Turkey Teeth is the name given to the trend that emerged on social media due to the fact that Turkey is the address preferred by patients from different countries to combine their dental treatments with quality, in a short time, cheaper and vacation.
Patients from Europe, America and Arab countries who come to Turkey for dental tourism are offered oral and dental health services by dental clinics. The fact that the total costs of transportation, accommodation and treatment are up to 70 percent less than the treatment costs in the patients’ home countries is one of the main reasons why clinics in Turkey are preferred. The reason for cheaper treatment is due to lower living costs and lower salaries.
According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute, 407.423 people came to Turkey in 2020, 670.730 in 2021, and 1.258.382 in 2022 to receive healthcare services. The most preferred clinics by international patients were gynecology, internal medicine, ophthalmology, medical biochemistry, general surgery, dentistry, orthopedics and traumatology, infectious diseases and ear-nose-throat. According to OECD 2020 data, there are 34.830 working professional dentists in Turkey.
The treatment of tooth and gingival diseases is gradual. Especially complex treatments involve processes that need to be checked by dentists at regular intervals. In addition, the treatment process cannot be started immediately for patients with conditions such as cardiovascular, endocrine diseases, blood clotting problems, pregnancy, anatomical incompatibilities in the jawbone.
Patients who want to have dental treatment should first question and research the clinic options where treatment procedures will be performed. Treatments to be performed in a random clinic preferred due to the cheapness of the treatment may cause serious health problems that are irreversible.
It is the best choice to choose dental clinics that have laws, regulations, national and international standards and accreditations consisting of competent, specialized dentists. Health facilities must have an International Health Tourism authorization certificate issued by the Ministry of Health. Patients who have been previously treated in the clinics should be informed about their experiences and if possible, they should be interviewed. In addition, thanks to the web portal established with the support of the Turkish Ministry of Health and the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, all health treatment plans of international patients can be made.
In order for the patient to be able to clearly convey his/her problems to the dentist and for the dentist to inform the patient correctly, it is important for both parties to have a command of the common foreign language in terms of communication. In dental clinics in Turkey, English, German, Russian, French are among the known foreign languages.
Most of the patients who receive treatment in Turkey for dental tourism are successfully treated in dental clinics with the necessary qualifications, by specialized dentists, using professional level oral and dental health materials and equipment. Patients who return to their countries with healthy smiles express their satisfaction by stating that they will come back in the future if needed.
However, undesirable negativities may occur as a result of treatments in clinics that do not have the necessary competencies without the necessary research. Some of these mistakes include aggressive work on natural teeth, excessive abrasion of the natural tooth surface for dental crowns, getting closer to the soft tissue of the tooth in crown renewals as a result of incorrect crown applications, incorrect implant methods and applications, use of non-professional materials and equipment, and procedures performed by dentists who are not experts in their field. As a result of mistakes, complications such as more difficult treatment processes, gingivitis, tooth soft tissue damage, severe pain, difficulty in chewing, swelling and redness may occur.
In this respect, it is very important that you prefer treatments to be performed in authorized and approved dental clinics. After the treatment is completed, it is necessary to eating according to the dentist’s recommendations and pay attention to oral and dental care.
