Case study: Brit gets his smile back and a functional bite for a fraction of the UK cost
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How a British patient’s failing teeth were rebuilt in three visits to Antalya — and what it says about the state of UK dentistry, according to Smile Dental Turkey. This is paid for content, and not necessarily the views of the Edinburgh Evening News.
Jason arrived at Smile Dental Turkey in February 2025 with multiple failing and missing teeth, an inability to eat comfortably, and little confidence in his smile. Eight months and three visits later, he left with ten permanent Neodent implants and 25 custom-made crowns. This is his story — told in full, with X-rays, clinical photographs, and a transparent cost breakdown.
Jason came to Smile Dental Turkey, a specialist implant clinic in Antalya, Turkey, in February 2025. He was struggling with discomfort when eating, gaps where teeth had been lost, and visible decay across much of his remaining dentition.
Like a significant number of patients who travel to Smile Dental Turkey from the United Kingdom, he was not looking for a cosmetic shortcut. He was looking for a permanent, clinically sound solution to a problem that had been building for years.
What followed was a three-phase treatment plan developed by Dr. Özkan Özkaynak (DDS, PhD), the clinic’s lead oral surgeon and founder. Dr. Özkaynak holds a doctorate in implantology and has been placing dental implants for over two decades.
His approach to complex full-mouth cases at Smile Dental Turkey is methodical: stabilise first, place implants second, restore third. No shortcuts, no single-visit promises, no compromises on the healing time between each stage.
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Phase one, in February 2025, focused entirely on creating a healthy foundation. Dr. Özkaynak removed 13 failing teeth across both arches — eight in the upper jaw and five in the lower — and fitted Jason with a set of custom temporary dentures so he could eat and speak normally throughout the healing period. No implants were placed at this stage. The bone and gum tissue needed time to heal properly before any permanent work could begin.
Three months later, in May 2025, Jason returned to Smile Dental Turkey for the surgical phase. His jawbone had healed sufficiently to support implant placement. Dr. Özkaynak placed six Neodent implants in the upper jaw using the All-on-6 technique — a full-arch fixed bridge supported by six precisely positioned implants rather than one implant per tooth. In the lower jaw, where Jason still had several healthy natural teeth, four additional Neodent implants were placed in strategic positions to support a new bridge working in combination with his own teeth. Ten implants in total, placed in a single surgical visit.
The choice of Neodent is worth noting. Neodent is manufactured by the Straumann Group, one of the most respected names in implant dentistry worldwide and the same brand used in NHS teaching hospitals and leading private practices across the United Kingdom.
Patients sometimes assume that lower costs in Turkey mean lower-quality materials. In the case of Smile Dental Turkey, the implant system is identical to what a patient would receive from a specialist oral surgeon in London or Edinburgh. The cost difference lies in labour, overheads, and the structural economics of running a clinic in Antalya rather than in the UK — not in the quality of what goes into the patient’s jaw.
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The third and final phase took place in October 2025, after osseointegration — the process by which the titanium implants fuse with the surrounding bone — had been confirmed. Smile Dental Turkey’s in-house dental laboratory produced 25 custom-milled metal-porcelain units to specification. In the upper jaw, a 13-unit bridge was secured to the six implants. In the lower jaw, a 12-unit bridge was fitted, supported by the four implants and Jason’s prepared natural teeth working together. Two minor fillings were completed at the same appointment, and a custom-fit night guard was provided to protect the final restoration during sleep.
The total investment for all three phases of treatment at Smile Dental Turkey — including 13 extractions, temporary dentures, ten Neodent implants, 25 metal-porcelain crowns, two fillings, and a night guard — was published transparently in the clinic’s case study. The full cost breakdown is available at smiledentalturkey.com. Equivalent treatment from a UK specialist oral surgeon and dental laboratory, priced privately, would typically run to several multiples of that figure.
Jason recorded his experience on camera at Smile Dental Turkey at the conclusion of his treatment. In his own words, he describes the journey from his first consultation through to the completed restoration — the phased approach, the care he received at the clinic, and the difference the treatment has made. The video is published in full on the Smile Dental Turkey website alongside his case study.
Dr. Özkaynak published a note alongside Jason’s case study describing what, in his view, makes a complex full-mouth restoration succeed or fail. The foundation, he argues, is planning rather than speed. “Every phase has a purpose,” he writes in the case study. “Skipping steps to reduce visits is a false economy. We would rather take the time to do it correctly than have a patient return with complications.”
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Jason’s case is one of a series of detailed, clinically documented case studies published by Smile Dental Turkey, each including before and after photographs, panoramic X-rays at each treatment stage, and an itemised cost breakdown. The transparency is deliberate. In a market where patients are rightly cautious about choosing a clinic abroad, Dr. Özkaynak’s view is that the clinical record should speak for itself.
For British patients researching dental implants in Turkey, the questions worth asking of any clinic are consistent: who specifically will perform the surgery, what implant system will be used and why, what does the post-treatment support look like, and where is the documented evidence of outcomes in cases similar to yours. Smile Dental Turkey publishes answers to all of those questions, including free remote consultations with 3D scan review for international patients, before any commitment is required.
Jason’s full case study, including all clinical photographs, X-rays, and the complete cost breakdown across all three phases, is published at smiledentalturkey.com.
About Smile Dental Turkey
Smile Dental Turkey is a specialist dental implant clinic in Antalya, Turkey, established in 2009. Lead oral surgeon Dr. Özkan Özkaynak (DDS, PhD) specialises in full-mouth restoration, All-on-6, All-on-4, sinus lifting and complex implant cases. The clinic works exclusively with Nobel Biocare, Straumann and Neodent implant systems. Free consultations including 3D scan review are available for international patients at smiledentalturkey.com.
Always consult your GP or NHS consultant before embarking on any private medical or cosmetic treatments. Ensure you have adequate travel insurance which includes cover for cosmetic and health procedures abroad , and check the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) for the latest advice The NHS also provides advice on considering cosmetic surgery abroad via the NHS website.