Time off work for All-on-6 in Turkey

Many All-on-6 patients are retired, but plenty are not. If you are still working, whether employed, self-employed or caring for someone, the two trips need fitting into a working year. The good news is that the total time is predictable enough to plan. The catch is that the second trip's date moves with your healing.

A realistic estimate

The number of days in Turkey on each trip is set by the clinic's plan. With Precious Dental, the package includes 4 hotel nights on the first implant visit and 5 on the second; with travel days at each end, that fits in a working week plus the weekends either side for many people.

What affects how long you need

• Your job. Desk jobs are usually easier to return to quickly. Jobs involving heavy physical work, a lot of talking (teaching, sales, call centres) or a uniform appearance in front of customers may need a few more days while swelling settles and speech adjusts.
• Both jaws or one. Treating both jaws at once usually means a tougher first week. See both jaws or one.
• Grafting. A sinus lift or larger graft can mean more swelling and bruising.
• Your own recovery. Some people feel fine after three days; others need a week. Age, general health and the extent of the surgery all play a part.
• Travel. The journey home itself is tiring. Avoid planning to return to work the morning after you land from trip one.

Annual leave

GOV.UK explains that almost all workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for someone working five days a week, and that employers can include bank holidays in that. Two weeks of treatment travel is a large share of a year's leave, so many people plan the trips across two leave years, or use a bank holiday weekend to stretch a trip. Check your employer's rules on booking leave at short notice, because the second trip date may only be confirmed a few weeks ahead.

Sick leave and sick pay

Whether recovery from planned treatment abroad counts as sickness absence depends on your employer's policy. Some employers treat elective treatment as holiday and only the time you are genuinely unable to work afterwards as sickness. Others have specific rules. Ask your HR team or manager before you book, and get the answer in writing.

On the statutory side, GOV.UK says you can get up to £123.25 a week in Statutory Sick Pay if you are too ill to work, paid by your employer, and that your employer may pay more under its own scheme. You must usually tell your employer by their deadline, or within seven days if they have not set one, and you need a fit note if you are off for more than seven days in a row. GOV.UK lists who can issue a fit note in the UK; if you are relying on a note from the clinic in Turkey, check in advance whether your employer will accept it.

Self-employed

If you work for yourself, there is no sick pay to fall back on, so the cost of time off is part of the cost of treatment. Plan the first trip for a quieter period, warn regular clients that you will be away for a week with limited contact, and keep the week after you return light. Because the second trip date moves, avoid committing to large jobs in the window when it is likely to fall.

Telling your employer

You do not have to share medical details. A simple explanation works: you are having dental treatment abroad in two stages, the first on fixed dates, the second a few months later on a date that depends on healing. Give a likely range for the second trip, for example “between March and May”, and promise to confirm as soon as the clinic does. Most managers prefer an early warning of a range to a late request for a fixed date.

Working during the healing months

Between the trips, most people work normally. You will be on a soft diet at first and need to clean the temporary bridge carefully, so packing suitable lunches and a small cleaning kit for work helps. Speech usually settles within a few weeks. If you speak publicly for your job, practise reading aloud at home before going back. See the months between trips.

A sample plan for someone in work

1. On receiving the planTalk to HR about leave and sickness rules; get the answer in writing.
2. Trip oneA week of annual leave, flying out on a Saturday or Sunday.
3. The week afterA few days off, as leave or sickness depending on your policy; return when swelling and speech allow.
4. Months three to fiveTell your manager the likely window for trip two; confirm the dates as soon as the clinic does.
5. Trip twoA week of annual leave; back to work on return for most people.

Working from home in the first week

If your job allows working from home, it can make the week after the first trip easier: you can work at your own pace, rest when swelling peaks, keep cold packs and soft food to hand and avoid commuting. Video calls are fine for most people after a few days, although you may prefer audio only while bruising fades. Agree it with your manager in advance rather than on the day, and be realistic: the first two days after landing are best kept clear of anything important.

If you are retired

Retirement removes the leave question but not the planning. Grandchildren, volunteering, regular appointments and other holidays all need working around the two trips and the healing months. In particular, avoid booking a long-haul holiday or a cruise between the trips until the second-trip window is clear; being abroad when the clinic is ready to see you, or when a temporary tooth breaks, is the kind of clash that a little foresight avoids. Our article on planning around family events covers this in more detail.

Caring responsibilities

If you care for a partner, a parent or grandchildren, the first trip and the few days after it are when you will need cover. Arrange it early and allow a little extra time in case the return flight moves. The second trip usually needs less.

The bottom line

Plan on about two working weeks in Turkey across the two trips, plus a few days of recovery after the first. Settle how your employer treats the time before you book, keep some leave in reserve for a moving second date, and give yourself a gentle first week back.

Common questions

How long should I take off work for All-on-6 abroad?

For the first trip, about a week in Turkey and a few days to a week at home afterwards, depending on how you feel and your job. For the second trip, about a week. Your clinic's plan gives the number of days in Turkey.

Can I use sick leave for dental treatment abroad?

That depends on your employer's policy. Planned, elective treatment is often expected to be taken as annual leave, while recovery that stops you working may be treated as sickness. Ask HR before you book.

Will a Turkish doctor's note be accepted?

Possibly, but check with your employer. GOV.UK lists the UK professionals who can issue a fit note. A clinic letter confirming your treatment dates can help support any absence.

When can I go back to work after All-on-6?

Many people return within a few days to a week of the first trip, especially to desk jobs. Physical work or jobs that involve a lot of talking may need longer. Swelling and speech vary.

Should I tell my employer what treatment I am having?

You do not have to give details, but a broad explanation that you are having dental surgery abroad in two stages, with the second date to be confirmed, helps with planning.

Sources

1. GOV.UK: Statutory Sick Pay
2. GOV.UK: Statutory Sick Pay eligibility and fit notes
3. GOV.UK: holiday entitlement
4. NHS: treatment abroad checklist

Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.