The pros and cons of dental tourism

Even if most people do not think of going to the dentist as their idea of a holiday, the idea of dental tourism is spreading quickly. Dental tourism involves travelling to a foreign country for dental care. In many countries, fees for dental treatments are more than 50% less than in the UK. For many people, this can mean big savings, especially if they don’t have any dental insurance because many treatments are classed as cosmetic procedures which are not covered by a regular policy.

Nowadays it's very easy to find practices which can provide dental care abroad. There are many dental gateways which are advertised by travel agencies. The most popular destinations right now are Hungary, India, Mexico, Poland, Singapore and Thailand.

People read a lot of horror stories in the tabloid press about Britons who have had dentistry done overseas and have been given unsatisfactory or even dangerous treatment by unqualified dentists with a rudimentary grasp of English. Of course, making snap decisions about important questions when armed with insufficient information and coping with language difficulties can cause unpleasant situations. Putting your wealth ahead of your health is also a recipe for disaster. On the other hand, only bad stories tend to make it into the news. The 35,000 people per year from the UK who decide to have their dental treatment abroad can’t all be flying off to dental care hell. They have made an informed choice to save time, money and perhaps get cosmetic work done which is not usually covered by the NHS. If you ask around your acquaintance who have been treated by a foreign dental practice, you’ll probably find a high degree of satisfaction. But let’s have a look at the real facts. What are the pros and cons of dental tourism?

The dangers of dental tourism

• Dentists abroad might use materials during dental treatments which are not of adequate quality.
• Dental work cannot or will not be guaranteed in some of the countries. You may have little or no redress against the dentist in some countries.
• To rectify problems after returning home can cost a lot of money, maybe more than you “saved” by going overseas for the treatment.
• Treatments which require repeat visits, or have extended recovery time between procedures cannot be done in 5-10 days or back to back, so you may need to make several trips.
• Small scale treatments are not usually worth travelling for because of the additional costs (hotel, plane tickets etc.) unless you were going to visit the destination anyway.

What are the pros of dental tourism?

• An impossibly expensive treatment in the UK can be an affordable reality in Hungary because of immense savings (sometimes over 70% on the average UK private practice price).
• Some foreign dental practices work with dentists who are also registered at the British GDC (General Dental Council), which means that they are part of the British Dental Care System and they are covered by the UK indemnity of the Dental Protection and Dental Defence Union.
• If you ask for the dentist’s indemnity registration number, you can check this in the UK to be doubly sure and to get exact information about the dentist in question.
• Some of the clinics have surgeries both in the UK and abroad. Because of this, there is no nned to worry about the provision for aftercare.
• Aftercare provided by international practices is not usually as expensive as at other UK dentists. The companies which provide dental care abroad tend to offer more competitive prices in the UK as well.