Coming from Austria and Switzerland to Turkey for dental implants

Under the ÖGK's (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse) current practice, implants count as a private service (Privatleistung) and no standard contribution is foreseen. Some special insurers, such as BVAEB (the insurer for Austrian civil servants), may offer a limited reimbursement at a set rate up to a cap, but this is an exception rather than the general rule. It is worth confirming which category your own insurer falls into before treatment.

If you live in Austria, there is a detail worth knowing: it helps to contact the ÖGK before you travel for planned treatment abroad, and the ÖGK's own guidance recommends doing this at least two weeks in advance. This clears up from the outset whether you are entitled to any reimbursement. Whether formal prior approval is legally required for every course of outpatient treatment can vary by case; getting written confirmation from your own regional ÖGK office is the safest route.

The picture is clearer in Switzerland: compulsory basic insurance, known as the Grundversicherung and set out in the Krankenversicherungsgesetz (KVG), covers dental treatment only where it results from a severe general illness or from otherwise unavoidable serious damage to the jaw system. Routine implant treatment falls outside that definition, and most patients pay the full cost themselves, whether the treatment is carried out in Switzerland or in Turkey.

Switzerland's basic insurance gives limited cover for a genuine medical emergency, meaning sudden illness or an accident, while you are temporarily abroad, and for situations where returning home is not medically possible; payment is capped at a set multiple of what the same treatment would have cost in Switzerland. This applies to an unexpected emergency, not to planned implant treatment, and relying on it for planned treatment sets the wrong expectation.

The fix rests on the same principle in both countries, though the search differs: take your full records with you (the implant brand, diameter, length and position; an X-ray taken after surgery; a written treatment plan). If you live in Switzerland, you can find a registered Zahnarzt in your area through the SSO's (the Swiss Dental Association's) online search; if you live in Austria, you can approach a dentist in your area directly and share your records in advance. Who will carry out your yearly check-up is the one question to answer before treatment.

We will not put a figure on the price difference, because it varies from clinic to clinic and from scope to scope, and a single number would be misleading. What we can say is that implants are paid largely out of pocket in both countries, so when you compare, look at what the quote actually includes, not just the total. Whether the final fixed teeth are included, how many implants are planned, whether check-ups are in scope: a comparison made before these are matched is meaningless.

The clinical process is three days, that is 72 hours, and each of those three days is full: day 1 is surgery and the first try-in, day 2 is further try-ins and choosing the final tooth shade, day 3 is the final fixed teeth. Do not book your flight home for the middle of day 3; the last bite adjustments are made that day. This protocol was not designed for patients missing a single tooth; for a single gap, a conventional implant with your own Zahnarzt means fewer procedures and less travel.

The breakdown below clears up the points patients coming from Austria and Switzerland get confused about most often.

The order below rules out the most common hiccups from the start.

1. 1

   Send your imaging

   Send your panoramic X-ray or CBCT scan if you have one, your list of medicines, and any long-term conditions. If we think this is not right for you, we tell you before you travel.

2. 2

   If you live in Austria, contact the ÖGK in advance

   Contact the ÖGK at least two weeks before planned treatment and clear up your entitlement to reimbursement. Skipping this step can cost you an entitlement on your return.

3. 3

   If you live in Switzerland, get your cover in writing

   Confirm with your insurer that the Grundversicherung's cover abroad is limited to emergencies, and check whether a Zahnzusatzversicherung (supplementary dental insurance), if you have one, covers treatment abroad.

4. 4

   Find a Zahnarzt now, for after you are home

   Find a registered dentist through the SSO's search page or your local dental association, and pass your records to them once treatment is done.

5. 5

   Set aside three days, and plan any holiday separately

   The clinical process is three days, that is 72 hours: day 1 is surgery and the first try-in, day 2 is further try-ins, day 3 is the final fixed teeth. Put your return flight at the end of day 3.

6. 6

   Take your complete records home with you

   The brand, diameter, length and position of the implants, an X-ray taken after treatment, the written treatment plan and what the guarantee covers. Without these documents, your Zahnarzt cannot safely treat you.

It is not in our interest to say this, but for some patients it is the right choice.

The patterns below come up again and again in patients coming from Austria and Switzerland, and every one of them can be prevented with planning.

This is the period that really begins once you are back in Austria or Switzerland, and it needs to be planned from the outset.

1. The first week

   Swelling goes down and you need fewer painkillers. Most questions in this week are resolved by photo and phone.

2. The first month

   A bite check. If your Zahnarzt can do this with your records, go along; if not, we plan together how to proceed.

3. The first year

   Because treatment is complete on day 3, there is no separate treatment visit; check-ups are more frequent in the first year and then space out.

4. Yearly care

   A check-up, professional cleaning and monitoring the bone level around the implants. This is what decides how long the treatment lasts, and it settles the question of who carries out your yearly check-up.

Looking only at the total figure when you compare quotes from the two countries is misleading. Here is what should go into the calculation:

Matching the scope

Whether the final fixed teeth are included, how many implants, whether check-ups are in scope. A comparison made before these are matched is misleading.

Travel and accommodation

Flights, accommodation and time off, for two people if you bring a companion. When the clinical process fits into a few days, this comes to a single trip.

What insurance contributes

In Austria, the ÖGK treats implants as a private service; in Switzerland, the Grundversicherung covers almost no dental treatment. Do not factor this in without getting written information from your own insurer.

The cost of care in your own country

The yearly check-up and professional cleaning will happen there. This is part of the total, and leaving it out makes the price difference look bigger than it really is.