Cosmetic dentistry - in UK or Eastern Europe

scattercash_2

I have just been quoted the price of a world cruise to have the old nashers put into a Hollywood style smile. The NHS equivalent (much less) involved those nasty words "dentures" and "metal" which brought certain images to mind (a James Bond nasty!) - the dentist very kindly suggested that I might like to take out a loan payable over twelve months - I might die before then -with lovely teeth but a certain amount of money still outstanding!

In my local paper, we have a dentist from Budapest advertising greatly reduced prices and I have found quite a few on line offering a day trip to have everything examined (all free) - not the air fare obviously - but reading Martin's column and being a thifty person, I could pay for that on air miles!

Has anyone tried out these Eastern European dentists? I read the previous entries where Toothsmith says "wot if something goes wrong" well, I suppose you would have to just to go back to your usual chap locally - they couldn't refuse you!
Anyone got any experience - I really need to get them done (the teeth that is ) and they say Budapest is a lovely city - but any personal experiences would be appreciated. Apparently Americans and Canadians are regular visitors! Thanks for your advice and help

Toothsmith

scattercash wrote:

I read the previous entries where Toothsmith says "wot if something goes wrong" well, I suppose you would have to just to go back to your usual chap locally - they couldn't refuse you!

Yes they could!

Savvy_Sue

Toothsmith wrote:

Yes they could!

I am mentally adding my son's evil laugh at this point ... mwah ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Althoug I'm quite sure Toothsmith would take no pleasure in refusing to sort out the mess some foreign dentist had made ...

Toothsmith

I doubt I would refuse, but the bill would probably be World Cruise+20% though payable in advance!

innovate

I did see a feature on telly a few months back on this - main location was somewhere in the Czech Republik, and a lot of "local" people from Vienna flocked there because the treatments were superb, significantly cheaper than in Austria, and for them, it's just a day-trip. Everybody was very complimentary about the Czech dentists.

There's also a Radio 4 feature on treatment in Budapest - I haven't listened to it but I am sure you will - please let us know what you conclude!

ManAtHome

And who in their right mind would trust these uneducated foreigners... http://www.globalnet.co.uk/news/news.asp?cat=news&aid=15043033

scattercash_2

Well - thank you for that input. I have investigated a little further and there were articles in the Sunday Times and Independent Irish newspapers - all extolling the virtues of this treatment - plus on one site it says if you have problems with the treatment, afterwards, they will pay for you to come back and have it rectified - what more could you want. The point is that when the UK dentists quote for treatment - at world cruise prices (which by the way you couldn't even enjoy with bad teeth, because you couldn't go outside the cabin!) - they don't break it down into labour and material costs. I think these private dentists come under the same category as vets - you get to the surgery and pay your money - just because people have "plastic cards". Where is the list of charges anywhere? So I am very tempted to visit the lovely city of Budapest - and as it says in one paper - you can go on city tours with other gummy people - everyone is in the same boat. Obviously I would prefer to support the UK dentist (or in my case South African dentist - not in South Africa over here!) but surely one porcelain crown is the same as another!

Ted_Hutchinson

When considering the issues you seem satisfied with the idea that "if you have problems with the treatment, afterwards, they will pay for you to come back and have it rectified"
However with some implants toothsmith has been telling us about, involve work on the supporting bone structure, if this done badly or the restoration work was badly designed so that there was little or nothing left on which to mount a replacement I cannot see that just a trip back to have a replacement popped in is going to happen.

At least if a dentist in this country cocks up it would much be easier to ligitgate and to find a second opinion as trusting the guy whose work initially was faulty to cope with the repair may not be the wisest move.

Toothsmith

When dealing with living beings, nothing is certain. There are only percentages.

Implants are 95% successfull over 10 years, root fillings have a success rate of 85-95%. lower dentures are well tolerated by 35% of patients, etc etc. I know of nothing that is 100% successful every time for any dentist. Be they a back street garage operation or a flash city centre cosmetic practice.

If you go to Budapest it may well be fine. But nobody can promise you that it will be or they are a fool.

The more treatment and the more complicated the treatment you are having done, the more likely it is that something will not go according to plan.

So, sitting up in bed at 4 in the morning in England, with a bottom jaw the size of a grapefruit, what is the promise to 'Fly you back for remedial treatment' going to be worth?

By all means go ahead with this. It may well work out fine. Just make sure you have enough money in reserve to fund any emergency measures needed in this country.

My advice would be to get it done locally though.

scattercash_2

Well, I have to say that my dentist didn't mention the dreaded word "implant" and he didn't make it sound as if it was going to be the "most complicated of treatment". However, I will consider all factors before deciding, If I did wake up up at 4 am - my dentist doesn't start till 9 so I'd still have a bit of suffering! Anyway - I will think it through - what's £4,380 anyway - just to look like a film star? In the good old days - their teeth were like the stars - they came out at night (you've probably all heard that one before!)