Top 10 Tips On Finding Good Dentists Abroad

Simon Purchall, Founding Director of Smile Savers Hungary Ltd, gives us an insight into the things to watch out for when picking a good dentist abroad.

'With the rise of dental tourism and with so many dentists abroad offering their services on the internet these days we thought it would be a nice idea to share with you some of the tips and tricks we've collected during our 4 year history of pre-vetting, recommending and working with high quality dental clinics in Budapest. I hope you find this information useful and hopefully you can avoid some of the more common pitfalls when selecting a suitable dentist abroad.'

10. Giving it Away

In the UK and elsewhere dental patients are usually asked to pay for absolutely everything right down to the mouth wash. In today's competitive dental tourism market there's a lot to be got for free. Typically we would expect to see free consultations, x-rays (including panoramic x-rays), airport transfers and transfers to and from all your appointments, oral-sedation, impression taking, antibiotics, pain killers where necessary and of course the complimentary mouth wash.
The list could go on but be wary of too many discounts and freebies if the basics don't add up.

9. Was That Really You on TV?

Probably the most abused of all the methods used to woo a potential client. Over the years we have quietly plugged away at our job with the goal of bringing the best for less to UK clients. Along the way we have attracted some great press attention both in print and TV which we're very proud of so it bugs us a just a little bit when we see clinics listing other companies' press cuttings as examples of their own achievements.
Always check any reference to press coverage for a specific mention of the clinic in question. If the link is broken or doesn't go anywhere it's probably for a reason.

8. Letters of Praise

A good clinic will have happy clients willing to share their experiences. It's sometimes a leap of faith that gets someone in a foreign dentists chair and when the experience turns out to be way above their expectations the letters come flooding in. Often a clinic's websites will publish client's letters and emails as proof of their excellent service. But look closer. Are they showing the entire letter or just conveniently edited highlights? We've certainly seen lots of takes on this; even obviously made up testimonials. Thankfully we have the English language on our side as genuine English is particularly hard to forge and relatively easy to spot.
If in doubt ask to see case studies and if you're still in doubt ask for some reference telephone numbers of people who they have treated from your area.

7. Location, Location, Location

If you're thinking of travelling to a new city for dental treatment always check exactly where the clinic is in relation to the city centre. So many clinics skirt over the fact that they are in fact many miles away from where you might want to be staying (one dental clinic we inspected and rejected was a 3 hour drive from the airport!).
Personally I'd rather spend my time taking in the sights of a new city, not be stuck in traffic for hours between appointments or looking round the dead streets of a distant suburb where the hotel is 'conveniently located'.

6. The Price is Right?

The most important part for many people is understandably price and today's highly competitive market of dental tourism has a huge drive to keep prices as low as possible. A word of advice here: you should try as much as is possible to satisfy as many of the criteria listed below before looking at price.
For more involved procedures it may be worth avoiding temptingly low offers from clinics that score low on experience and qualifications. Also, keep an eye out for any hidden extras. For example: with dental implants there is the price for the implant and the price for the crown but lesser known is the cost of uncovering the implant, fitting healing screws and the abutments which support the final crown. Ask exactly what is included in the price.

>>Click here to read the Top 5 Tips on how to find good dentists abroad>>

See the following for more information:

Linda Williamson - SundayTimes

...that could allow people travelling abroad for Dental treatment to claim back some of their costs from the NHS....

Cheap dental implants an affordable alternative to dentures

...Affordable Dental implants are now within reach for most ending the ... Dental implants are not available on the nhs and until now, dental implants were too expensive for most people to consider. but with the advent of 'dental tourism’ cheap dental implants are now worth investigating.... in the uk, where Dental implants are not available on the nhs, costs to have them made and fitted privately are very high. top london clinics are likely to charge over £2, 500.00 per implant, making a mouth-makeover a

Smile Makeover for a more confident smile

... Going overseas for cosmetic Dental work can save you thousands of pounds and places like Hungary offer first class treatment. The first step in your smile makeover will be the smile design process. This usually starts by taking a picture of your teeth and x-rays; from these the dentist can start to advise you on what procedures are needed. Chipped or crooked teeth can be covered with porcelain veneers, broken teeth may need a crown, and missing teeth can be replaced with the high tech dental implants that are now available. A gummy smile can also be fixed with laser gum contouring and everyone should finish their smile makeover with laser whitening. In Europe, countries such as Hungary offer cheaper prices on smile makeovers which tend to be very expensive in the UK....00 top Dental clinics will make the veneers and crowns in their own labs, on site, which helps to bring costs down and speeds up treatment times. good dentists will also check your general oral health, advising on any fillings or root canal work that you might need. whatever treatment you decide on make sure you are given a clear plan and cost before starting. check there are no hidden costs and make sure your dentist specialises in cosmetic work. smile savers hungary has taken thousands of patients to budapest for a smile makeover and all have come back with new, confident smiles. a smile makeover can literally be life changing, and with the right care, can last a lifetime. pay extra attention to your brushing and flossing routine; remember that beautiful, straight teeth will only look good if they are rooted in healthy gums.... check there are no hidden Costs and make sure your dentist specialises in cosmetic work. a big smile means so much – it shows we’re happy, feeling good about ourselves and full of confidence....

Parliament

...the time it's well worth taking a tour which Costs around £6 per person starting at entrance 10....

A Dentist in Hungary

... an influx of Dental tourists for decades and low costs mean that for ...state of the art equipment and their own on-site Dental laboratories which mean they can offer a fast service with the highest standard of care....in hungary it will soon become apparent that Dental tourism is big business and that the country leads europe in offering cheap, top quality dental work....service has made disastrous decisions about Dental care. the now notorious dental contracts caused a shortage of dentists when it was brought

In the UK dental costs can often be prohibitively high - people are sometimes only able to afford the most basic of treatements, more like a patch up than a fix - the old drill-and-fill mentality looms large. At Smile Savers Hungary we have a solution.

Of course price is not everything and there are limits as to how low we and our clinics are prepared to go. The main stopping point is quality. Even though our dentists have done everything to keep your costs to a minimum in order to remain competitive, their standards are high and in no way will their professionalism allow them to drop their levels of service and quality. All our dentists have long standing reputations to maintain both in Hungary and abroad and this is the main reason that quality will never be sacrificed.

The whole family saved £27,000 but best of all, I was able to walk down the aisle with complete confidence

...I think the lasting memory will be that I no longer have to be embarrassed to sit in a dentists chair. I can smile with confidence and do not have to cover my mouth to speak! My friends have been so supportive and the feedback I have had from them has really boosted my confidence