Dentist Can Sağlat · Bitez, Bodrum
About
Hello, I am Can Sağlat. For me, dentistry is not something to be rushed; it is a craft practised with patience. On this page I would like to tell you how I came to this profession, the places it has taken me and how I work today at my practice in Bitez.
A childhood spent in a dental practice
My father was a dentist too, and for many years he worked in his own practice. I spent a good part of my childhood there, by his side. Watching the way he listened to a patient and worked patiently on a single tooth for minutes on end, I learned that this profession is not only a medical intervention, but a craft that calls for manual skill, attention and time.
By the time I realised how much I enjoyed making things with my own hands, my path was already set. I graduated from the Istanbul University Faculty of Dentistry (Çapa) in 1998. After graduating, I worked alongside my father for five years, until 2003. The craft I had watched as a child, I now learned with my own hands at his side.
Nine years in a hospital
From 2003 to 2012 I worked for nine years at a private hospital in Istanbul. There I practised in almost every area of general dentistry: prosthetic dentistry, surgery, children and emergency dentistry. Meeting patients of all ages with different complaints every day gave me both a broad clinical perspective and the ability to stay calm in unexpected situations.
From Istanbul to Bitez
After my time at the hospital, I opened my own practice in Istanbul in 2012 and worked there for ten years, until 2022.
In March 2022, while I was looking for suitable premises and a more peaceful setting for my practice, a happy coincidence brought me to Bitez. Since then I have been here, caring both for people who live in Bitez and Bodrum and for visitors who find their way to Bodrum.
My interests: prosthetic dentistry and digital dentistry
Throughout my career I have worked in every area of general dentistry, but the one that excites me most has been prosthetic dentistry. For me, restoring function is engineering and preserving a natural appearance is a craft. Whatever replaces a lost tooth must suit chewing, speech and the rest of the face; that takes measuring, planning and trying.
Digital dentistry is part of this process. Digital impressions taken with an intraoral scanner and models made on a 3D printer make planning more visible. I can look at the scan images on screen together with my patient and talk through the work before we begin.
Why slow dentistry?
My years in hospital and in practice taught me this: the quality of a treatment is directly related to the time given to it. That is why at my practice in Bitez I see seven patients a day and set aside one hour for each appointment. Part of this time is for listening, part for explaining, and the rest for doing the work with the care it needs.
When I take off the white coat
When I take off my white coat, nature is what restores me. Long motorcycle journeys, camping, skiing and swimming keep both my body and my mind fresh. Not losing focus on a long road, not hurrying beside a campfire… The balance and simplicity of nature also inspire my work as a dentist.
At the practice I look for the same balance: a calm setting, enough time and an open conversation.