Send these as a numbered list and ask for written answers. How a clinic responds — the speed, the specificity, whether they answer the question you asked — tells you as much as the answers themselves.
About the treatment
1. Based on my scan, exactly how many implants, and at which sites?
You want tooth positions, not a count. A plan that says "four to six implants" before seeing imaging is not a plan.
2. Do I need any grafting or a sinus lift, and can it be done at the same appointment?
This determines whether you are a two-trip or three-trip case. It is the single highest-impact answer on the list.
3. How many separate visits, how many days each, and how far apart?
Ask for calendar ranges, not "a couple of trips." You are booking international flights against this.
4. Which implant system, by manufacturer and model?
A good answer names it immediately. Anyone who has planned your case knows what they intend to place.
5. What material is the final restoration, and is it included in the price?
Especially for full arches, where the definitive bridge is the largest component and the most commonly excluded one.
Get a CBCT scan at home first and send the DICOM file with these questions. Every answer above becomes concrete instead of speculative, and you can send identical imaging to several clinics and get genuinely comparable plans back.
About the people
6. Who is placing the implants, and what is their full legal name and identification number?
You need this to check the national practitioner registry yourself. A clinic used to international patients supplies it without friction.
7. Are they a general dentist or a specialist, and where did they train?
Not a disqualifier either way, but for grafts, sinus lifts, and full arches you want surgical training and you want to know where it came from.
8. Who does the restorative work, and is that the same person?
Often it is not. Both halves of the treatment matter, and the person making your teeth is not necessarily the person who placed the posts.
About what happens if something goes wrong
9. If an implant fails within five years, what exactly is replaced at no charge?
Fixture only, or abutment and crown as well? Does it cover grafting made necessary by the failure? Get it in writing, in English.
10. What voids the warranty?
Smoking, missed check-ups, and work performed by another dentist are the common exclusions. That third one matters if you plan to have maintenance done at home, which you should.
11. If I cannot travel back, will you send my records and component specifications to my dentist here?
In practice this cooperation is worth more than the warranty clause, because most problems get solved locally. A clear yes is a strong signal.
About money
12. What is the deposit, is any of it refundable, and what does it commit me to?
Ask specifically: if the scan on arrival changes the plan, what happens to the deposit? If you cancel four weeks out, what is returned? Get the cancellation terms before you send anything.
Reading the responses
Encouraging: answers arrive within a couple of business days, address each numbered point, name specifics, and are willing to say "we cannot determine that until we see the scan." Clinicians who acknowledge uncertainty are usually the ones worth trusting.
Concerning: a single bundled price with no itemisation; unqualified promises made before imaging; pressure toward a deposit to hold a discount that expires; reluctance to name the practitioner; warranty terms that exist only verbally.
None of these is proof of a bad clinic on its own. Language and administrative capacity vary, and a small practice may simply be less used to written correspondence. But you are arranging surgery in another country, and a written record of what was promised is a reasonable thing to require before money moves.
Then send the same list somewhere else
Ask at least two more clinics, with identical imaging and identical questions. Divergence in the plans is informative — if one proposes four implants and another proposes six, or one requires grafting and another does not, that difference deserves to be understood before you choose.
It is also the fastest way to calibrate pricing. A quote is only high or low relative to something, and two more plans give you the something.
Have a quote or a scan in hand?
Send it over. We will tell you plainly what trip structure it implies and which line items are missing — and if the numbers do not favour travelling for your case, we will say that too.
Message us on WhatsApp Send it by email