Dental treatment abroad

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  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,074 Forumite
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    From Sunday's OBSERVER

    Long distance dentistry is never good in case of emergency.
    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.
  • MissMoneypenny
    MissMoneypenny Posts: 5,324 Forumite
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    Toothsmith wrote:
    From Sunday's OBSERVER

    Thanks for that link. I had near enough made my mind up to go to France for a dentist, so good to note that an MP is going there also.
    "Edward Leigh, chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee and Conservative MP for Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, has admitted he regularly makes a 500-mile round trip to France for dental treatment and has urged the public to follow his lead."
    RENTING? Have you checked to see that your landlord has permission from their mortgage lender to rent the property? If not, you could be thrown out with very little notice.
    Read the sticky on the House Buying, Renting & Selling board.


  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,074 Forumite
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    Because they are such a paragon of good sense?

    He probably puts it on his expenses which means you and I are paying for it anyway!
    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.
  • MissMoneypenny
    MissMoneypenny Posts: 5,324 Forumite
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    Toothsmith wrote:
    Because they are such a paragon of good sense?

    He probably puts it on his expenses which means you and I are paying for it anyway!

    They are cheaper. From the link you gave:-

    "Leigh had root canal treatment while on a skiing trip to the Alps earlier this year, paying about £62 for work that would have cost about £150 on the NHS or about £330 privately in Britain. 'I suggest if anyone needs a dentist then go to France,' he said. 'They are much cheaper and far easier to register with."

    There was a programme on tv recently showing how good the French dentists were (plus other countries) and how good they are to their clients.
    RENTING? Have you checked to see that your landlord has permission from their mortgage lender to rent the property? If not, you could be thrown out with very little notice.
    Read the sticky on the House Buying, Renting & Selling board.


  • North-East_Quine
    North-East_Quine Posts: 959 Forumite
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    I was with my previous NHS Dentist for nearly 40 years. However, she recently left and I was destined to be without a dentist. I have now managed to get into an NHS practice with a young Polish Dentist who works 4 days privately and 1 day NHS. My husband and daughter have also been taken on at the practice. On our first visit my husband was gobsmacked to be told he needed 7 fillings! He has always had excellent teeth and had only been to see his previous dentist 4 weeks previously - with no treatment required.

    My daughter had a similar experience - being told she need 5 fillings. She too has attended regular check-ups and was only at her previous dentist a few months ago. I've to get 8 fillings, mainly replacing small one in my front teeth! The new dentist is refusing to do amalgam fillings and will only do composite white ones which cannot be offered on the NHS.

    Should we be suspicious of this! Are foreign dentists coming over here just to make money out of filling teeth unnecessarily?
  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,074 Forumite
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    If he is working on the NHS, he MUST offer an NHS alternative.

    White fillings on front teeth ARE available on the NHS, it's just back teeth where they are a cosmetic option.

    You are in fact seeing a PRIVATE dentist in reality, who is just pretending to be NHS to get people through the door.

    In the 1950s a lot of Australian dentists came over to work the NHS system to give themselves enough money to go home and start their own practices.

    Nowadays, there is no advantage to doing lots of fillings on the nHS, as dentists don't get paid any more for doing lots as for dooing one.

    UNLESS - they tell you they will only do the fillings privately. Then they are breaking the terms of their NHS contract and a complaint to the PCT is in order.

    Why not go and see a dentist who honestly operates in the private sector? You will be much more likely to get an honest opinion, and it might just save you money as well as your teeth.



    EDIT :- I don't for one minute think this is a problem of Polish dentists. I'm sure there are dentists of all nationalities trying to pull tricks like this with the NHS. There are also dentists working on the NHS in the spirit of the agreement and trying to make it work.
    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: 10,074 Forumite
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    I just resurrected this thread to post an email that a colleague of mine received the other day!

    From an unknown patient he'd had no previous contact with.

    "hi there,
    i'm writing on behalf of my husband, who is currently undergoing
    dental repairs in hungary. he will need dental implants, but his gums
    will have to heal for about 6 weeks first, as he had some infections
    and had some teeth removed. after the implants are screwed in, he will
    have to wait another 6-8 months untill the final teeth can be screwed
    on. he has no remaining teeth on top and needs a full denture during
    this time. he has just come home from hungary, and the denture that
    the dentist has fitted is absolutely horrible - much lighter than his
    bottom tooth colour, and it gives him an extremely noticable overbite,
    probably the most awful dentures i have ever seen. he only needs the
    dentures for a few months, but he can not walk around like this. how
    much would it cost to fit him a natural and aesthetically pleasing
    denture, but still while maintaining a budget, as they are not meant
    to be permanent?
    thanks!"




    If you were that dentist how would you reply??? :D
    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.
  • Parisien
    Parisien Posts: 930 Forumite
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    Toothsmith wrote: »
    From Sunday's OBSERVER

    Long distance dentistry is never good in case of emergency.

    Couldn't agree more..........but when you can't afford any treatment in the UK, then choices are made........needless to say, it may not be much better in the UK either!
  • Parisien
    Parisien Posts: 930 Forumite
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    Toothsmith wrote: »
    Not Always!

    Same applies to crap/bad practice in the UK, what makes you think whats done in the UK is so superior?
  • Toothsmith
    Toothsmith Posts: 10,074 Forumite
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    It may not be superior - there is bad stuff in the UK.

    But at least it's regulated under UK law and redress is possible.

    The people going abroad CAN afford treatment in the UK. They are spending thousands abroad.

    It's just abroad they are getting highly advanced work at a fraction of the UK cost.

    They could have spent the same money getting more basic treatment in this country.

    Now - one argument is if they can get such advanced treatment at that cost then why not? - Which is a fair point.

    BUT - Why have their teeth got into such a state that they need such advanced work??? And what is going to change in their lives that will make really advanced work last for them??

    My argument is that if they have - say- £5k to spend on their teeth, then finding a local dentist, having basic but good work done, and then plenty of money left in the pot to go towards regular check ups and hygiene visits will see them much better off than 5k blown on implants in Hungary in the belief that they will never need to visit the dentist again!

    When the implants break down (As they will without very regular care and attention) then the patient will be in a much worse condition than before they started.

    This is without any reference to the actual quality of the work, and assumes it's all done to the highest standards.

    But - there are good and bad dentists all over the world. This is why an awful lot of my posts go into how to choose one and what to look for. A lot of the things I recommend people do when choosing a dentist simply aren't possible if you plan to go abroad for treatment. Unless you make several flights before even booking an appointment.
    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.
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