How to read a dental clinic’s guarantee

“All our work is guaranteed” is one of the most common lines on Turkish clinic websites. It is also one of the least useful. Of the 23 clinics we checked, nine state guarantee periods treatment by treatment on their websites. The rest either say nothing, or describe a guarantee without saying how long it lasts. A guarantee you cannot read before you pay is hard to rely on after.

The Oral Health Foundation puts the guarantee on its list of questions to ask before treatment abroad: is the treatment guaranteed, for how long, and who pays for extra travel, accommodation or corrective work if something goes wrong?

1. Periods, treatment by treatment

The first thing to look for is a period for each kind of work. Our own published terms, for example, are: implants with abutment, lifetime; crowns, bridges and smile makeovers, five years; laminate veneers, three years; whitening, one year. Other clinics in our register publish similar lists with different periods. What matters is that each treatment you are having has its own number.

Be careful with a single headline period. “Ten-year guarantee” may apply only to one item.

2. What is covered

• Materials: a replacement crown, veneer or implant.
• Labour: the dentist’s and laboratory’s work to replace it.
• Related treatment: for example, if an implant fails, is the bone graft to replace it covered?
• Temporary teeth while a repair is made.

3. Who pays for travel

This is the clause that most often surprises patients. Many guarantees cover the dental work but not flights or hotel. For a patient in Manchester, a repair trip can cost more than the repair. Look for:

• Whether the clinic pays any part of flights or hotel for a guaranteed repair.
• Whether it will pay a UK dentist to do a small repair instead.
• Whether you must return within a set time after the problem appears.

4. Conditions you must meet

Most guarantees depend on you looking after the work. Common conditions:

• Regular check-ups and cleaning, sometimes with proof from a UK dentist.
• Wearing a night guard if you grind your teeth.
• Following aftercare instructions, such as a soft diet after implants.
• Not smoking, or smoking less, after implant surgery.

Check you can meet them. A requirement to attend check-ups at the clinic in Turkey every six months is a very different promise from one that accepts a UK dentist’s check.

5. What voids it

• Accidents and injuries.
• Treatment of the same teeth by another dentist.
• Missing the required check-ups.
• Medical changes, such as starting certain medicines, in some guarantees.

6. How to claim

A good guarantee tells you how to report a problem, what evidence to send (photos, an X-ray from a UK dentist) and how quickly the clinic will respond.

Before you pay a deposit

1. Ask for the guarantee document itself, not a summary on WhatsApp.
2. Check each of your treatments has a period.
3. Ask the travel question in writing.
4. Keep the document with your plan and your implant records.

See which clinics publish guarantee periods in our comparison table (the “Guarantee” column).

Common questions

Do guarantees cover flights?

Usually not. Many cover the treatment but not travel. Some contribute to travel for major failures. Ask, and get the answer in writing.

What usually voids a guarantee?

Not attending check-ups, smoking where the clinic said not to, accidents, grinding without a night guard, or treatment by another dentist. Read the list.

Is a lifetime guarantee real?

It can be, but read what it covers. “Lifetime” often applies to the implant post only, not the crown or bridge on top, and may depend on yearly check-ups.

How many clinics in your register publish guarantee periods?

Nine of the 23 clinics we checked state guarantee periods in writing on their websites. That is our third check.

Sources

1. Oral Health Foundation: going abroad for dental treatment
2. Precious Dental guarantee terms

Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.