Dental Implants in Antalya

What a dental implant is

A dental implant has three parts. The implant itself is a titanium post, shaped like a screw, placed in the jawbone where the root of the tooth used to be. Over the following months the bone grows tightly against its surface, a process called osseointegration, so the implant becomes firm enough to chew on. The abutment is the connector that screws into the implant and rises through the gum. The crown, or a bridge, is the tooth you see, made to fit the abutment and to match your other teeth.

One implant can carry one crown. Two or more can carry a bridge across a gap of several teeth. Four or six can carry a complete fixed arch of teeth, which is what All-on-4 and All-on-6 mean.

An implant replaces a tooth that has already gone, or one that has to come out. It does not save a failing tooth, it does not fix gum disease around your other teeth, and it needs enough healthy bone to hold it, or bone added first. It is also surgery, however routine, and it takes months, not days.

Why bone matters

When a tooth is lost, the bone that held it starts to shrink, because nothing is loading it any more. The longer a gap has been there, the less bone there usually is. Long-term denture wearers, and people who lost back teeth years ago, often have less height or width of bone than an implant needs.

That is why every implant plan starts with a 3D CBCT scan, described on our clinic page. It shows the height and width of the bone, the nerve that runs through the lower jaw, and the floor of the sinus above the upper back teeth. From it the surgeon chooses the size and position of each implant, and sees whether bone needs to be added first.

Who it suits, and who it does not

Implants usually suit you if

• you have one or more missing teeth, or teeth that cannot be saved;
• you have enough bone, or are willing to have bone added where it is needed;
• your gums are healthy, or gum disease can be brought under control first;
• you are in reasonable general health and can travel twice, a few months apart.

We would suggest caution, or something else, if

• You smoke heavily. Smoking slows healing and raises the chance that an implant does not take. Stopping, at least around surgery, makes a real difference.
• You have diabetes that is not well controlled, or another condition that affects healing. Well-controlled diabetes does not usually rule implants out, but the surgeon needs to know.
• You take medicines for bone density, or have had radiotherapy to the head or neck. Some of these change how the jaw heals. Tell us before any plan is made; the surgeon may want to hear from your doctor.
• You have untreated gum disease. The bacteria that cause it can attack the bone around an implant too. It is treated first.
• An implant is not the right answer. A tooth that can be saved with a root canal and a crown usually should be; see restorative dentistry. Bridges and dentures are other ways to replace teeth; they are not on our price list, so ask us about them at your consultation.

The implant systems, compared

We use two implant makers, both Swiss: NTA and Straumann. Both are made for the same job. The difference is mostly in the range of shapes and sizes, the parts available worldwide for later repairs, and the price. The surgeon recommends one for each site from your scan, and your written plan names the implant system and model.

NTA (Swiss) Implant

Our standard implant, and the one most single-tooth and multi-tooth cases start from. It is €500 per implant.

NTA (Swiss) Shorter Implant

A shorter implant for sites where the bone is not tall enough for a standard one. In the upper back jaw it is often the alternative to a sinus lift, which can save a procedure and some healing time. It is €620 per implant.

Straumann BLX

Straumann is one of the most widely used implant makers in the world, and its parts are available almost everywhere, which some patients value if they may need work done on the implant at home in years to come. The BLX is €850 per implant.

The abutment and the crown are priced separately from the implant, and set out in your written plan.

Full arches: All-on-4 and All-on-6

When all the teeth in a jaw are missing, or none of those left can be saved, a full arch of fixed teeth can be carried on four or six implants. The teeth are a single bridge, screwed to the implants, which you do not take out. For many people who have worn a denture, that is the main change: teeth that stay put.

All-on-4

Four implants carry the arch. The two at the back are usually angled, which lets them reach solid bone further forward and often avoids the need for a bone graft or sinus lift. All-on-4 is €5,700 per arch with NTA implants. If you would rather have Straumann implants for a full arch, that is priced individually in your written plan.

All-on-6

Six implants spread the biting force across more points, where there is enough bone to place them. All-on-6 is priced individually in your written plan once we have seen your scan, with NTA or Straumann implants.

Each has its own page, All-on-4 dental implants and All-on-6 dental implants, with more on the surgery, the bridge and the price. Which suits you depends on your bone and your bite, and the scan decides it. In many full-arch cases a fixed temporary bridge is attached soon after the implants are placed, if they are firm enough; the final bridge is made on the second visit, once they have healed. Your plan says which applies to you. Our guide to All-on-4 and All-on-6 compared goes into the differences, and both are also offered as all-inclusive packages, Smile Liberation (All-on-4) and Ultimate Harmony (All-on-6), on our smile packages page.

Bone grafting and sinus lifts

If the scan shows too little bone, it can often be built up. A bone graft adds bone, or a bone substitute, where the jaw is too thin or too low, either at the same time as the implant or some months before it. A sinus lift gently raises the floor of the sinus above the upper back teeth and places graft material beneath it, so an implant has enough height to sit in.

A sinus lift is €260 per site on our price list. Bone grafting has no single price, because how much is needed varies so much; if you need it, it is set out in your written plan before you agree to anything. Grafting can add healing time before the implant or the final teeth, and our guide to bone grafting and sinus lifts explains what each involves.

Your treatment, day by day in Antalya

Before you travel

Send us a recent panoramic X-ray or CBCT scan if you have one, photographs of your teeth, and a note of your general health and any medicines. A dentist replies with what they think you need, the likely number of implants and visits, and a written price. The price is provisional until the scan in Antalya confirms the bone. Nothing is booked until you have read it.

First visit, day one: the scan and your plan

At the clinic the surgeon examines your mouth and takes a 3D CBCT scan, and your teeth are recorded with an intraoral scanner. You go through the plan together: how many implants, which system, where they go, whether any teeth need to come out and whether bone needs adding. You agree the final plan and price in writing. If the scan shows something the X-ray could not, such as less bone than expected, you hear it now, with the options.

Surgery day

Implants are placed under local anaesthetic. The gum is opened, a precise channel is prepared in the bone, the implant is placed and the gum is closed, often with a few stitches. A single implant is usually a short procedure; a full arch takes longer. Any extractions and grafting planned for that visit are done at the same time.

Before you fly

We see you again in the days after surgery to check healing. Keep to soft, cool food and rest; Antalya is a comfortable place to recover. The surgeon tells you when it is safe to fly, which is one of the things we plan your dates around, particularly after a sinus lift.

At home, while the implants heal

Over the next few months the bone grows around the implants. You go home with a temporary tooth or bridge where one is needed. If anything worries you during this time, send us a photo on WhatsApp.

Second visit: your final teeth

Once the implants have healed, the surgeon checks that each one is firm, the abutments are fitted, and your mouth is scanned for the lab. The crowns or bridge are made in our in-house dental lab, tried in, adjusted for your bite and fixed in place.

How many days and visits

On our price list implant treatment is two visits. The gap between them is usually a few months, commonly three to six, and longer if bone is grafted first. We usually suggest allowing about a week for each visit, a little longer for full-arch cases. Your written plan confirms the visits and days for your case before you book flights. Treat the figures on this page as typical, not promised.

The price

Implant prices on our dental price list are per implant or, for All-on-4, per arch:

• NTA (Swiss) Implant €500, NTA Shorter Implant €620 and Straumann BLX €850, each per implant;
• All-on-4 €5,700 per arch with NTA implants;
• sinus lift €260 per site, and extraction from €30 per tooth outside full-arch cases.

The All-on-4 arch price includes the four NTA implants, the extractions, the temporary prosthesis and the permanent prosthesis with zirconia crowns; a bone graft, if one is needed, is priced in your written plan. All-on-6, and a full arch on Straumann implants, are priced individually in your written plan after we have seen your scan. For a single implant, the abutment and the crown are priced separately from the implant, and your written plan lists them, together with any bone graft, so you see the total for each tooth before you agree. Our guide to the cost of a full-mouth restoration shows how larger plans add up, and the treatment plan builder works from the same list.

You pay in euros, by cash, credit card or bank transfer, and the payment for implant treatment is split over the two visits, so you pay for each stage when you come for it. Your written plan shows what falls in each visit. For ways of spreading the cost at home, see our guide to paying for dental treatment abroad.

Aftercare, in Antalya and back home

The first week

• Expect swelling and some bruising for a few days, often at its worst on the second or third day. Cold packs on the cheek help at first.
• Take the painkillers and any medicines the surgeon prescribes, as directed.
• Eat soft food and chew away from the implants. Avoid very hot food and drink while you are numb.
• Do not smoke, and avoid alcohol, swimming, saunas and hard exercise for the first days.
• Keep the area clean as you are shown, usually with gentle rinsing, without disturbing the stitches.
• After a sinus lift, do not blow your nose hard, and sneeze with your mouth open.

Back home

An implant cannot decay, but the gum and bone around it can become inflamed, much as they can around a natural tooth. Clean around the implants every day, with interdental brushes or a water flosser as well as a toothbrush, and see your own dentist and hygienist regularly. Your records, including the implant system and sizes, go home with you, so your dentist knows exactly what was placed. Our guide to implant aftercare with your dentist at home covers what to tell them. If anything worries you, send us a photo on WhatsApp and a dentist will look at it.

Risks, and what can go wrong

Implant surgery is routine, but it is surgery, and you should know what can go wrong before you agree to it.

• Pain, swelling and bruising for a few days are expected.
• Infection around the implant, usually treated with cleaning and medicine.
• An implant that does not integrate. Sometimes the bone does not bond to an implant, and it has to be removed and, after healing, replaced. Smoking and poorly controlled diabetes make this more likely.
• Nerve injury. In the lower jaw, an implant close to the nerve can cause tingling or numbness of the lip or chin, usually temporary and rarely lasting. Planning on the 3D scan is how this is avoided.
• Sinus problems. In the upper jaw an implant or graft can affect the sinus, causing congestion or, rarely, infection.
• Peri-implantitis. Years later, gum disease around an implant can destroy the bone holding it. Daily cleaning and regular check-ups are the protection.
• Wear and repairs. Crowns and bridges on implants can chip or loosen, and screws may need tightening over the years.

We will not promise how long an implant will last or that every implant will succeed: bone, health and habits vary, and the way you heal is part of the outcome. What we can do is plan on a 3D scan, tell you honestly about your own risks, and see you through both visits.

Who carries out your treatment

Implant cases at Persona Smile, from single teeth to full arches with All-on-4 and All-on-6, are planned by our dentists. The dentist who will treat you is named in your written plan, and every dentist is on our dentists page.

Before and after pictures

We only show pictures of our own patients, with their written consent. As consented cases are added, they appear on this page and in our smile stories, never stand-in pictures of other people.

Next steps

Send us your X-ray, or photographs if you have no X-ray, when you book a free consultation, or on WhatsApp. A dentist will reply with the options that fit and a written price from our price list. You can also read more about Persona Smile, our dental clinic in Antalya, or look through all our smile treatments.