Restorative dental treatment in Türkiye

What it is

Restorative dental treatment is the work of repairing teeth damaged by decay, wear or fracture. There are several kinds of filling, including white fillings and amalgam (a mixture of mercury, silver, tin and copper), and a dentist chooses the type that suits the tooth and your clinical needs.

Where the damage is bigger, a dentist may use an inlay or onlay. A leaflet from a UK dental school describes them as similar to fillings but constructed outside the mouth, in a dental laboratory, and then cemented onto the tooth. An inlay fills a cavity within the tooth, and an onlay is often larger and covers the biting surface. The materials include gold alloys, porcelain, composite resin and ceramics.

A crown, which covers the whole tooth, belongs with prosthetic teeth treatment. Treatment of the very earliest decay is on the early carious lesions page.

Who it is for, and who it is not for

It is for a tooth with decay that has made a cavity, or one that is chipped, cracked or worn. The choice between a filling, an inlay or onlay and a crown depends on how much of the tooth is left, and that is a clinical judgement made on examination and X-rays.

It is not a cosmetic package for healthy teeth. If a tooth has no cavity, a restoration means removing healthy tooth to place it, and the decision should be explained tooth by tooth. Where decay has reached the pulp, the tooth may need root canal treatment before it is restored.

How it is done in Türkiye

A direct filling is placed at one appointment: the dentist removes the decay, shapes the cavity and fills it. An inlay or onlay needs more. A UK dental-school leaflet describes at least two appointments, with a temporary restoration in between while the laboratory makes the permanent one, which is then bonded or cemented in. We cannot say how a given Turkish clinic stages it.

Under the Ministry of Health's regulation on private oral and dental health facilities:

• Work inside the mouth must be done by a dentist; staff who are not dentists may not carry out intra-oral procedures.
• Dental technicians work only where there is a laboratory; if the laboratory is bought in, the facility and the laboratory are jointly responsible for the work, and the patient may not be directed to the laboratory.
• Records, including diagnosis and treatment by tooth number, must be kept electronically, and a consent form is required for interventions.
• Dentists may not announce themselves as specialists beyond what their diploma or specialty certificate allows.

"Restorative dental treatment" is a heading on the register. We could not confirm from the sources we used whether it is a recognised specialty branch in Türkiye, so we do not describe it as one; a dentist's title is something to ask for in writing. We have not found a rule that reserves fillings, inlays or onlays to specialists.

What to check before you book

• Facility and dentist. Look up the facility with register search and ask for the dentist's full name and title.
• Diagnosis tooth by tooth. For each tooth, ask for the finding (decay, crack, wear), the restoration planned and why, and whether a smaller option was considered.
• Material. Ask which material is used for each restoration (composite, glass ionomer, amalgam, porcelain, ceramic, gold alloy) and the product or manufacturer, in writing.
• Laboratory. For inlays and onlays, ask who makes them and where, and how long the temporary stays.
• Visits. Ask how many appointments are planned, and what happens if the permanent restoration is not ready before you leave.
• Records. Ask for X-rays, a treatment record with tooth numbers and the materials, before you leave.

What a package must state

• each tooth by number, and the restoration type and material;
• which items are direct fillings and which are laboratory-made inlays or onlays;
• the laboratory, where used;
• whether examination, X-rays, anaesthetic and temporaries are included;
• exclusions: root canal treatment, crowns, extractions or repairs that may turn out to be necessary;
• the guarantee and what it excludes;
• 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

We have not verified a list of risks or failure rates for fillings, inlays and onlays from a source we can rely on, so none is given here. Ask the dentist to explain the risks of the option chosen for your tooth. One thing is documented: decay can infect the pulp, and an infected pulp may need root canal treatment, so a tooth that stays painful after a restoration should be seen again.

Ask what aftercare applies to your restoration and what to do if a temporary comes off. Keep up cleaning and regular check-ups at home, and tell your dentist about pain, swelling or fever promptly.

Questions to ask in writing

• What does each tooth need, and why that restoration?
• Which material, product and manufacturer for each tooth?
• Are any items laboratory-made, and which laboratory, in which country?
• How many appointments, and what temporaries will I have?
• What happens if a restoration needs redoing, and who pays?
• Who is the dentist and what is their title?
• Which records will I receive, with tooth numbers?
• Is there an itemised invoice?

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.