Questions to ask before booking anywhere

About the treatment plan

• Can I have a written treatment plan before I travel? It should list each tooth, what is being done to it, and the material used. A plan quoting only a total price is not a plan.
• Was this plan made from a CBCT scan? Any implant plan produced from photographs alone is a guess. Bone height, width and density cannot be assessed any other way.
• Which teeth are you extracting, and why can each one not be saved? Ask tooth by tooth. Over-extraction to fit a full-arch protocol is the most consequential risk in the field.
• What happens if you find more work is needed once you start? The answer should be that it is quoted and agreed before continuing, never carried out and invoiced afterwards.

About materials

• Which implant brand and system will be used? You want a specific name, not a country. Straumann, Nobel Biocare, Osstem, MIS and Neodent are all legitimate at different price points.
• Will I get the implant passport or system documentation? Reputable systems supply documentation with lot numbers. Without it, a dentist at home has no way to source matching components years later.
• Is the laboratory in-house or outsourced? In-house labs turn work around in three to four days and remake it without argument. Outsourced labs add a week and a negotiation.

About the people

• Which surgeon will treat me, and how many of these cases do they do a year? The clinic's total is not the relevant number. The individual operator's caseload is.
• Will the same person handle my case throughout? High-volume clinics frequently rotate patients between operators between appointments.

About what happens afterwards

• What exactly does the guarantee cover, and for how long? Workmanship guarantees are common. Ask whether it covers remake only, or also the return travel to have it done.
• Will I leave with my full clinical records in English? Radiographs, the treatment plan, implant documentation. Without these, follow-up care at home becomes far harder.
• Who do I contact from home if something goes wrong at week three? A named person and a direct number, not a general inbox.

What the answers tell you

Confident specificity is a good sign. A clinic that names the implant system, states the surgeon's annual caseload, and explains why a particular tooth cannot be saved is a clinic that expects to be asked.

Deflection is the warning. Vague answers about “European quality materials”, reluctance to name the treating surgeon, or pressure to place a deposit before a scan has been reviewed are all reasons to keep looking.

The pricing questions people forget

• Does the quote cover the final restoration, or only the implant and provisional?
• Is grafting or a sinus lift included if the scan shows you need one?
• Are hotel and transfers included, and for how many nights?
• What is the cost of the second trip, and is it quoted now?
• What currency is the quote in, and is it fixed against exchange movement?

Common questions