Problems after dental treatment in Türkiye: guarantees, repairs and your rights

A crown that comes loose on the flight home, an implant that aches weeks later, veneers that chip: most dental treatment in Türkiye goes without problems, but when something does go wrong, you are usually back in the UK and the clinic is 3,000 kilometres away.

This guide answers the questions patients ask most often in that situation. It is not medical advice and does not replace individual legal advice.

What should I do first if I’m in pain or a crown comes off back home?

Get your mouth looked at in the UK first and deal with the clinic second. For a loose crown, a broken temporary or mild pain, contact your own dentist or, if you do not have one, call NHS 111 for urgent dental care.

Call 999 or go to A&E if you have warning signs such as swelling spreading to your eye or neck, difficulty breathing or swallowing, a high temperature with facial swelling, or bleeding that will not stop.

A few practical points:

• Keep anything that came off – a crown, a veneer, a screw – in a clean, labelled container. It is evidence and may be reusable.
• Do not glue it back yourself with household adhesive.
• Ask the UK dentist for a written note of what they found and what they did. This is your most valuable independent evidence.

Our guide on seeing an NHS dentist after treatment abroad explains what UK dentists can and cannot do.

How do I document the problem properly?

Build a file from day one, as if a stranger had to understand your case without you. In practice:

1. Photos and short videos of the problem, dated, in good light, repeated over time.
2. Your treatment records from the clinic: treatment plan, X-rays or CT scans before and after, implant and material details (brand, batch or lot numbers if available), invoices and the guarantee document. You are entitled to ask for copies.
3. Findings from your UK dentist, ideally with X-rays.
4. All communication with the clinic or agency – WhatsApp, email, social media – saved as screenshots with dates, and exported where possible.
5. Receipts for every cost: emergency appointments, medication, travel.

Tip: Make your complaint to the clinic in writing, even if you also phone. A short email stating the problem, the date it appeared and what you want (repair, refund, explanation), with photos and a reasonable deadline, sets the record straight.

What does the clinic ‘guarantee’ really mean?

A clinic guarantee is a contractual promise, and it means exactly what its written terms say. It is not a legal term with a fixed content. Read it for these points:

• What is covered: implants only, or also crowns, bridges and veneers? The material, the labour, or both?
• For how long, and whether different periods apply to different parts of the work.
• Conditions: for example regular check-ups, proof of dental hygiene, wearing a night guard, or no treatment of the work by another dentist.
• Where repairs take place: almost always at the clinic in Türkiye.
• What is excluded: typically accidents, failure to follow aftercare instructions, and travel and accommodation.

Two things matter legally. First, a guarantee comes on top of your statutory rights; it does not replace them. Second, terms in consumer contracts that unfairly disadvantage you can be invalid under the Consumer Protection Law, so a clause that, for example, excludes every claim if you see another dentist in an emergency should not be taken at face value.

Do I have to fly back to Türkiye for repairs – who pays flights and hotel?

Often the clinic will want to carry out the repair itself, and that means in Türkiye. Whether you have to accept this, and who bears the travel costs, depends on the contract and the cause of the problem.

• If the guarantee says so, the clinic’s obligation is usually to repair free of charge at its premises. Travel and hotel are frequently excluded.
• If the work was defective, the cost of putting it right is in principle the provider’s responsibility, and additional expenses such as flights can be part of a damages claim. How far this reaches is decided case by case.
• If you can no longer trust the clinic, for example after a failed repair, it may be reasonable to have the work done in the UK and claim the cost back. Get a written quote and keep the UK dentist’s findings.

Before you book any flight, get the clinic’s offer in writing: what will be done, by whom, how many days, and who pays what.

What rights do I have under Turkish law?

If you booked as a private individual, your contract with a private clinic is generally a consumer transaction under the Consumer Protection Law No. 6502. A service is defective if it does not match what was agreed or lacks features that could reasonably be expected.

For a defective service, the law gives you a choice between four remedies:

Remedy	What it means in dental practice
Re-performance of the service	The work is redone, e.g. a new crown – unless this is disproportionately difficult for the provider
Price reduction	Part of the price is refunded in proportion to the defect
Free repair	The resulting work is repaired free of charge, again subject to proportionality
Withdrawal from the contract	You return what you received where possible and the price is refunded

In addition, damages can be claimed under the general rules, for example for follow-up treatment, travel costs or, in serious cases, non-pecuniary damage.

Two caveats. Medical treatment is not like a fridge: a complication is not automatically a defect, and how courts classify a given dental procedure is a legal question in its own right. And if the problem goes beyond the dental work itself – nerve damage, a serious infection, lack of proper consent – it becomes a malpractice question; see our guide on medical malpractice in Türkiye.

What are the deadlines?

The key deadline is two years from the date the service was performed: under Law No. 6502, liability for a defective service is subject to this limitation period, even if the defect only appears later. A longer period can be set by law or contract. The two-year limit does not apply if the defect was concealed through the provider’s gross fault or fraud.

You should also notify the clinic of a defect promptly once you notice it. Separate deadlines can apply to damages claims under the Turkish Code of Obligations. A complaint to an authority does not stop limitation periods running.

Step	When
UK dentist or NHS 111; 999/A&E in an emergency	Immediately
Photos, records request, written complaint to the clinic	Within days of noticing the problem
Card chargeback or Section 75 claim	As soon as possible – bank time limits apply
Complaint to the Provincial Health Directorate	Once the clinic fails to respond
Arbitration committee or mediation and court	Well before two years from treatment

Can I get my money back – can I do a card chargeback?

Possibly, and the payment method matters more than many patients expect.

• Credit card: for a purchase between £100 and £30,000 paid by credit card, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act can make your card provider jointly liable for breach of contract or misrepresentation. If you paid an agency rather than the clinic, Section 75 may not apply.
• Debit or credit card chargeback: your bank can try to reverse the payment under the card scheme rules. This is not a legal right but a scheme process, and it has time limits.
• Bank transfer or cash: there is no comparable protection; you have to claim from the clinic.

For a refund of a deposit before treatment, see our guide on deposit refunds and cancellation.

Where can I complain in Türkiye?

Start with the clinic in writing, then escalate. The usual routes are:

• The clinic: written complaint with evidence and a deadline, usually 14 days.
• The Provincial Health Directorate (İl Sağlık Müdürlüğü): it supervises private healthcare providers in its province, so for Antalya it is the Antalya directorate. Complaints can also be filed through the government’s CİMER portal.
• The Consumer Arbitration Committee (Tüketici Hakem Heyeti): competent for consumer disputes below an annually updated monetary threshold – 186,000 TL in 2026 – and free of charge.
• The consumer court (Tüketici Mahkemesi): for disputes above the threshold. Before filing, applying to a mediator is generally a mandatory precondition; disputes within the arbitration committee’s remit are excluded from this requirement.

A complaint to the health authority can lead to an inspection, but it does not award you money. For that you need the arbitration committee, mediation or the court.

Do I need a Turkish lawyer?

Not for the first steps; documentation, a written complaint and a chargeback request you can do yourself. A lawyer admitted in Türkiye becomes useful, and often necessary, when the clinic does not respond, when mediation or court proceedings are on the table, or when the amount at stake is significant.

A formal demand letter sent by a Turkish lawyer under a power of attorney often moves things along. Ask about fees in advance, and whether the lawyer works with a dental expert, because an expert report frequently decides these cases.

Tip: Ask your UK dentist to describe the problem factually and avoid speculating about fault. A neutral, precise report carries more weight later than a strongly worded one.

Checklist: something went wrong after dental treatment

• UK dentist, NHS 111 or, in an emergency, 999/A&E
• Loose crown, veneer or part kept in a labelled container
• Dated photos and the UK dentist’s written findings
• Treatment records, X-rays, implant details and invoices requested from the clinic
• Guarantee terms read: coverage, conditions, travel costs
• Written complaint to the clinic with a deadline
• Bank contacted about chargeback or Section 75
• Two-year deadline from treatment noted in your calendar
• Turkish lawyer consulted if the clinic does not respond

Read more

• Medical malpractice in Türkiye: your rights and what to do
• Your treatment contract with a Turkish clinic: what to check
• Seeing an NHS dentist after treatment abroad