Dental Implants - UK or Abroad

durhamsandy

Hello all,

First post (apologies for it being long) and wanting a little advice as I'm undecided. 

I'm in need of a dental implant. I have a regular dentist in Corfu who I see 3 times a year and they have quoted me £1k. She's very professional, thorough and I value her opinion as there have been times when she has provided a service and not monetised it (for example not going ahead with a procedure for health reasons and not charging for the appointment, talks through options and provides advice).

I have heard and read some horror stories about dental tourism, and as an implant will involve multiple visits I was leaning towards a UK implant. I therefore arranged an appointment with a nationally recognised dentist for an assessment as the tooth for implant was due for extraction first. He quoted me £3k, but more worryingly the surgery and experience wasn't up to the same standard as that in Greece, and the service didn't feel private at all as everything was rushed and haphazard. During the extraction, the dentist struck my front teeth (no damage luckily), but when I got home and the anaesthetic wore off, another tooth with a filling was partially cracked as I found the filling between my gum and cheek. Although I followed this up with the practice in a friendly and professional manner hoping for a plan/solution, they are uninterested unless I pay £125 for another visit first before costs to rectify the issue. Luckily I have an x-ray of the damaged tooth from the week before showing everything was stable, so this is the basis for my follow up with this.

Following this experience, I am not letting this dentist close to my mouth again, and I am due to see another dentist to repair this damage. Whilst there, I will also be discussing implant options. I am also due to discuss implant options with another practice as I want at least 3 comparators.

The crux of this thread is that whilst researching, I was under the impression that if I got an implant in Greece that a UK dentist wouldn't touch this is the future due to indemnity and insurance reasons. I've since learnt that most UK dentists are self employed. If that's the case, and say I get a UK dentist for the implant and I need dentistry on this tooth in 10 years time and my dentist has retired or relocated, am I theoretically in the same position as a foreign implant patient?

Although my recent experience with my extraction is poor, I've learned that apart from the UK cost being a lot more, the service for private isn't really 'private'. I thought I was paying for the comfort of safeguarding any complications and future care, but I do not believe that this is the case.

So my question is, what are the benefits of UK dentistry over that of an EU country at a lower cost. If there are any dentists or people with experiences of getting foreign implant check-ups in the UK it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks 👍

Voyager2002

If you are happy with your dentist in Corfu, and are able to get there regularly, then there seems little point looking elsewhere for an implant. The price difference between the two quotations you mention, £3k in the UK or £1k in Corfu, would pay for a fair number of trips to Greece if adjustment were required at a time when you would not be there anyway.

durhamsandy

Thanks Voyager2002 for your reply. Yes, that's what I was thinking too as I'd even be able to get out in the depths of winter via Athens. I was more concerned with the supposed inability of what I read about UK dentists not entertaining me in future if needed. I'm not sure what advantages a UK implant would hold over a foreign one. There may be some, and I may be ill informed, I just can't see them from my research that's all. 

brook2jack2

The important thing is for your implantologist to liase with your regular dentist , that they use a well known , well regarded implant system that has been around for some time , that they give you an implant passport with the name of implants , registration numbers, torque used etc. 

Different implant systems use different components and different tools. To set up for new systems cost thousands. The problem is if a rare, unusual or discontinued implant system is used then a dentist will not have the tools or components to deal with it. 

Using a U.K. dentist who uses a well known system means even if they retire etc in future it should be no problem to get another implantologist to take over when components need replacing etc. 

UK dentists are very loath to touch implants placed elsewhere because of problems with liability which is a real concern in the first few years , particularly when the results of dental tourism (as opposed to having regular dentistry with an ongoing relationship with a dentist abroad) are so radically different, invasive etc from U.K. dental practice. 

The best implants done by the best implantologists can go wrong (lost temporaries, healing caps, infections etc ) and need quick attention, but even when done well need multiple visits over months . 

durhamsandy

Thanks brook2jack2, lots of very sensible and valuable information presented there, especially with regards to systems used and implant passports. I appreciate your help and insight.