How to Choose a Dental Clinic in Turkey: A Checklist

Price is usually what brings people to look at dental treatment in Turkey, and it is the worst way to choose between clinics. Two quotes for "a set of veneers" can describe very different work: different materials, a different number of teeth, a different amount of preparation and very different aftercare. The ten checks below help you compare like with like and spot the clinics to avoid.

They apply to every clinic, us included. About Persona Smile explains how we work, and we have tried to answer each point on this page openly, so you can compare.

1. A licence you have seen

Every private dental practice in Turkey needs a licence from the Ministry of Health for a named facility at a named address. Ask for a copy and check the name and address match where you will be treated. Our guide on how to verify a Turkish dental clinic's credentials explains what to look for and where.

2. Named dentists with the right training

Find out who will actually treat you, by name, and what they trained in. Crowns, veneers and full smile makeovers are prosthetic work; implants and grafts are surgery; aligners are orthodontics. Look for a dentist whose training matches the treatment, and ask which dentist does which part.

At Persona Smile, you can meet our dentists on the team page, and your written plan names the dentist for each part of your treatment. Dr Kemal Doğan, our specialist orthodontist, leads aligners and orthodontics.

3. Materials named in writing

"Premium materials" means nothing until it is written against your teeth. Your plan should name the material for every crown and veneer, such as E-max (a glass-ceramic) or zirconia, and the implant system for every implant. Different materials suit different teeth, and our comparison of E-max and zirconia crowns explains why. For implants, ask for a record of the manufacturer and batch number from the packaging, for your dentist at home.

4. Where the lab work is made

Ask who makes the crowns and veneers, and where. A lab in the same building is not the only way to get good work, but it helps on a short trip: the dentist and technician can look at a shade or a bite together, and a correction can be made while you are still in the country.

Ours is OGN Dental Studio, in our building. It works from digital scans, mills each piece on CAD/CAM equipment and finishes it by hand.

5. Proper imaging before implants

For implants, a flat X-ray is not enough to plan safely. A 3D CBCT scan shows the height and width of the bone, and where the nerves and sinuses are. Ask whether the clinic takes one before implant surgery, and whether you can have a copy. For crowns and veneers, ask whether the clinic uses a digital scanner or impression trays, and whether you see a design of the new teeth before any tooth is prepared. The clinic page lists the equipment we use for each.

6. Reviews, read critically

Read reviews on more than one platform, such as Google and Trustpilot. The useful ones name a treatment or a dentist, or describe what happened after the patient flew home. Read the negative reviews and the clinic's replies: how a clinic answers a complaint tells you a lot about how it will treat you if something goes wrong. Our smile stories are shared only with the patient's written consent.

7. An honest planning process

A clinic can give you a sensible plan and price from good photos and a recent X-ray, but it cannot be certain until it has examined you. A trustworthy clinic says so, and tells you how any change after the examination would be agreed. Be wary of anyone who promises an exact result before seeing you, or who pushes for a deposit to hold a discount.

With us, a dentist looks at your photos and we send a written plan. At your first appointment in Antalya the dentist examines you and takes the scans your case needs. If something has changed, you hear about it then, with the options and any change to the price in writing, before treatment starts.

8. What the price includes

Headline prices are hard to compare. Ask exactly what each figure covers. For an implant: the implant alone, or the abutment and crown too? For veneers: how many teeth, and are temporary veneers, X-rays and scans included? What about extractions or grafts if the scan shows they are needed?

Our prices are on our published price list, each with its unit, such as per tooth or per implant: for example, an E-max crown is €190 per tooth. Our All-on-4 smile package lists what it includes, such as airport transfers and a patient coordinator.

9. Aftercare, in writing

Ask what happens when you are home: who you contact, how quickly they reply, what is covered if a crown loosens or a veneer chips, and who pays for travel if you need to come back. Get the answers in writing before you pay. It also helps to tell your own dentist at home about your plans.

We stay in touch on WhatsApp after you fly home: send a message with a photo and a dentist will look at it. Our guide to what happens if something goes wrong after dental treatment abroad covers the practical steps.

10. Talk to the dentist before you commit

If you can, speak to a dentist, not only a coordinator, before you book. A video call is enough to ask your questions and hear how the dentist explains the options. A clinic that is reluctant to put you in touch with a dentist before you pay is telling you something.

Your checklist

• I have seen the clinic's licence, and the name and address match.
• I know which dentist will treat me, and their training suits the treatment.
• The materials and implant system are named in writing, tooth by tooth.
• I know where the lab work is made.
• Implant surgery is planned from a 3D scan.
• I have read reviews on more than one platform, including the negative ones.
• I know what might change after the examination, and how it would be agreed.
• I know what the price includes and what it does not.
• The aftercare terms are in writing.
• I have spoken to a dentist.

If you would like to start with us, book a free consultation and send a few photos. You will get a written plan, and you are welcome to show it to your own dentist before you decide.