Dental Implants Abroad; Pros and Cons

Dental tourism is an ever increasing business but is going abroad for your dental treatment especially dental implants, a wise decision or will it lead to months of misery?  Here’s our list of pros and cons;

Pros

• Dental implants are certainly cheaper in countries like Hungary and that is because they don’t have the same overheads as UK dentists and coupled with a lower cost of living, they are therefore able to offer services for a lot less.
• If you decide to go somewhere more exotic like Thailand for instance, you can combine having your dental treatment carried out, with a luxury holiday abroad.
• Some companies can book a whole package for you which could involve flights, airport transfers, accommodation etc. thereby making the process smooth and hassle free.
• Standard of care and the expertise of the implantologist could be just as good as here in the UK, if not better.

Cons

• Communication problems.  The language barrier is the obvious factor to consider.  Some dentists will speak very good English whereas some will not.  Should any complications arise either during surgery or after your treatment, you certainly don’t want to be in a position where you don’t understand what’s going on.
• Research the dentist who is carrying out the procedure and check out their qualifications.  Also look for reviews about the dental clinic that you wish to travel to.
• Thoroughly research the procedure that you are having done and make sure that you have been told beforehand what to expect during treatment, what side effects or discomfort you may experience and how to care for your new teeth.
• Find out what will happen if you experience any problems once you return home.  Is the work guaranteed? Would you have to return to the country where you had the implants placed and if so, who covers the cost of the treatment?
• Bear in mind that there are over 50 different type of implant systems currently being used worldwide and if anything should go wrong, it may be very difficult to find a UK dentist who is trained in that particular system.  Ask for your records in English with details of what implant system has been used so that your dentist back home has a full record of your procedure.
• Insurance; Most travel insurance policies only cover you for emergency dental care – not procedures you choose to have (known as “elective treatment”). This means that if something goes wrong during a planned visit to a dental clinic abroad and you require additional care or have to postpone your flights, you could end up heavily out of pocket.

If anyone is considering dental implants please come and see us before making such an important decision.  We could save you a lot of heart ache in the future!

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