A dental holiday is a holiday with a surgeon in the middle of it, and the trips that go wrong usually go wrong on the planning, not in the chair. Flights booked before the treatment plan, a hotel across the city from the clinic, a wine tour the day after implants: all avoidable, all common.
These are the twelve things we sort out for every patient who comes to Tbilisi, written up so you can check them against any provider, in any country. The day-by-day version for our own trips is on the your trip page.
Before you book anything
1. Get the written plan first, then the flights
The treatment decides the dates, not the other way round. Send an X-ray or a scan on WhatsApp, get a written plan with the number of visits and the days between them, and only then look at flights. A single implant needs 7–10 days in Tbilisi; All-on-4 needs 10–14; a set of veneers 8–10; crowns 5–7. Our price list shows the stay length next to each treatment.
2. Budget the whole trip, not the treatment
Direct flights from the UK to Tbilisi are £200–£400 return; a good three- or four-star hotel near the clinic is £40–£80 a night; eating out is £8–£15 a meal. A ten-day trip is roughly £700–£1,300 on top of the treatment. Put that number next to the UK quote before deciding; for a single crown the trip rarely pays, for implants or a full smile it always does.
3. Check the passport and the visa rule
UK, EU, US and Israeli passport holders enter Georgia visa-free for up to a year; your passport needs to be valid for the stay. No vaccinations are required.
4. Sort travel insurance, and know what it will not cover
Standard travel insurance covers the flight, the luggage and an accident in the street. It does not cover elective dental treatment or its complications; nobody’s does. What protects you there is the clinic’s written guarantee, so read it before you fly, and ask who you contact if something needs attention at home.
Booking the practical side
5. Stay close to the clinic
You will visit the clinic four to six times. A hotel within a ten-minute drive turns those into short trips; one across the river in traffic turns them into half-days. We book patients within that radius and include the transfers; if you arrange your own, use the clinic’s address when you search.
6. Arrive a day early, leave a day late
The first appointment goes better after a night’s sleep, and the last check-up should not be on the way to the airport. Build one spare day at each end; it also absorbs a delayed flight without moving your surgery.
7. Pack for a recovery, not a beach
Soft-food staples (you will want them on day one), a soft toothbrush, any regular medication with the prescription, sunglasses for a swollen face, and a small pillow for sleeping propped up after implant surgery. Leave the whitening strips at home; the shade is decided with the dentist.
8. Money, SIM and language
Georgia uses the lari (GEL); cards work almost everywhere and ATMs are on every street. A local SIM costs a few pounds at the airport. English is common in Tbilisi clinics and hotels; our coordinators work in English, Russian and Hebrew and attend every appointment with you.
During the treatment
9. Plan sightseeing around the surgery day, not through it
The two or three days after implant surgery are for resting, ice and soft food. The old town, the sulphur baths and the cable car are all still there on day five. Wine tasting waits until you have finished the antibiotics; Kakheti is a day trip that fits nicely into the second week.
10. Eat like a patient for the first week
Georgian food is generous with soft options: lobio (bean stew), soups, khachapuri without the crust, mashed vegetables, matsoni yoghurt. Avoid the crusty bread, the walnuts and anything you have to tear for the first seven days after surgery.
11. Keep every document you are given
Implant passports (brand and lot number for each fixture), scans, the treatment plan, the invoice and the guarantee. Photograph them the day you receive them. Your dentist at home needs them and so does any future clinic.
12. Book the follow-up before you leave
A hygiene visit at home three months after implants, a check on the veneers at six months, and a message to your coordinator if anything feels different in between. The trip ends at the airport; the treatment does not.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I need to stay in Tbilisi?
7–10 days for a single implant, 10–14 for All-on-4, 8–10 for veneers, 5–7 for crowns. Combined plans overlap rather than add up; the written plan states your exact stay.
Can I bring someone with me?
Yes, and for implant surgery we recommend it. Hotels are booked as doubles at no extra cost and companions are welcome at appointments.
What is the best time of year?
April to June and September to October are mild; July and August are hot; winter is cold but clinics and prices are unchanged. Treatment is available all year.
Is it safe to fly after implant surgery?
Yes, once the post-op check has been done, typically a week after surgery. The plan builds that check in before your return flight.
The short version
- Plan first, flights second: the treatment sets the dates.
- Budget the whole trip (£700–£1,300 for ten days) and stay near the clinic.
- Rest for three days after surgery; the sightseeing and the wine fit in the second week.
Send a 3D scan on WhatsApp and you get a written plan with your exact stay length and a fixed price, so you can book flights knowing the dates. Free, no deposit.
