It’s become more and more popular to hop on a plane and come back with not just a suntan, but a whole new set of teeth. It sounds tempting, especially when it’s put to you as a ‘all in one’ offer, but it may not be much of a holiday after extensive dental treatment.
If you’re looking to replace missing teeth or you want a complete overhaul of your smile, treatments like dental implants or veneers are an option but unfortunately, they come at a price. There isn’t a cheap alternative to dental treatment and therefore a ‘special offer’ can be very tempting.
Will the dentist abroad be qualified?
All dentists need to be qualified to some level to be able to legally work, although some countries have less strict requirements than others. In the UK for example, dentists also need to be registered with the General Dentistry Council (GDC) as well as an approved degree in dentistry.
If you are travelling abroad for dental treatment, you may have only met the dentist once maybe never! Therefore, you don’t know for sure their level of skill or experience, this isn’t always the case but there is always a risk of this. If a dental practice abroad is offering cheaper prices, it may be that they are less experienced in that treatment and are offering you a discount in exchange for ‘practice’.
If you do insist on receiving dental treatment abroad, please take your time and research different practices and the dentist carrying out the work.
Will the same materials be used as the UK?
A large portion of your dental treatment is the cost of materials. These materials need to be of the highest standard because of their placement, you don’t want cheap materials placed into your jawbone, do you? If you are thinking of dental implants, did you know only certain materials can fuse your bone and implant together? This is a process called osseointegration. If the materials used are not suitable, the osseointegration process may not be successful and your implant may fall out.
What if I have any problems after the treatment?
If you have treatment in the UK and something goes wrong, you will be able to book a same day emergency appointment with your dentist who will be able to solve the issue that appointment or at least provide some resolution.
But what do you do if you’ve had the treatment abroad and something happens when you get back home? These ‘all in one’ holidays are usually 1-2 weeks long, issues can arise after a few weeks when you’re already back home. If something happens you may need to fund your own trip back to the dentist to get the problem fixed. Some UK dentists may refuse to treat you if you have not had the treatment done at their practice or they will want to extensively assess your situation before doing anything, which will cost money for an assessment.
Should I choose a local dentist for my dental treatment?
At Ewan Bramley, we have a team of highly experienced dentists, implantologist and orthodontic therapist and have successfully completed thousands and thousands of dental treatments. We also have an in house lab where we make all our dental appliances and use the highest quality of materials.
If you have a local dentist, you can visit or contact them as many times as you want for any issues or questions you may have on your treatment. Although your treatment may cost more than going abroad, you can have peace of mind that our team are with you all the way.
If you would like to book a free consultation, call our reception team on 0191 259 6506.
