How many vacation days to request depending on your treatment: single implant, All-on-4, smile design or full rehabilitation. Real ranges per scenario and how the two-trip model works.
The question I get most on WhatsApp from the United States is not "how much does it cost?".
It is this one: "Doctor, how many vacation days do I have to request?"
And it makes complete sense. If you work in Miami, Houston or New York, your days off are a limited resource. Before thinking about price, you need to know whether this fits into your real life: your calendar, your job, your kids, who is going to cover for you.
So let us get straight to the point. I will give you concrete ranges by treatment type, with no fluff.
The short answer, by scenario
| Treatment | Minimum stay | Recommended stay | Second visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single implant | 2 to 4 days | 5 to 8 days | Yes, after 3 to 6 months |
| All-on-4 with immediate loading | 5 to 8 days | 7 to 10 days | Yes, 8 to 10 days after 3 to 6 months |
| Smile design with veneers | 4 to 7 days | 7 to 10 days | No |
| Full oral rehabilitation (prosthetic, without implants) | 8 to 10 days | 10 to 14 days | No |
If your full rehabilitation includes implants, then there is a second phase, because the implant needs its healing time. Without implants, it is resolved in a single trip.
In every case, the ideal is one check-up visit per year.
Now let me explain where each number comes from and why the second trip almost always exists.
Why we talk about two trips and not one
This is where many dental tourism clinics are less than honest with you.
A dental implant is not a crown you glue on and you are done. It is a titanium screw that has to integrate with the bone. That process is called osseointegration and takes between 3 and 6 months. It cannot be sped up with good intentions or by paying more.
So you have two paths:
Two-trip model (what I recommend in most cases). You come once for the surgery and leave with functional temporary teeth. You go home, live your normal life, work, eat. You come back 4 to 6 months later for the definitive prosthesis. Each trip is short and manageable.
One long trip model. It exists, but it means staying 4 to 8 straight weeks in Colombia, and it only applies to very specific cases where the anatomy allows it. For 90% of patients living in the United States with a formal job, it is not realistic.
If someone promises you "everything solved in 5 days, definitive teeth included", be suspicious. Either they are selling you a temporary prosthesis as if it were definitive, or they are skipping steps that will cost you dearly later.
Scenario 1: single implant (you are missing one or two teeth)
Minimum stay: 2 to 4 days. Recommended: 5 to 8 days.
Day 1: you arrive and rest. The direct flight from Miami or Fort Lauderdale is 3 or 4 hours, from Atlanta and Houston 5 or 6, from New York 6 or 7. Landing and rushing to the office is a bad idea.
Day 2: complete evaluation, 3D scan, treatment plan and closed quote.
Day 3: placement surgery for the implant or implants. The surgery can be performed by me or by the team's maxillofacial surgeon: that is decided during the initial evaluation and planning, based on the complexity of the procedure and the scheduled agenda.
Days 4 and 5: post-op check-ups. We review swelling, stitches, how you are doing.
Days 6 and 7: cleared to travel. You can fly with no problem.
Second trip: 5 to 7 days, 3 to 6 months later. Impressions, try-in and placement of the definitive crown.
Reference price: $1,200 to $2,000 USD per single implant with crown included, depending on whether you needed bone regeneration or a maxillary sinus lift, and on the type of crown. We work with Straumann and Neodent, two brands with serious scientific backing and a presence in 98 countries, so the components can be found wherever you live.
Scenario 2: All-on-4 or immediate loading (full arch)
This is the case that travels most from the United States, and also the one that needs the most days.
Minimum stay: 5 to 8 days. Recommended: 7 to 10 days.
Day 1: arrival and rest.
Day 2: evaluation, scan, digital surgical planning.
Day 3: surgery. The 4 implants are placed and that same day you leave with a fixed temporary screw-retained prosthesis. Yes, teeth the same day. You do not leave without teeth.
Days 4 to 7: check-ups, bite adjustments, review of the temporary prosthesis. This part is the most underestimated. Occlusion adjustments are not optional, they are what keeps the prosthesis from fracturing once you are back in your city.
Days 8 to 10: discharge and return.
Second trip: 8 to 10 days, after 3 to 6 months of healing, for the definitive zirconia prosthesis.
Reference price: $12,000 to $20,000 USD per arch, all included. That covers surgery, implants, temporary prosthesis and definitive prosthesis.
If you want the clinical detail of this treatment, I developed it fully in All-on-4 in Medellín and in the article on teeth in a day and immediate loading.
Scenario 3: smile design with veneers
This is the kindest one to your calendar, because there is no bone involved.
A single trip: 7 to 10 days.
Day 1: arrival.
Day 2: evaluation, photographs, digital scan and smile design. Here we decide together shape, color and proportion before touching a single tooth.
Day 3: try-in of the design in your mouth (mock-up). You see yourself with the new smile before it is definitive. If something does not convince you, it is changed now.
Days 4 and 5: tooth preparation and temporary veneers.
Days 6 to 8: the lab crafts the definitive veneers. These days are yours, to get to know Medellín.
Days 9 and 10: try-in, adjustments and definitive bonding.
Many smile design patients solve everything in a 10-day trip. It is the treatment that combines best with a real vacation.
Scenario 4: full oral rehabilitation
When the whole mouth has to be rebuilt (implants, crowns, prostheses, sometimes a bone graft), the timelines stretch.
First trip: 10 to 14 days. Complete diagnosis, phased surgeries, temporaries.
Second trip: 10 to 14 days, 5 to 8 months later, for the definitive restorations.
In some cases with significant bone loss there is a short third trip of 4 or 5 days between the two main ones. We know that from the initial scan, it is not a surprise that shows up halfway through. Complex surgery is performed either by me or by the team's specialist surgeon, depending on the case.
What this looks like in your travel budget
Days are not just vacation days. They are hotel nights.
With real figures from El Poblado, where the clinic is and where I recommend you stay:
- Budget (studio apartment or 3-star boutique): $35 to $70 USD per night
- Standard (4-star hotel in Provenza or Lleras): $80 to $150 USD per night
- Premium (5-star boutique, ideal for post-surgical recovery): $150 to $280 USD per night
And round-trip flights to Medellín (MDE), in mid season:
- Miami: $250 to $600 USD, 3 to 4 hours, direct
- Fort Lauderdale: $220 to $500 USD, 3 to 4 hours, direct
- Atlanta: $350 to $700 USD, 5 to 6 hours, direct
- Houston: $380 to $750 USD, 5 to 6 hours, direct
- New York: $400 to $900 USD, 6 to 7 hours, direct
- Los Angeles: $500 to $950 USD, 8 to 9 hours, direct
Do the math with your case. An All-on-4 from Miami, with two 8-day trips in a standard hotel, adds roughly $3,000 to $4,000 USD of logistics on top of the treatment. That is money to budget from day one, not to discover halfway through.
If you also want the full picture of costs and travel safety, you have it in our guide to dental tourism in Colombia and in Is dental tourism in Colombia safe?.
Practical tips for requesting your days
Ask for two more days than you need. Not because of the surgery, because of life. A canceled flight, swelling that takes a little longer, an extra adjustment. The buffer removes anxiety.
Do not schedule important meetings in the first 3 days back. You will be fine, but you will be tired.
Travel with someone if it is All-on-4 or full rehabilitation. It is not mandatory, but the first 48 hours go much better with company.
Do not schedule the trip right before a critical date. If your daughter is getting married in three weeks, that is not the month. Leave room.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need in Medellín for a dental implant?
Between 5 and 7 days on the first trip (evaluation, surgery and check-ups) and another 5 to 7 days on a second trip 4 to 6 months later for the definitive crown. Total: 10 to 14 days across two trips.
Can I get All-on-4 in a single trip to Colombia?
Only if you stay 4 to 8 straight weeks, and only in cases where the anatomy allows it. What is usual, and what I recommend, is two trips of 7 to 10 days each, 4 to 6 months apart. You leave the first trip with fixed temporary teeth, not without teeth.
Can I fly after implant surgery?
Yes, usually from the second or third post-op day, with clearance from whoever performed the surgery. Even so, staying a few extra days allows for better post-operative monitoring.
How many hotel nights should I book for an All-on-4 in Medellín?
Book 6 to 9 nights per trip. In El Poblado, a standard 4-star hotel costs between $80 and $150 USD per night.
Does Dr. Carolina perform the implant surgery?
The surgery is performed either by Dr. Carolina Macareno herself or by the team's specialist surgeon. She is a specialist in oral rehabilitation, esthetic dentistry and implantology, and she handles the diagnosis, planning, design and the entire prosthetic phase, which is what defines how your smile looks and works in the end. Who operates is decided during the initial evaluation and planning, based on the complexity of the procedure and the scheduled agenda.
Which implant brand do you use and why does it matter if I live in the United States?
Straumann and Neodent. It matters because they are brands with global presence and documented scientific backing: if one day you need an adjustment or an attachment while in Miami or Houston, any specialist can access the components. With generic brands that does not happen.
What now?
If you already know which treatment you need, you already have your range of days.
If you do not know yet, that is exactly the starting point: an evaluation with your scan tells us how many days you need, not the average.
Message us on WhatsApp with your home city and a photo of your smile. We will tell you how many days to request before you buy the first ticket.
Dra. Carolina Macareno
Rehabilitadora Oral · Especialista en Implantes
Oral Rehabilitation specialist from Universidad CES. Over 17 years transforming smiles in Medellín, Colombia.
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