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A KEY QUESTION
Agree explanations, a pause signal and how the team will check you are ready to continue.
Describe what is difficult
Mention anxiety when booking and on arrival, even if previous visits went well. You need not recount every detail of a difficult experience. Note triggers such as injections, gagging, embarrassment or cost uncertainty. Share relevant medical information with the clinician through an appropriate clinical channel.
Agree the first visit
Ask whether it can focus on discussion and assessment. An enquiry, photo review or quote is not consent to an irreversible procedure. Separate urgent needs from choices that can wait. Discuss appointment length, staged treatment and planned breaks to suit you.
Choose a pause signal
Agree a signal, such as raising your hand, and how the team will safely pause. Say whether you prefer advance warnings, step-by-step explanations or less detail. Use the signal if you feel pain or become overwhelmed.
- How will you check I am ready to continue?
- How can I report pain when I cannot speak?
- Can we plan regular breaks?
Understand before agreeing
Consent should be voluntary and informed. Ask about benefits, significant risks, alternatives and what happens without treatment. Confirm language support abroad and direct clinical questions to the dentist. If the plan changes, review its scope and costs before deciding. A flight booking should not decide treatment.
Discuss support
Ask about suitable relaxation or distraction techniques, headphones or a support person. If anxiety prevents attendance or treatment, speak to your dentist or GP about further support, which may include cognitive behavioural therapy.
Sedation needs a separate clinical assessment. Ask the treating provider which sedation or specialist anxiety services are available and who would provide them.
Understand the differences between sedation, local anaesthetic and general anaesthesia and ask which practical arrangements an individually assessed plan would require.
Before booking travel
Confirm who receives your preferences and what happens if treatment cannot proceed, including accommodation, appointments and costs. Put arrangements in writing. Best Smile Turkey coordinates enquiries; the treating dental team provides clinical care. After each visit, note what helped and what needs changing.
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
- American Dental Association: dental anxiety Sharing concerns, agreeing a signal, reporting discomfort and discussing coping strategies.
- NHS: consent to treatment Patient information on voluntary, informed decisions and understanding proposed care.
- NHS England: dental anxiety management Clinical guidance covering communication, control, treatment staging and individualised support.
- Guy’s and St Thomas’: dental anxiety support How psychological approaches, including CBT, may help with dental fear.
- Bupa: support for nervous dental patients Discussing individual concerns, explanation preferences and stop signals; service descriptions apply to Bupa.
- 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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