Implants Placed Abroad: New Crowns, Bridges or a Full Arch in Antalya

Patients write to us with the same situation: implants placed years ago in Iran or in another country, and now a broken crown, a loose bridge or no record of which implant system was used. This guide explains what can be done, what we need from you, how the parts are identified and priced, and when the honest answer is no.

1. Can a new dentist restore implants placed abroad?

Often, yes. An implant is a titanium (or zirconia) screw in the bone. The tooth on top is a separate part, joined to the implant through an internal or external connection. If the implant itself is healthy, the crown, bridge or full-arch prosthesis on top can usually be remade by another dentist. That is true years later, and in another country.

The question is not where the implant was placed. It is three things:

• Is the implant healthy? It must not move, and it must show no signs of peri-implantitis. Peri-implantitis is a plaque-associated condition with inflammation of the tissue around the implant and progressive loss of the supporting bone. ^[1]
• Can the system be identified? We need to know the brand and its connection type.
• Can matching parts be sourced? That means the abutment, the screws and, for full arches, multi-unit abutments.

If all three are yes, implants placed abroad can usually carry new teeth. If one is no, the honest answer may be different. See when it is not possible.

We are asked this by patients whose implants were placed in Iran or elsewhere and who now live in the UK or another country. Dr. Surur Ulubey speaks native Farsi, so the whole conversation can be in Persian if you prefer.

2. What to send us first

You can start before you book a flight. Send these on WhatsApp (+90 540 324 00 04):

1. A panoramic X-ray. A recent one is preferable. A clear phone photo of the film or screen also helps for a first look.
2. Your implant passport or card, if you have one. Any brand name, sticker, invoice or treatment note from the clinic that placed the implants also helps.
3. Photos of your current teeth and prosthesis. Take them from the front and from the biting side.
4. A few lines about any problems: pain, bleeding, a loose crown, food trapping, a broken tooth on a bridge.

Dr. Ali Cem Ulubey or Dr. Surur Ulubey reviews what you send. Messages are usually answered within 4 hours, and a written quote usually follows within 24 hours after your X-ray or photos arrive. There is no fee for that assessment. When you arrive, we take a panoramic X-ray, our dentists evaluate a 3D CBCT scan when it is needed, and we examine the implants in the mouth. Suitability is confirmed only after we check the X-ray, examine the implants and source the parts. A photo or a passport alone is not enough for a final yes.

Do you not have the X-ray or passport? Ask the clinic that placed the implants for your records. The placing clinic’s records are usually the most direct source of the brand.

3. How an unknown implant brand is identified

The implant passport is the simplest route. A proper passport carries the manufacturer’s label for each implant: brand, diameter, length and LOT/REF numbers. That is the record we give our own patients. See what an implant passport contains.

Without a passport, identification relies on:

• The X-ray. The implant’s shape, thread pattern, apex and connection are often recognisable on a panoramic or periapical X-ray. A 2025 systematic review in The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry pooled 22 studies of software tools that read implant X-rays. It found an overall identification accuracy of 92.56% (range 90.49–94.63%), with a risk of bias that varied between studies. ^[3] That review covers AI software, not a dentist’s eye; it shows that X-ray-based identification is useful, but it is not certainty.
• The clinical examination. Once a crown is off, the connection itself can be inspected and measured.
• The supplier. We check with the brand’s distributor that the matching parts exist and can be delivered.

Some older or local systems are hard to identify, or their parts are no longer made. We tell you when that is the case. We do not guess and order the wrong part.

4. Why the right parts matter

The joint between the implant and the abutment is a precision fit. Two systematic reviews compared original abutments with non-original ones:

• Tallarico et al. (2018) reviewed 16 laboratory studies covering 653 abutments, all with a high or moderate risk of bias. Original abutments, and non-original abutments certified by the implant company, gave better mechanical results, less microleakage and better marginal accuracy than non-original “compatible” abutments. ^[4]
• Rizvi et al. (2022) reviewed 40 studies. Original abutments showed better precision of fit, less rotational misfit and micromotion, and higher fatigue strength. The authors’ clinical recommendation is to use original abutments. ^[5]

Both reviews draw mainly on laboratory studies and call for long-term clinical trials, so long-term clinical data are still limited. But the direction is clear: identifying the system correctly comes before anything is ordered. For our own implants, every component comes from the official distributor or the manufacturer in its original sealed box with serial and LOT numbers. For an implant we did not place, the rule is the one on our implants page: the implant system must be identified or compatible parts sourced. We identify the system first, the supplier quotes the parts, and your written quote names the parts and their price before treatment.

5. Your options: single crown, bridge or full arch

The right design depends on how many implants you have, where they are and how they are angled. Your X-ray and examination decide this, not a brochure.

Screw access and angulation. Implants placed at an unfavourable angle can make the screw opening come out on the visible or biting side of a tooth. In a full arch, one solution is to make individual crowns for those teeth and cement them onto the screw-retained framework. It is decided case by case, on your X-ray and scan.

For a full arch on implants we place ourselves, see All-on-6 full-arch implants.

6. What it costs

Our prosthesis prices are fixed and the same for every patient. The parts for an implant system we did not place are not fixed. They depend on the brand and on which parts you need. We identify the brand, the supplier quotes the parts, and you know that price before treatment.

Other premium crown blocks are available on request and are quoted individually. Multi-unit abutments cost extra in every full-arch case.

For the full list, see our dental treatment prices. To estimate a replacement implant by brand, use the single implant cost calculator.

Insurance: we are a private clinic and do not process insurance claims. On request we provide the documents your insurer or tax office may ask for (itemised invoice, treatment plan, X-rays and records). Whether any cost is reimbursed or tax-deductible depends on your insurer, your policy and the rules of your country — we cannot guarantee it and take no responsibility for those decisions. Please check with your insurer in writing before you travel.

7. When it is not possible, and what we do instead

Sometimes the honest answer is no. That is better heard before a flight than after.

New teeth on existing implants are usually not the right plan when:

• The implant is mobile. A moving implant has lost its bond with the bone and cannot carry a prosthesis.
• There is peri-implantitis with significant bone loss. The 2017 World Workshop defines peri-implantitis as a plaque-associated condition with inflammation of the peri-implant tissue and progressive loss of supporting bone. ^[1] The disease can progress in a non-linear, accelerating pattern. ^[2] Treating it comes first; whether the implant can be kept is decided on examination.
• The system cannot be identified, or no matching parts can be sourced. We will not fit a part that does not belong to the connection.
• The implant or its connection is fractured or damaged.
• The implants are in positions that cannot support a stable, cleanable prosthesis. Too few, too close, or at an angle no abutment can correct.

In these cases the option may be to remove the implant, let the area heal and place a new one. The waiting time after removal is planned on your X-ray. After a new implant is placed, healing before the final teeth is usually about 3 months, planned individually, and about 6 months on average when bone grafting is needed. Implants are placed by Dr. Ali Cem Ulubey. We explain the reason on your X-ray and in writing, and you decide.

8. Guarantee: what applies and what does not

We give no guarantee on implants placed by another clinic. The fixture and the way it was placed are not ours. The manufacturer’s lifetime guarantee on the implant fixture that we pass on to our own implant patients applies only to implants we place.

For the guarantee terms on implants and prostheses we place ourselves, see our dental implants page.

Biology still matters on any implant. There is strong evidence that the risk of peri-implantitis is higher in patients with a history of periodontitis, poor plaque control and no regular maintenance care after implant treatment. ^[2] Regular check-ups and good cleaning are part of keeping any implant, old or new.

9. How long you need in Antalya

This depends on the plan and on how quickly the parts for your system arrive.

• For implants we place ourselves, the crown visit takes 3–5 days, and the final full-arch bridge visit about 5–6 nights.
• For implants placed elsewhere, the parts must be identified and ordered first, and the supplier’s delivery time decides how soon they arrive.
• In every case, your written plan states the number of days before you book.

To see how treatment days fit around a holiday, use the dental treatment stay planner. Clinic hours are Monday to Saturday, 09:00–19:00. WhatsApp is answered 7 days a week, usually within 4 hours.

10. How we work on implants placed elsewhere

11. Frequently asked questions