Dental Treatment Holidays in Turkey
Some patients arrive for treatment and go straight home; many more stay on for a week of sunshine, food and coast. There is nothing wrong with that, provided the trip is planned around recovery rather than against it.
This page is about getting that balance right: how much free time a treatment week really contains, and how to spend it comfortably.
How much free time you actually have
Crowns and veneers cases usually involve three or four clinic appointments across a week, each a few hours long. That leaves most afternoons and several whole days free — more time than most patients expect.
Implant cases are different. Surgery day and the day after belong to recovery: ice, rest, soft food and not much else. By day three most patients are comfortable walking along the seafront and eating in restaurants, and by the end of the week they are ready for gentle sightseeing. Booking a boat trip for the day after surgery is the one plan that reliably goes wrong.
What suits the recovery days
Think in terms of low-effort, flexible activities: the promenade, the old town and bazaar, a slow lunch by the marina, a short drive to İçmeler or Turunç, or a quiet afternoon at your hotel.
- Walking and gentle sightseeing: fine from day one of a crowns visit, and from day two or three after surgery.
- Boat trips and swimming: fine before treatment and after crowns; wait about a week after extractions or implant placement.
- Food: soft, lukewarm options on the first day or two after surgery; avoid alcohol and very hot drinks for 72 hours.
- Sun: shade and SPF lip balm. Direct sun on healing gums is uncomfortable and slows things down.
Not sure which treatment applies to you? A coordinator will go through it with you.
Making it a holiday rather than a sick week
Add a day or two at each end of the treatment dates. Arriving the day before your first appointment and leaving a day after your last removes almost all of the pressure, and gives space for the adjustments that often follow a final fitting.
Travelling with a companion helps, both practically and as company. If you are coming alone, ask your coordinator about meeting other patients in the same week — it is a small thing that makes the trip feel less clinical.
Planning dates that work
Late spring and early autumn give warm weather without the peak-summer heat, which is more comfortable after surgery. Outside school holidays, flights and hotels are also cheaper and quieter.
Tell us how you would like the week to feel and we will arrange appointments around it. Book a free consultation or read what to expect from treatment in Turkey.
Dental Treatment Holidays in Turkey: questions patients ask
Can I sunbathe after dental treatment?
After crowns, yes, with normal care. After surgery, keep your face out of direct sun for a few days and use SPF lip balm — heat increases swelling.
Is alcohol allowed?
Not for the first 72 hours after surgery, and avoid it with painkillers containing paracetamol or codeine. After that, in moderation.
How many days after treatment should I stay?
At least one clear day after the final appointment, longer if you are flying long-haul or want a proper break afterwards.
Can I swim in the sea?
Yes before treatment and after crowns. Wait about a week after extractions or implants, and avoid pools and hot tubs while sockets are healing.
Is it worth bringing a companion?
Yes, especially for surgical treatment. See our notes on not travelling alone.
When is the best time of year to come?
May, June, September and early October are the most comfortable for surgery — warm, quieter, and easier on healing than the peak of summer.
Thinking about dental treatment in Turkey?
Speak to the SmileOver team about your individual requirements. We will tell you which treatments are likely to suit you, what a realistic timeline looks like, and what the cost would be — in writing, before you commit to anything.
No guarantees are made about results, and no medical advice is given before an assessment. Everything on this page is general information for UK patients.
How to read this page
SmileOver is a coordination service. We arrange consultations, written treatment plans, airport and clinic transfers, accommodation and aftercare contact for patients travelling from the UK and elsewhere.
Clinical care — diagnosis, treatment planning and the treatment itself — is provided by the independent dental clinic and its registered dentists in Turkey. SmileOver does not practise dentistry and does not decide which treatment you need.
Every page here is general information, not medical advice. Your dentist will assess your own teeth, and treatment varies between patients. No outcome is guaranteed and no treatment is suitable for everyone.
Related reading for UK patients
More detail on the questions that come up most often, and the pages that explain how treatment with SmileOver is organised.