Endodontics in Türkiye

What it is

The register holds two headings for this field, "Endodontics" and "Endodontic Treatment", and treats them as the same thing. This page is about endodontics as a specialty: what the specialty is, how the title works, and what to ask when the work is difficult. The treatment itself, step by step, is on the root canal treatment page and is not repeated here.

NHS information says root canal treatment, also called endodontics, tackles infection at the centre of a tooth, the pulp. The specialty deals with the inside of the tooth and with problems around the root tip. UK hospital-trust leaflets list, besides first-time root canal treatment, re-treatment and root tip surgery as the options when a root canal has not resolved the problem.

Who it is for, and who it is not for

Specialist endodontic care is the more usual route when the tooth is difficult: curved canals or roots, canals that cannot be penetrated, an instrument broken off inside the tooth, or a tooth that has already been treated and has not healed. These are the difficulties UK hospital-trust information lists.

It is not a route for a tooth that cannot be saved. UK information says that when treatment fails or is unsuitable, the tooth may have to be taken out, and the replacement options then are covered under dental implant surgery and prosthetic teeth treatment.

How it is done in Türkiye

The rules that decide who can work where are in the Ministry of Health's regulation on private oral and dental health facilities:

• Interventions inside the mouth must be done by a dentist.
• Facilities come in four types: surgery (muayenehane), polyclinic, centre (merkez) and hospital. Surgeries and polyclinics may not treat under sedation or general anaesthesia.
• Dentists may not announce themselves as specialists outside what their diploma or specialty certificate allows.

Specialty certificates for dentists in Türkiye are issued and registered by the Ministry of Health after training and a final examination, and the Ministry publishes a core curriculum for endodontics. We could not confirm from the sources we used how long specialty training lasts today or which other dental branches are recognised, so we do not give figures.

In the UK the position is different and worth knowing so the two are not confused. Dentists do not have to join a specialist list to practise a particular specialty, but they may use the title "specialist" only if they are on the General Dental Council's list; endodontics is one of the specialist lists. A UK listing and a Turkish certificate are separate things, and neither is shown on the Turkish register entry, which records facility, authorisation number, address and doctors.

We have not found a rule in the facility regulation that reserves endodontic treatment to specialists. A clinic may therefore describe its dentist as an endodontist, and you should ask what that means: a specialty certificate, a postgraduate course, or a focus of practice.

What to check before you book

• Title in writing. Ask the clinic to state the dentist's title and, if specialist, the branch and certificate. Compare the name with the doctors recorded against the facility on register search.
• Why a specialist. Ask what makes your tooth a specialist case, from the X-rays, and what the alternatives are, including taking the tooth out.
• Dental imaging. Ask whether imaging beyond ordinary X-rays will be used and why, and that you receive copies.
• Magnification and isolation. Ask whether a rubber dam is used. Dental literature describes it as the preferred way of keeping the tooth dry during root canal work.
• Visits. Ask how many visits are planned and what happens if the tooth is not finished before you leave.
• After the root filling. Ask who places the permanent restoration and when.
• Records. Ask for before and after X-rays, the tooth number, the treatment record and the materials, before you leave.
• Follow-up. For re-treatment or root tip surgery, ask who reviews the tooth at home and how the clinic will hear of it.

What a package must state

• the tooth by number, and the procedure: first root canal treatment, re-treatment or root tip surgery;
• the dentist's title and branch, as the clinic claims it;
• the number of visits and the days they take;
• whether imaging, anaesthetic, temporary filling and medication are included;
• the restoration that follows, who makes it and whether it is included;
• exclusions: further surgery, extraction, crowns, post and core build-up;
• the guarantee, with length, conditions and who pays for travel if work is redone;
• an itemised invoice or receipt, which Turkish rules require for every patient treated;
• the deposit: what it holds and whether it is refundable.

Risks, complications and aftercare

The risks are those of root canal treatment, and they can be more likely in a tooth that is already difficult: an instrument breaking off inside the tooth, a hole in the side of the root, a fractured root or tooth, infection, swelling, discolouration, and a tooth that does not heal. Remedial treatment is sometimes possible; if not, extraction follows. After surgery on the root tip, expect the care any oral surgery involves, and ask what that is for your case.

After treatment the face and jaw may stay numb for several hours and the area can be swollen and sore for up to a couple of weeks. Follow-up appointments matter more with a tooth that has been treated before. Pain, swelling or fever after you return mean seeing a dentist soon.

Questions to ask in writing

• What is the dentist's title, and which branch and certificate does it rest on?
• Why does my tooth need a specialist, and what are the alternatives?
• What is the procedure: first root canal treatment, re-treatment or root tip surgery?
• Will a rubber dam be used, and will I receive the X-rays and imaging?
• How many visits, and what happens if the work is unfinished when I leave?
• Who places the final restoration, and is it in the package?
• What does the guarantee cover if the tooth fails, and who pays for travel?
• Which records will I receive before I leave?

This page is an information service, not medical advice. Clinimora is an independent, patient-funded research service. It does not sell treatment, does not diagnose and does not recommend any clinic.