VitalEurope or dental work in the UK?

pricedout_1

Has anyone used VitalEurope dentists in London? I need a fair bit of dental work and the dentists where I live in chiswick/hammersmith are really expensive. I had a temp filling (a larger than normal one) for £300+ now have to go back for the permanent filling for £315. There are two other fillings he identified which come to £215, but before that he insisted on doing a scale and polish twice at £89 a pop. I never had a dentist say that wanted to do a scale and polish as a pre-requisite for a filling. Anyway, to top it all off, the day after I went for the latest check up a crown done by a previous dentist simply broke away so will need re-crowning and/or possibly a bridge as its a molar next to an extracted molar and a bridge would work. Will come to thousands with my current dentist and just had enough if it.

VitalEurope seem to get good reviews, but surprised not to see much about them on the forums here? The alternative is to source cheaper dentists around the UK which would mean not having to go to Hungary, but would still avoid the "London tax"?

Toothsmith

Try 'dentist' and 'abroad' as search keywords. There are loads of threads on the subject.

pricedout_1

Toothsmith wrote: »

Try 'dentist' and 'abroad' as search keywords. There are loads of threads on the subject.

But there is nothing on VitalEurope which is the one I am interested in? And also I asked about sourcing dentists around the UK if there is a significant enough price difference to warrant that kind of travel if I can save myself a grand or so?

brook2jack

If you search vitaleurope on this forum they have been discussed before and the problems with dental tourism.

The big thing to address is why you need so much work doing , to find a dentist who you can afford and can build a regular relationship with so you can be guided as to the changes you need to make to your oral care so little work needs to be done and to maintain the work you have already done .

All dental work needs maintainance , the more complicated it is the more maintainance it needs and the more likely you will need treatment that cant be put off until you travel to Hungary!

Ask friends ,colleagues for recommendations for a dentist they trust.

pricedout_1

brook2jack wrote: »

All dental work needs maintainance , the more complicated it is the more maintainance it needs and the more likely you will need treatment that cant be put off until you travel to Hungary!

But they offer a combination of reduced price work in London and heavily reduced price work in Hungary. So maintenance can also be carried out here. The economic reality is that if people need spend 1000's on dental work then people are going to want to shop around, even if it means a sightseeing trip to Hungary. Assuming the work is of sufficient quality then at least any serious maintenance will not be needed for a while....which is what I was asking....HAS ANYONE HAD DENTAL WORK DONE BY VITAL EUROPE (OR KNOW ANYONE THAT HAS)? WAS IT GOOD DENTAL WORK?

welshdent

Pay cheap buy twice is all I am seeing with the patients I know who have gone abroad. Maybe I am only seeing the unlucky ones but I am NOT seeing fantastic work done abroad. Very much the opposite and these patients have been unable to get ANY compensation or remedial work done by the practices who wash their hands with them. OFten the work is far too complex for the average dentist to correct and their indemnity insurance wouldn't cover them to try it. That leaves them with massive bills to get it corrected here with someone with specialist training.

Your average dentist probably cant maintain it for you either for the afore mentioned indemnity reasons and training issues (lack of it).

Tread VERY carefully.

I am not saying UK dentists are all perfect, obviously thats not true. But what you get is a stringent GDC, decent levels of insurance against mishaps and the ability to not have to fly to another country at your own expense if things dont go right.

pricedout_1

welshdent wrote: »

Pay cheap buy twice is all I am seeing with the patients I know who have gone abroad. Maybe I am only seeing the unlucky ones but I am NOT seeing fantastic work done abroad. Very much the opposite and these patients have been unable to get ANY compensation or remedial work done by the practices who wash their hands with them. OFten the work is far too complex for the average dentist to correct and their indemnity insurance wouldn't cover them to try it. That leaves them with massive bills to get it corrected here with someone with specialist training.

Your average dentist probably cant maintain it for you either for the afore mentioned indemnity reasons and training issues (lack of it).

Tread VERY carefully.

I am not saying UK dentists are all perfect, obviously thats not true. But what you get is a stringent GDC, decent levels of insurance against mishaps and the ability to not have to fly to another country at your own expense if things dont go right.

I am guessing that with the advent of cheap flights all over the world that youi are encountering people that have not done their homework and played dental roulette. VitalEurope however seems like a different operation altogether

welshdent

Well thats great for them. They are not an organisation I have personally heard from. Doesnt change any of the risks. Also doesnt change my anecdotal experience that every single patient I have met that has had work done abroad has been left in a seriously bad state. A whole range of countries too!
USA, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, Romania, South Africa, Poland to name a few.
Maybe I am just unlucky with who comes to see me!?
Actually I tell a lie. I have seen some particularly good emergency treatment done in Sweden.

Toothsmith

pricedout_1 wrote: »

I am guessing that with the advent of cheap flights all over the world that youi are encountering people that have not done their homework and played dental roulette. VitalEurope however seems like a different operation altogether

It's a business model that has come & gone over the past decade and a half. You will see mention of very similar organisations in several threads stretching back.

They set up, market heavily, make their money, then disappear before the work they've done really starts causing problems.

I would be hugely surprised if this place was much different

pricedout_1

Toothsmith wrote: »

It's a business model that has come & gone over the past decade and a half. You will see mention of very similar organisations in several threads stretching back.

They set up, market heavily, make their money, then disappear before the work they've done really starts causing problems.

I would be hugely surprised if this place was much different

As far as i know they have been around for quite a while which validates their business model so a large degree. They also have offices and surgeries in London. However, I'm surprised nobody on this forum have used them (or maybe I got unlucky and nobody seen the post.

snowmaid

I am currently undergoing treatment with Vital Europe and have just returned from Budapest for the first part of my treatment. So far they seem to be professional.

I consulted 2 other dentists (1 private and 1 NHS) with my treatment plan, and they agreed with the work that Vital Europe were suggesting (I was worried about being ripped off).

Their Budapest clinic is very busy, with locals attending the clinic as well, which for me was comforting. They have a number of surgeries in the clinic. I was worried I'd find a dingy little office but this is far from the case. There were patients speaking other languages and a number of British patients too. I picked them because their dentists are registered with the British Dental Council (I checked) and they have a London based clinic, which is much smaller than their Budapest clinic.

They organised transport for my husband and I from the airport and back again. I stayed in one of their apartments (they have several) which is not even a 5 minute walk away from the clinic. The apartment is basic, but has everything you need, including clean towels etc.

I know of someone who used them a few years ago and she was very happy with the result. My primary dentist is Dr Peter Dudas and he is friendly enough. He appears to think things through.

It is still in the early stages of the treatment so I am hoping it goes well. Up to now I am generally satisfied with the experience.