By Dr. Rita Kanbar. Prosthodontist, Lebanon Dental Studio (Jal el Dib)
Every June and July, the same conversation starts on WhatsApp. A patient writes from Paris, Dubai, Sydney, Montreal or Detroit. They are flying home for two or three weeks. They want to get the cleaning, whitening, crown, veneers or implants they have been putting off, and they want to know if it is realistic to do it in the time they have.
The honest answer depends entirely on what treatment you need and how early you start planning. The earlier we hear from you, the more we can fit into your visit. This guide is the framework we use with diaspora patients to map out a treatment plan that is finished by the time you fly back.
Why Diaspora Patients Come Home for Treatment
Two reasons come up in almost every consultation:
- Cost. A high-quality porcelain veneer that costs 2x to 3x more in California or London is a fraction of the price in Lebanon, with the same materials and often the same lab. A full implant case can cost less than half what it would in Western Europe or North America. Our Hollywood smile cost guide and implant cost guide cover the comparison in detail.
- Trust. Many of our patients grew up here, were treated as children by family dentists they know, and feel more at ease being treated in Arabic or French by someone who understands their background. For a major case, a full smile, multiple implants, a full-mouth reconstruction, that comfort matters.
Start Before You Book the Flight
The single biggest mistake diaspora patients make is to land in Beirut and then call the clinic. By that point, half your trip is already committed to family, friends and the village, and there is no time for any treatment that requires lab work or healing.
The right sequence is:
- Send WhatsApp photos and X-rays (if you have them) 4–8 weeks before you fly.
- We respond with a preliminary plan, a cost estimate and the number of visits required.
- We pre-book your appointments before you land, so the slots are reserved.
- You confirm the treatment plan in your first in-clinic visit and start the same day if possible.
The 2-Week Trip: What Realistically Fits
For a 14-day visit with 4–6 clinic days available, here is what we can usually finish before you fly back:
- Professional cleaning, examination, full X-rays, intraoral scan. Always possible in a single visit.
- Professional whitening (in-office + take-home trays). Easy to complete; you leave with trays for ongoing maintenance.
- Porcelain veneers (1–8 teeth), tight but achievable. Visit 1 for prep and temporaries, visit 2 (7–10 days later) for try-in and cementation, visit 3 for polish if time allows.
- Single crowns or onlays. Achievable in 2 visits.
- Composite fillings / chipped tooth repair. Same-day.
- Replacing old fillings. Same-day.
What does not fit in 2 weeks: implant surgery with the final crown (the bone needs months to integrate), full-mouth reconstruction, orthodontic treatment that requires months of aligners, multiple root canals followed by full-arch restoration.
The 4-Week Trip: What Opens Up
With four weeks and 6–10 clinic days, we can add:
- Full upper or full lower porcelain veneers (8–12 teeth). With ample time for try-in, adjustment and polish.
- Single implant placement, followed by a temporary crown if needed. The final crown is delivered on a future trip or coordinated with a dentist in your home city.
- Multiple crowns or a fixed bridge designed and delivered.
- Combined cosmetic-restorative cases, for example, replacing two old crowns and placing four new veneers on the front teeth.
- Specialist coordinated work, if you need a root canal (our endodontist), an extraction or implant (our oral surgeon), or perio treatment (our periodontist), four weeks allows us to sequence the work and finish the restorative phase before you fly back.
The Multi-Trip Plan: When the Case Is Bigger
Some cases, full-mouth implants, full smile reconstructions, complex orthodontic + cosmetic combinations, cannot be done in one summer trip and should not be rushed. We design these as multi-trip plans:
- Trip 1 (summer): Diagnosis, all preliminary work, extractions if needed, implant placement.
- Healing phase: 3–6 months, monitored remotely by WhatsApp photos and check-ins.
- Trip 2 (the next summer or a winter visit): Implant restoration, final veneers or crowns, finishing.
This is the same protocol used by specialist clinics anywhere in the world. The difference is the cost, the personal relationship, and the fact that your annual Lebanon visit doubles as your treatment phase.
Logistics: Beirut Airport to Jal el Dib
Our clinic is in Jal el Dib, about 15 minutes north of Beirut along the coastal highway. From Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, a taxi takes 25–40 minutes depending on traffic. Most patients staying in Beirut, Mar Mikhael, Achrafieh, Hazmieh, Antelias, Dbayeh, Kaslik or Jounieh can reach the clinic in under 30 minutes. For patients staying further north or in the mountains, we cluster appointments to minimise drives.
We can communicate entirely in English, French or Arabic, and most pre-trip planning is done over WhatsApp text and photos.
What to Send Us Before You Fly
When you message us 4–8 weeks before the trip, the most useful things to send are:
- A description of what you want to address, cosmetic, functional, pain, replacement of old work.
- A few photos of your teeth, front smile, side smile, close-up of any specific tooth you are worried about, upper arch and lower arch from above (you can take these in a mirror).
- Any X-rays or panoramic films from your dentist abroad, even old ones.
- A list of any old fillings, crowns, implants or root canals, and approximately when they were done.
- Your exact arrival and departure dates and whether you have flexibility.
From this we can usually give you a complete preliminary plan within 24 to 48 hours.
Send Your WhatsApp Pre-Trip Consult →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get an implant placed and crowned in one summer trip?
The implant can usually be placed during your visit, but the bone takes 3 to 6 months to fully integrate with the implant before the final crown is loaded. We typically design implant cases as multi-trip plans, with placement on one visit and final restoration on a future visit.
How much can I save compared to dental work in Europe, the US or the Gulf?
For most procedures, expect to save 50 to 75 percent compared to Western Europe and North America, and 30 to 50 percent compared to the Gulf, for equivalent quality and materials. The savings are largest on cosmetic and implant cases.
How do I send my X-rays from my dentist abroad?
Ask your home dentist for digital copies of your most recent X-rays or panoramic film, and send them to us by WhatsApp or email. Older film X-rays can also be photographed with your phone, that is enough for an initial review.
Will I have follow-up care after I fly back?
Yes. We do remote follow-ups by WhatsApp photo and video, and we coordinate with your home-city dentist for routine cleanings and any urgent issue between trips. For complex cases, we plan the next trip together at the end of the current one.
Lebanon Dental Studio · Dr. Rita Kanbar, Prosthodontist · Jal el Dib · ★ 4.9 Book on WhatsApp: +961 71 677 261 Related reading: Dental Tourism in Lebanon · Hollywood Smile Cost in Lebanon 2026 · Dental Implant Cost in Lebanon 2026