The starting point — how a typical UK enquiry reaches ATDERA
Most UK enquiries reach ATDERA through one of three routes. The first is direct organic search — a patient researching dental implant treatment and reading the procedure pages on the ATDERA site. The second is referral from a UK private dentist whose patient has asked about international options and who shares the ATDERA evaluation pathway as a structured comparator. The third is referral from another patient who completed the pathway and described the documented case-review-to-prosthesis sequence to a friend or family member considering similar treatment.
The enquiry itself is a short pre-consultation enquiry form. The form collects the patient's clinical history, the procedure interest, the location of any current imaging, and the patient's preferred contact channel and language. It does not ask for a payment, does not commit the patient to treatment, and does not generate a price quote on submission. The submission is acknowledged within one working day by the ATDERA care coordinator, who is the patient's designated point of contact across the full pathway thereafter.
The first contact is intentionally narrow. The care coordinator confirms the procedure interest, explains the next step (remote case review against the patient's existing imaging), and identifies any clinical document that needs to be uploaded before the verified partner clinician can read the case. The conversation is procedural rather than commercial. No travel date is proposed at this stage and no estimate is issued; the case has not yet been reviewed clinically.
Patients sometimes arrive at the first contact with a specific clinical recommendation already in hand from a UK private practice or an NHS referral — for example, a quotation for an implant-supported bridge or an opinion that bone grafting is required before any implant treatment. That recommendation is recorded in the intake notes and read by the verified partner clinician at the case review stage. Where the partner clinician's reading of the imaging produces a different recommendation, both opinions are documented in writing, with the rationale for each, so the patient can read the structural difference and seek a third clinical opinion if useful.
The pre-consultation enquiry form and what it asks for
The pre-consultation enquiry collects the patient's clinical history, current imaging where available, and the procedure interest. The clinical history covers the patient's age, medical conditions relevant to dental surgery (diabetes status and HbA1c, smoking history, anticoagulant medication, history of radiotherapy to the head or neck, osteoporosis medication), current dental status, and any previous dental treatment that is relevant to the planned procedure. The form is structured rather than free-text so the case can be triaged efficiently against the clinical criteria the verified partner clinician needs to read.
Imaging is the most important single document the intake collects. A current panoramic radiograph, a 3D CBCT (cone beam CT) scan where available, and any clinical photographs the patient has from a previous UK consultation are the documents the partner clinician will read. Where the imaging is older than twelve months, where the file format is not directly readable, or where the imaging was not taken to the protocol the partner clinician needs for surgical planning, the intake notes this and the case is flagged for a fresh in-country CBCT before the surgical visit.
The procedure interest is documented in the patient's own words rather than mapped to a fixed menu of options. A patient who writes "I'm missing two molars and the bridge my dentist quoted feels like overkill" is recorded as such, and the verified partner clinician reads that framing alongside the imaging. The intake does not commit the patient to a specific procedure; the clinical recommendation comes back from the case review in writing, and the patient reads it before deciding whether to proceed.
Where the patient prefers to provide imaging through their UK dentist directly — a common arrangement when the imaging is held in a clinic-managed digital archive rather than by the patient — the ATDERA care coordinator supports the document transfer with a structured request the patient can forward to the practice. The request specifies the file format the partner clinician needs (DICOM for CBCT, JPEG or PDF for panoramic and intra-oral images) and the metadata that should travel with the files. This avoids the patient having to extract clinical files from a system they do not control.
The remote case review — how the verified partner clinician reads your scan and history
Once the intake is submitted with imaging, the ATDERA care coordinator routes the case to the verified partner clinician whose discipline matches the procedure interest. An implantologist reads single-tooth, multi-unit bridge, and full-arch cases. A prosthodontist or aesthetic dentist reads cases where the prosthetic plan is the dominant clinical question. A maxillofacial surgeon reads cases where adjunctive surgical procedures (extensive bone grafting, sinus floor elevation, zygomatic anchorage) are likely to be the planning constraint.
The clinician reads the CBCT scan, the panoramic radiograph, the clinical history, and the patient's photographic record. The reading focuses on three questions: is the patient clinically suitable for the procedure they have asked about, what is the appropriate technique for their specific case, and what adjunctive procedures (if any) are required before or alongside placement. The CBCT measures bone height and width at each potential implant site and maps proximity to the maxillary sinus or the inferior alveolar nerve; the panoramic radiograph confirms the broader dentition status; the clinical history surfaces any contraindication that the imaging alone would not show.
The conclusion of the review is a written summary. It documents the recommended pathway, the rationale, any adjunctive procedure required, and the proposed treatment timeline. Where the conclusion is that the patient is not currently a candidate — most commonly because of uncontrolled diabetes, active periodontal infection, or insufficient bone volume where grafting is not feasible — the conclusion is stated in writing rather than reframed as a sales conversation. Where the conclusion is that an in-country UK private pathway or a continuation of the patient's NHS pathway is the better fit for the case, that conclusion is stated in writing and the pathway file is closed.
Where the case review identifies a clinical contraindication that is treatable rather than absolute — for example, an HbA1c level above 8% that requires medical optimisation before surgery, or active periodontal disease that requires stabilisation by a periodontist before implant placement is appropriate — the written summary identifies the prerequisite clinical step, the typical timeline for that step, and the conditions under which the patient should re-submit the intake for a second case review. The contraindication is treated as a clinical signal rather than a final disqualification, and the patient retains the option to return to the pathway once the prerequisite step is complete.
The customised written estimate — what arrives, what it covers, what is not bundled
Once the case review is complete and the patient is confirmed as a clinical candidate, a customised written estimate is issued. The estimate is a clinical document, not a marketing instrument. It is built from named cost components rather than a bundled headline figure, and it is issued from a UK-registered office under the ATDERA Global Limited (Companies House #17173428) entity. The patient reads it in their own time, alongside their UK or home-country dentist if helpful, and decides whether to proceed.
The line items in an ATDERA customised written estimate are the clinician fee for the placement and prosthetic-fitting visits, the implant brand and system, the prosthesis material and laboratory work, the surgical complexity (single-stage versus immediate-loading versus staged with adjunctive procedures), and any adjunctive procedure such as bone grafting, sinus floor elevation, or extraction of a non-restorable adjacent tooth. Each is listed as a separate line so the patient and the patient's home-country dentist can read each one in isolation. The implant brand on the estimate is one of the internationally certified systems used through the ATDERA Care Network — Straumann, Nobel Biocare, or another manufacturer named explicitly rather than as a generic "premium implant" line.
Travel logistics are referenced in a separate logistics summary and are never bundled into the clinical estimate. The logistics summary identifies the surgical date window the partner facility has available, the typical in-country stay (5–7 days for the surgical visit, 2–4 working days for the return visit at the final prosthesis fitting), and the documents the patient will need to arrange travel themselves. The patient organises travel directly; the ATDERA coordination team supports scheduling around the surgical date.
There is no commitment to travel until the patient confirms the pathway in writing. Patients who decide not to travel after reading the estimate are not pursued, and the pathway file is closed without further contact. The CBCT report, the written clinical recommendation, and the customised estimate remain available to the patient and to the patient's UK or home-country dentist on request.
The estimate is anchored at a defined validity window, typically three to six months from issue, after which a brief revalidation step confirms that the clinical plan and the line items remain current before the surgical visit is scheduled. The revalidation step is procedural and is not a fresh case review — it confirms that no substantive change has occurred in the patient's clinical status or in the partner clinician's roster that would alter the original recommendation. Where the patient wants to take longer than the validity window before deciding, the file remains open and the revalidation is conducted at the point the patient signals readiness to proceed.
Travel planning — what ATDERA coordinates and what stays with the patient
Once the patient confirms the pathway in writing, the travel planning phase begins. The split between coordinated and patient-owned tasks is documented at this stage so each side reads the same allocation. ATDERA coordinates the surgical schedule with the partner facility, the pre-operative imaging and consultation appointments, the post-operative review schedule, and any documentation the patient will need to provide to the partner facility on arrival. The patient organises flights, accommodation, and any non-clinical logistics directly.
The reason for the split is structural rather than promotional. Conflating clinical and travel costs into a single bundled figure makes the underlying clinical estimate harder to read, and it removes the patient's ability to compare the named clinical components against a UK private quote on equivalent terms. ATDERA's coordination role focuses on the clinical pathway: surgical date, partner-facility scheduling, verified-clinician roster, post-operative cadence. The travel side is the patient's own decision territory, where preferences on airline, accommodation grade, and travel companion can be exercised without distortion.
Where the patient asks for travel guidance, the ATDERA care coordinator provides the typical in-country stay durations, the proximity of accommodation options to the partner facility, and the local transport considerations the patient will want to factor in. The guidance is informational and is not converted into a referral commission or a bundled fee. Patients who prefer to use their own travel agent or to travel under existing personal arrangements are supported with the same coordination cadence on the clinical side regardless.
The in-country phase — what the first day at the partner facility looks like
On arrival in Turkey, the patient meets the partner clinician at the JCI-affiliated partner facility for the in-person consultation. The consultation reviews the remote case-review summary against the clinical examination and intra-oral findings. Where the imaging is older than twelve months or the partner clinician needs a fresh CBCT to surgical-planning protocol, the scan is taken in-country at this stage. The clinician finalises the implant trajectory, the abutment configuration, and the prosthetic plan, and confirms the surgical schedule for the following day or the day after.
The surgical visit itself is conducted under local anaesthesia, with IV sedation available where the patient requests it. Single-tooth and multi-unit bridge placements typically complete within 30 minutes to two hours. Full-arch placements take up to four hours per arch. Where the immediate-loading protocol is clinically indicated (most commonly in full-arch cases) a temporary fixed prosthesis is screwed in on the same day, and the patient leaves the clinic with a functional dentition. The verified partner clinician who placed the implants is the reviewing clinician at the post-operative checks during the in-country stay.
A 24-hour post-operative review confirms surgical-site stability and reviews the analgesic, chlorhexidine rinse, and soft-diet protocol. Most patients return home within five to seven days of surgery. Before return travel, the patient receives the implant passport — Straumann's Patient Pass, Nobel Biocare's Implant Passport, or the equivalent documentation for the manufacturer's system selected for the case — capturing the implant brand and system, the abutment configuration, the surgical date, the treating clinician, and the implant serial numbers. ATDERA retains a duplicate of the passport in the patient's pathway file as a coordination-level safety net.
The in-country phase also includes a structured handover document the patient takes home for their UK dentist. The document summarises the surgical procedure, the implant system used, the immediate post-operative findings, the recommended soft-diet timeline, and the dates of the scheduled remote reviews within 1st week, 6th week, and 3rd month. The handover is designed to be readable by a UK dentist who may not have been involved in the pre-surgical pathway, so any local in-person review the patient seeks during integration has the clinical context in front of it. The document references the implant passport for the technical detail rather than duplicating the manufacturer record.
The recovery and follow-up phase — week 1, week 6, month 3
Structured remote review with the treating clinician is scheduled within 1st week, 6th week, and 3rd month after surgery. The review is conducted by video and a structured clinical questionnaire, with photographs of the surgical site contributed by the patient. The week-1 review confirms initial soft-tissue healing, reviews the analgesic and chlorhexidine rinse protocol, and addresses any concerns the patient has raised since returning home. The week-6 review confirms soft-tissue healing is complete and the implant is integrating to the expected pattern. The month-3 review confirms osseointegration is on track for the final prosthesis fitting at the second visit.
Where an in-person check is needed between scheduled remote reviews, the patient's UK or home-country dentist is supported with the relevant clinical documentation from ATDERA's pathway file on request. The pathway file includes the CBCT report, the surgical record, the implant passport, and the written clinical recommendation, so the home dentist has the full clinical context for any in-person review they conduct. The home dentist holds the relationship of record for routine maintenance and for any unrelated dental work during the integration period.
The implant passport is the document the patient travels with for any future review anywhere in the world — routine maintenance with the patient's UK dentist, replacement of a prosthetic component a decade after placement, or unrelated dental or surgical work where the implant register is clinically relevant. ATDERA's pathway file is a duplicate of the record, accessed through the care coordinator on request. The patient's primary clinical record is the original passport issued at the partner facility, and the duplicate at ATDERA is a coordination-level safety net rather than a clinical-record substitute.
The full-arch second visit — when it applies, what the timeline looks like
For full-arch cases (All-on-4 and All-on-6), a second visit to Turkey is scheduled three to six months after the surgical visit for fitting of the final e-max or zirconia full-arch prosthesis. Once osseointegration is confirmed by clinical and radiographic assessment at the month-3 remote review, the second visit is booked. The visit is shorter than the first — typically two to four working days — and ends the implant pathway. Annual reviews of implant stability, occlusion, and oral hygiene are scheduled remotely thereafter through the ATDERA care coordinator.
For single-tooth and multi-unit bridge cases, the second visit is similarly scheduled three to six months after the surgical visit, for fitting of the final ceramic or zirconia crown or bridge. The visit is short — typically two to three working days. The healing abutment is removed, an impression of the implant platform and surrounding gingiva is taken, and the laboratory-fabricated crown or bridge is screwed or cemented into place. The same verified partner clinician who placed the implant fits the final prosthesis, and the post-operative review schedule continues at month 6, year 1, and annually thereafter.
After the final prosthesis is fitted, the long-term review schedule continues at month 6, year 1, and annually thereafter, with implant stability, occlusion, and oral hygiene reviewed as a coordinated pathway through the partner clinician on file. The patient's home dentist is supported with the pathway file on request, and the implant passport remains the document of record for any future review. The pathway has a defined endpoint — the final prosthesis fitting — and a defined ongoing maintenance cadence after that endpoint, both documented in writing during the original case review.