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A KEY QUESTION
Before an irreversible dental change, ask how your earlier cleft treatment and current specialist advice should inform the plan.
Explain what you need help with now.
Describe the concern before choosing a procedure: perhaps a missing tooth, ageing restoration, chewing difficulty or tooth position. Include any speech or other cleft-related concern so the service can identify the appropriate assessment.
You do not need a complete account of childhood treatment before making the first enquiry.
Find your adult referral route.
Contact the previous cleft team if known, or ask your dentist or GP which service covers your current area. Moving since childhood may mean a different team is appropriate.
Local routes differ. Cleft.Net.East asks adults to involve their GP or dentist; specialist dental and orthodontic referrals need a local dentist. Evelina London also describes access for adults within its catchment. Check your own service’s requirements.
Gather the earlier records you can find.
List hospitals and practices involved, with approximate dates where necessary. Available operation summaries, orthodontic plans, images and restoration details may help; the receiving team can specify what it needs.
Mark uncertain recollections as uncertain. If records cannot be found, explain the gap rather than postponing the enquiry indefinitely.
Keep routine care and specialist planning connected.
A cleft appointment does not automatically replace your regular dentist’s check-ups and treatment. Establish who deals with existing problems while you wait and which decisions require specialist input.
Before extractions, crowns, implants or tooth movement, share the proposed plan with the relevant teams. Earlier treatment may affect the sequence. Identify who plans each part and who provides maintenance.
Leave with a named next step.
Note who arranges the next assessment, what information is missing and how you will hear back. Referral does not guarantee a particular treatment, funding decision or timetable. New pain or swelling needs dental advice rather than waiting for specialist review.
If you are considering care abroad, share the proposed treatment and dates with your cleft team early. Ask the overseas provider whether they can provide the specialist care you need.
Read the related guidance
Keep the wider treatment plan in view while comparing these options.
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About this information
Published by Best Smile Turkey, a health-tourism intermediary. Your treating dentist is responsible for assessment, treatment and care.
Use this information to prepare questions for your dentist. An examination is needed to advise on treatment. Photographs, models and previews cannot establish suitability or predict results.
Source checking is not a clinical review. How we use sources and images, or how to report a correction.
Sources and further reading
- Evelina London: cleft-service referrals Local cleft-service referral information; routes and catchment should be checked with the patient’s own service.
- Cambridge University Hospitals: Cleft.Net.East Adult referral information and the continuing role of a local dentist for routine care.
- NHS: dental treatments explained An overview of crowns, bridges, veneers, implants and other options.
- General Dental Council: going abroad for dental treatment Questions to ask about the treating provider, follow-up arrangements and concerns.
These resources offer general guidance; their publishers do not endorse Best Smile Turkey or the treating provider. Manufacturer links identify products or records, not independently compared outcomes. NHS funding information concerns UK care, not treatment costs in Turkey.
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