “Turkey teeth” / invasive cosmetic dentistry discussion: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-023-6562-6

• British Dental Journal (2023), patients returning after overseas dental treatment: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-023-6500-7

• British Dental Journal (2023), management of complications after highly invasive cosmetic dentistry: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-023-6552-8

• British Dental Journal, dental treatment and air travel review: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-023-5449-x

• PubMed, management challenge with unfamiliar or unidentified implant systems: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22624768/