Medical Tourism and Dental Treatment Abroad

If you’re one of the 7.4 million people who haven’t been able to find an NHS dentist you’ll know how expensive private dental care is.

According to Wikipedia, the UK and the Republic of Ireland are the two largest sources of dental tourists with the dental professions in both countries being criticised by competition authorities for lack of transparent pricing. 

Whilst the government continue to tell us that things are getting better and the General Dental Council are trying to scaremonger us with stories of lax regulations and shoddy work overseas, many Brits are finding that the best and most economical way to get their pearly whites sorted is to go the medical tourism route and have dental treatment abroad…

In 2008 the first British health tourism survey was carried out based on interviews with 650 people who had had medical treatment abroad.  The survey found that 91.2% of Brits who had dentistry carried out abroad were satisfied with their results.  The most popular dental procedures carried out abroad were dental implants.  The cost to have a dental implant carried out in the UK averages around £2,000. That cost drops dramatically if you have the same procedure carried out in one of the top 3 destinations for dental tourism.  In Poland you’ll pay £750, Hungary £820 and in Turkey the same dental treatment will run to around £570.

As with all forms of health tourism though, research is vital before you bite the bullet.  If you’re thinking about having dental treatment abroad you need to check out dental standards, qualifications and regulations in the country you’ve chosen to make sure you’re going to be getting the same level of treatment and quality of materials you would expect in the UK.  It is important to speak to the clinic before making any decisions and also ask to speak to previous clients. 

When it comes to costs, you need to find out whether your quote includes things like accommodation or airport pick ups, all things that will add to the cost of your treatment.  Find out if your treatment will involve multiple visits, and if so how many, you don’t want to be caught spending your dental savings on building up air miles flying back and forth to an overseas dental clinic each week.

Another important factor to think about when considering dental treatment abroad is after care.  What happens if things go wrong?  While many companies will guarantee to fly you back and pay for your accommodation if there are complications, there may well not be a standard complaints procedure as there is for NHS and private dentists in the UK. 

There are some impressive savings to be made by having dental treatment carried out overseas but you do need to do your homework to ensure you find a reputable dentist using good equipment and providing a first class service.  One final tip is to look around online and try and chat to those who have had dental treatment overseas and take their recommendations of quality seriously.  You can then look more closely at those who have been recommended to ensure they are properly qualified, insured and regulated.