Dental Implants

A dental implant is a small titanium or ceramic screw placed in the jawbone to act as an artificial tooth root. Once the bone has bonded to it, a connector called an abutment and a crown, bridge or denture are fixed on top.

Implants replace missing teeth without cutting down the neighbouring teeth and they help preserve the bone under the gap. Their main limit is time: the bone needs months to heal around the screw, so treatment is normally split over two trips, and implants still need lifelong cleaning.

What Dental Implants involves

Planning starts with an examination and a 3D cone beam CT scan to measure bone height, width and the position of nerves and sinuses. Under local anaesthetic the dentist opens the gum or works through a small punch hole, drills a precise channel in stages and threads the implant into the bone. A healing cap or cover screw is placed and the gum is closed. Over the next 2 to 6 months the bone grows onto the implant surface, a process called osseointegration. At the second stage the implant is uncovered if needed, impressions or digital scans are taken, and the final crown or bridge is screwed or cemented onto the abutment.

Who is a good candidate for Dental Implants?

Implants suit adults whose jaws have finished growing, who have one or more missing or failing teeth and enough healthy bone, or who accept grafting first.

• You have a single gap and do not want the neighbouring teeth drilled for a bridge
• You have several missing teeth and want a fixed bridge on implants
• You wear a loose denture and want it stabilised
• Your gums are healthy or gum disease has been treated and is stable
• You can return for the second stage after the healing period

It is usually not the right choice if:

• Heavy smokers who will not cut down, because failure rates are clearly higher
• People with uncontrolled diabetes or active untreated gum disease
• Anyone who has had intravenous bisphosphonates or recent radiotherapy to the jaw, without specialist clearance
• Teenagers whose jaw is still growing
• People who cannot commit to daily cleaning and regular check-ups

Technique options

• Delayed (two-stage) placement: The standard approach. The implant heals under or level with the gum for several months before the tooth is fitted.
• Immediate placement: The implant goes in at the same visit as the extraction. Used when the socket is intact and free of infection.
• Immediate loading: A temporary tooth is attached within days. Only possible when the implant is very stable at placement; the temporary must be kept out of heavy biting.
• Guided surgery: A printed guide made from your CT scan directs the drill. Helpful for multiple implants or tight spaces near nerves.
• Bone graft or sinus lift first: Added when the scan shows too little bone. It can extend healing by several months.

What happens during your treatment

Placing one implant usually takes 30 to 60 minutes under local anaesthetic; several implants can take 2 hours or more and sedation is an option. You feel pressure and vibration rather than sharp pain. Stitches are often dissolvable. You go back to your hotel the same day with pain relief, a cold pack and instructions on rinsing and soft food.

Preparing for your trip

Plan for 4 to 7 days per trip, two trips in Istanbul. Your surgeon reviews photographs and your medical history before you book, and you meet in person the day before surgery for examination, marking and consent with a professional interpreter.

• Stop smoking and nicotine at least four weeks before and after surgery; it is the single biggest avoidable cause of wound problems
• Tell the team about every medicine and supplement you take; blood thinners, some herbal products and hormone treatment may need to be paused on your doctor's advice
• Arrange for someone to travel with you or to be reachable, and keep the first days at home free of work and lifting
• Book a changeable return flight; your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly

Recovery and results

Expect swelling and tenderness for 3 to 5 days, sometimes with bruising of the cheek. Most people are back to desk work within 1 to 2 days. Eat soft food on the other side for about a week and avoid smoking. Stitches are checked at 7 to 10 days. Bone healing then takes 2 to 4 months in the lower jaw and 3 to 6 months in the upper jaw before the final teeth can be fitted.

• Back to everyday activity: 1 to 3 days
• When results show: Final teeth after 3 to 6 months
• How long they last: Often 15 years or more with good care

Safety, risks and revision policy

Implant treatment has high long-term success in healthy non-smokers, but it is surgery and complications do occur.

• Failure of the implant to bond with the bone, which means removal and a possible second attempt
• Infection around the implant early on, or peri-implantitis years later with bone loss
• Injury to the nerve in the lower jaw, causing numbness or tingling of the lip or chin that can be lasting
• Opening into the sinus when placing upper back implants
• Bleeding, bruising and swelling after surgery
• Loosening or fracture of the screw, abutment or crown over time
• Gum recession that exposes the metal margin in the smile zone

Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.

Cost of Dental Implants in Türkiye

Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Dental Implants, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:

• The number of implants and the brand and material of the implant system
• Whether bone grafting or a sinus lift is needed first
• The type of final restoration: single crowns, a bridge or a full arch
• Whether sedation, guided surgery or immediate temporary teeth are used
• The need for two separate trips

Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

Frequently Asked Questions