The MSE Forum will be undergoing some maintenance this evening. As a result, some users may experience temporary performance issues. Please use the Site Feedback board to report anything major. Thank you for your patience.

The Great 'Medical Tourism' Hunt

1246728

Comments

  • yogayogi_2
    yogayogi_2 Posts: 7 Forumite
    greeneye wrote: »
    Anyone else a little dubious about the recomendations on here from people who've never posted before and/or only joined today?? :rolleyes:

    Hey, a cynic after my own heart! But there's a time and a place. I don't see any salesmen here. Or anyone posting anything they could personally profit from. Every member had to start sometime, even you: like me the other newbies probably felt they could make a useful contribution on this subject.

    As one of the posters you're referring to, I'd like to thank you for making us feel so welcome!! I trust the other members are less supercilious.
  • I had 4 crowns and a bridge also a plate with 7 teeth done in Budapest. I was quoted £3 -4000 in UK, it cost me £800 in Hungary. I can honestly say the equipment was better and the dentist was a professor of dentistry. I went over twice and the first visit was 3 hrs! Even with the flights it cost less than £900!
    Would seriously reccomend it but you do need to have aftercare set up in UK. My dentist is fine about this and has said what a good job they did.
  • rosil
    rosil Posts: 2 Newbie
    Problem with overseas dentistry is that I have seen cases where things have gone seriously wrong- perhaps you're not hearing from those patients. In answer to the comment re Thatcher ruining the NHS dental service I would have to say that if the Tories compromised the service in 1992 Blair finally destroyed it last yearand it is not the dentists that are being greedy .
  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,072
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary
    Forumite
    theredfox wrote: »
    I used to have a dentist friend. He used to strut around like a middle class version of Del Boy, concerned with one thing and one thing only: £££. In fact he went to the US, because over there it's more like $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    And that's how you speak about your friends! :D

    I'm never going to make any inroads into predjudices like this.

    Uk dentistry costs UK prices because that's how much it costs to provide the service.

    Dentists are well paid. I earn 4-5 times the national average, but I run a small business employing 8 people and I've invested over 500k in it over the last 10 years, putting my house up as security for it.

    I'd be interested to know what 'perks' you think I enjoy over and above my salary!

    Health tourism is wrong on many levels.

    How much above the local average wage do you think the East European dentists are on?

    How do you think the locals view the rich tourists coming over and using the services of 'their' dentists and pricing them out of dental care?

    Which country does the Hungarian farmworker nip off to for his dental care?

    Are you bovvered?

    As I said earlier, there is only one reason such places exist, and that is to make money. This money is so much easier to make in a less regulated environment and with patients who, in general, know very little about what dentistry is appropriate for them and put little importance on aftercare once the 'big fix' has sorted out their teeth 'Once and for all'.

    Dentistry and indeed some medical proceedures done more cheaply abroad will have quite a substancial niche market. That market doesn't interfere with anybody who is likely to value and appreciate the services provided by a decent local dentist.

    By just fixing problems without any thought to why the problems have occured in the first place is just storing up exactly the same problems to strike again later.

    When a mouthful of crowns or implants eventually fall to bits though, there will be very little left to do anything useful with.

    At most dental meetings I attend there are often one or two stories of patients who have saught help after returning from such clinics with totally inappropriate treatments carried out.

    Now it's also true that we also swap stories about work from other UK dentists which we have had to put right.

    The difference is though that the UK stories tend to be more about one or two duff fillings that can easily be corrected.

    If you've had loads of titanium screwed into your jaw and it all goes pear shaped - it's a different league!
    How to find a dentist.
    1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
    2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
    3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
    4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.
  • theredfox_2
    theredfox_2 Posts: 84 Forumite
    No, health tourism is brilliant because it supports economies that need it instead of supporting Mercedes and Tuscan villas for Rip-Off merchants like you. It will have a positive effect for everyone except one class of person only: Rip Off merchants who might perhaps have to lower their prices when more people understand that market competition extends beyond the boundaries of Britain. It is morally, socially and financially sensible to buy services from someone who makes a good salary from his services, instead of someone who exploits a situation and makes a huge salary.

    People are not dumb - they will research foreign services and check them out thoroughly, and this thread would be a good starting point. I have a friend who's been satisifed with Thai dentistry. You mention the dangers of major work: OK so here's a question to other people: who's had major work abroad, and been satisfied? Spread the word!

    Why exactly are you here? - I seriously doubt its because you're the Florence Nightingale of dentistry concerned about the nation's tooth aches. You won't stop it, and you know you won't. My guess is, you're worried about buying that Tuscan villa.

    Rip-Off Britain makes me very angry, and I'm afraid you've just stepped into the firing line with regard to just one of its problems. Basic dental care shouldn't be an expensive and elitist service - it should be easily available in a developed country like Britain, but its been exploited according to basic economic/capitalist facts: if people can get away with charging more, they will; and if they can't do it so much in the NHS, they go exclusively private. Interesting to see for example, the comments from the Hungarian dentist quoted at the Times. He charges £400 for work that would cost £1800 in Britain. And he makes a £100 profit on that - which as the % figures go, is still very good. Further, the Times says, "The British Dental Association (BDA) does not deny that the quality of treatment in Hungary is superior to that in the UK". So, not only massively cheaper but also better. Personally I'm more interested in a dental holiday somewhere like India or maybe S Africa, but I think the point that's been made at this discussion is abundantly clear.
  • vivmerc
    vivmerc Posts: 7 Forumite
    hi HoneyPhillip , i'm planning on visiting the phillipines later this year , which island were you on and do you have the dentists details ? vivmerc
  • rac_3
    rac_3 Posts: 7 Forumite
    If I can answer some of your points without predjudice.

    How do you think the locals view the rich tourists coming over and using the services of 'their' dentists and pricing them out of dental care?

    Which country does the Hungarian farmworker nip off to for his dental care?


    These points are, with respect, irrelevent.
    Its an open market, there are people in the UK on a low income with exactly the same problem, and without a NHS dentist.



    When a mouthful of crowns or implants eventually fall to bits though, there will be very little left to do anything useful with.

    Which is why its so important to do your research and find a good dentist who offers guarantees, preferably one with a UK clinic for follow up appointments.

    By just fixing problems without any thought to why the problems have occured in the first place is just storing up exactly the same problems to strike again later.

    The dental clinic I used offered a consultation in the UK prior to any work being done. The options were discussed in much the same way as would have happened with any other good dentist. Please don't assume all 'foreign' dentists are not up to the job and simply want to take peoples money.
  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,072
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary
    Forumite
    theredfox wrote: »

    Why exactly are you here? - I seriously doubt its because you're the Florence Nightingale of dentistry concerned about the nation's tooth aches. You won't stop it, and you know you won't. My guess is, you're worried about buying that Tuscan villa.

    This is offensive.

    We seem to have joined this site at similar times 2 years ago.

    In that time, I have replied to hundreds of dental questions saving a lot of people a lot of money. And been thanked many times too

    You have hardly done anything, and nothing useful judging by your 'thanked posts'.

    I have given people the information they need to find a decent dentist in their area, and armed them with the right questions to ask in order to get the sort of treatment they need.

    I have never given any clue to my real identity, because I am busy enough and don't need to pull in any patients from this site.

    You do not have any sort of clue of the issues involved here. You just have a chip on your shoulder about people who have worked to get themselves into a position where they earn more money than you.

    7 years ago I had a choice. To stay in dentistry, or to take over the small tyre & exhaust depot my Dad had built up and run over the past 20 years when he retired.

    He employed about 8 people and had invested a similar amount of money into his business as I had into mine.

    He also earnt a similar amount of money.

    Would it be OK to earn 100k as the owner of a Tyre & exhaust depot? A job I could have done without all the mucking about getting 'O' & 'A' levels, and then 5 years at dental school.

    Then what's wrong with dentists being well paid?

    Basic dental care is not that expensive in this country, and if the Government didn't want to push it all into the private sector, then an NHS service limited to basic dental care could easily be provided for the whole population.

    Crowns, bridges, veneers, implants, and whitening treatments ARE NOT basic dental care though - they are ADVANCED cosmetic dental care. There is nothing wrong with advanced dental care being expensive, because it is expensive to provide in an expensive country.

    The problem comes when people go abroad and receive cheap advanced care which may be completely inappropriate to their needs. And in the process, divert the dentists from another country from providing basic dental care to their own population
    How to find a dentist.
    1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
    2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
    3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
    4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.
  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,072
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary
    Forumite
    rac wrote: »
    How do you think the locals view the rich tourists coming over and using the services of 'their' dentists and pricing them out of dental care?

    Which country does the Hungarian farmworker nip off to for his dental care?


    These points are, with respect, irrelevent.
    Its an open market, there are people in the UK on a low income with exactly the same problem, and without a NHS dentist.

    This point is not irrelevent.

    NHS dental care is a Govenment issue. If they wanted NHS dental care, there would be NHS dental care.

    NHS dentists have not left the system to work on a wealthy patients from another country. They have left the system because the system is unworkable.

    An 'open market' it certainly is. Doesn't make it right though.
    How to find a dentist.
    1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
    2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
    3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
    4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.
  • amabel
    amabel Posts: 5 Forumite
    Re: Economist article. We go to Thailand every year as my partner's brother lives there. Last year for the first time we had dental work done as our UK dentist had gone private. We were very impressed with the treatment at the clinic in Chiang Mai. They had state-of-the-art equipment, a team with experts in several aspects of dentistry, a team-working approach whereby the opinion of a colleague was sought, if felt necessary to make sure the right kind of treatment was given. And, the bills were modest compared to what we would have had to pay at home. We will certainly have our teeth checked again at our next visit.
    Oh, by the way, I have only once before posted a reply. It depends on whether people have experiences worth sharing and in this case quite a few of us seemed to.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.4K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards