What should you keep in mind before implant surgery?
- Give complete health information: medicines, medical conditions, allergies and a possible pregnancy.
- Do not stop any medicine on your own: changes are agreed between the prescribing doctor and the dental practice.
- Follow the eating rule: with local anaesthetic, usually eat normally; with general anaesthetic, the anaesthetic team’s instructions apply.
- Take a break from smoking: do not smoke in the days before surgery, and ideally stop for good.
- Keep up your mouth care: brush as usual; gum problems are treated beforehand if needed.
- Plan your trip with a buffer: book flights only once your appointment is confirmed, and allow a few days on site after surgery.
The individual points are explained below with sources. How the procedure itself works is described on our dental implants page, and what to expect in the days afterwards in our guide the first week after dental implants.
What does your dentist need to know about you?
According to Mayo Clinic, your medical history is reviewed before implants, including all medicines: prescription, over-the-counter and supplements. UMass Memorial Health adds vitamins and herbal products. Cleveland Clinic notes that some medicines, for example for autoimmune conditions, can increase the risk of complications during healing, and that untreated gum disease can argue against implants.
For patients travelling from abroad, it is practical to see your GP before the trip and put together:
- an up-to-date medication list with the active ingredient and dose
- records of medical conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bleeding disorders, osteoporosis or previous radiotherapy or chemotherapy
- details of any allergies, especially to medicines, anaesthetics or metals
- if you take warfarin, recent INR results
According to Mayo Clinic, an antibiotic may be prescribed before surgery for certain heart conditions or a joint replacement; mention such diagnoses even if they seem unrelated to your teeth. If you are or might be pregnant, say so, even without certainty. What applies with diabetes is explained in our guide dental implants with diabetes.
Do you have to stop any medicines before surgery?
No, not without advice. The Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) advises people taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicines to change them for dental treatment only if their doctor or dentist tells them to. In most cases, SDCEP says, treatment can go ahead as usual; for procedures with a higher bleeding risk, the practice may ask you to delay the morning dose of a newer anticoagulant and will tell you when to take the next one. If you take warfarin, the practice will want to see recent INR results and will contact the prescribing doctor if needed.
If you take, or have taken, medicines for osteoporosis or as part of cancer treatment, such as bisphosphonates or denosumab, this must be included in your information. If a general anaesthetic is planned, the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) says the pre-assessment team decides which tablets you take on the day. The details on anticoagulants are in our guide blood thinners and dental implants.
Can you eat before surgery?
It depends on the anaesthetic. According to Mayo Clinic, depending on the type of anaesthesia, you may need to avoid eating and drinking before surgery.
Local anaesthetic: you usually do not need to fast. The anaesthetic lasts a few hours after surgery, during which you should not eat; a normal meal beforehand makes this easier.
General anaesthetic: your stomach must be empty. The RCoA stresses that the hospital should give clear instructions on when to stop eating and drinking. Follow those instructions, not general figures from the internet. At our clinic, treatment under general anaesthetic is possible when needed; you receive the instructions before surgery.
When should you stop smoking?
The earlier the better. Cleveland Clinic says smoking and vaping can interfere with healing; Leeds Teaching Hospitals names smoking and poor oral hygiene as factors that increase the risk of implant loss. Guy’s and St Thomas’ advises stopping smoking before treatment and for good. What smoking means for implants and how to plan quitting is covered in our guide smoking and dental implants.
Why does mouth care before surgery matter so much?
Inflammation in the mouth makes integration harder. Cleveland Clinic lists active gum disease and poor oral hygiene among the reasons that can argue against implants; according to Leeds Teaching Hospitals, the risk of infection is low if the rest of the mouth is kept clean by normal brushing and flossing. Treat decay or gum problems at home where possible, or plan the treatment in; it can lengthen your stay. Brush twice a day and clean between your teeth until surgery; according to UMass Memorial Health, you may be asked to rinse with an antiseptic solution before the procedure.
How do you plan the trip and the day of surgery?
- Preliminary assessment from home: send us photos of your teeth and any existing X-rays on WhatsApp. The General Dental Council (GDC), which regulates dental professionals in the UK, stresses that you should always be assessed by a qualified dentist before being given a treatment plan; the preliminary assessment does not replace this.
- Tell your dentist at home: the GDC recommends speaking to your own dentist before travelling abroad for treatment, so that they are aware in case of later complications. The NHS treatment abroad checklist advises discussing how to transfer your records to the team abroad. Ask whether they will see you for check-ups afterwards.
- Put your documents together: X-rays, medication list, medical records. A checklist is in our guide documents for dental treatment in Türkiye; which scans are needed on site is explained in CBCT scan before dental implants.
- Book flights with a buffer: the NHS advises staying in the country of treatment for a suitable length of time to recover before travelling home. Felkai and colleagues, writing in the British Dental Journal (2023), suggest at least 72 hours before flying after uncomplicated implant placement and at least two weeks after a sinus lift or bone graft. Book only once your appointments are confirmed, ideally with a flexible fare.
- Company and rest: with sedation or a general anaesthetic, Mayo Clinic advises having someone take you home and resting for the rest of the day; UMass Memorial Health recommends comfortable clothing. In Serdivan, we take you between your accommodation and the clinic on treatment days.
- Soft food and cooling: plan yoghurt, soup and purées for the first days, and ask which painkiller you may take.
How do we prepare your implant surgery at Rönesans?
The process starts from home: send photos and X-rays on WhatsApp to +90 532 363 49 54 and receive a preliminary assessment; during opening hours we reply to messages in English and German within 15 minutes. Before you book your flights, we take a deposit, which is deducted from the treatment fee. Transfer from Istanbul’s airports and accommodation in Sapanca are included in the treatment fee; you rest on the day you arrive, and the examination takes place the next day.
On site you are examined, and your jaw is assessed in three dimensions with the clinic’s CBCT scanner. Our dentists review your case together; you are treated by a dentist you know from the start and to whom you can put your medicines, medical conditions and questions up to the day of surgery. Before treatment starts, you receive a written treatment and cost plan. We carry out bone grafting and sinus lifts at the clinic, and treatment under general anaesthetic is possible when needed. After surgery we schedule your check-ups. How many trips are needed is explained in our guide how many days to stay in Türkiye for dental implants, and the overall process on our page about dental treatment in Türkiye.