For those of you that don’t know; dental tourism is the act of going abroad for less expensive dental treatment, this is a booming industry in the UK amongst other countries and in many cases can mean you patients can get good quality dental treatment for half of the cost you would pay in the UK.
There are so many dental practices out there offering cheap dental treatment if you travel abroad that many people don’t know where to start looking or what to expect. A simple google search for dental tourism Hungary and dental tourism Poland brings up hundreds of websites for dental practices all offering treatments for half the cost of what you would pay in the UK but ... How can you decide what to have done, where to go and whether it is too risky or not? |
Many practices are even offering packages where you get a two week holiday as part of your dental package in that country and still all for cheaper than your dental treatment plan in the UK.
It almost sounds too good to be true Here are some links to google searches for dental treatment abroad: |
What You Should Find Out Before Having Dental Treatment Abroad?
Regulations, Facilities and Legal issues
1. Does the country have a regulatory body (in the UK this is the GDC) that regulates all dental professionals?
2. If something happens during your treatment, is this covered by your travel insurance? 3. What are your legal rights as a foreign patient in that country? 4. What guarantees are offered by the clinic and dentist that carry out the treatment? Say if something failed within a year or two through no fault of your own? 5. Are there any clauses to these guarantees? say in the small print? 6. Will the travel costs be covered for remedial work? 7. Is there an adequate complaints procedure? 8. Are they sufficiently equipped to deal with a medical emergency god forbid this were to happen? (if in a dentally regulated country they most likely will have to be equipped with emergency drugs and defibrillators) 9. Are you able to get a copy of the records of your treatment? 10. Are the records written in English and of sufficient detail for you and your own dentist to understand? |
Treatment and Consent
1. Are the dentists suitably qualified to carry out the proposed work?
2. Are reliable references available? From people that have done the same at the same practice ? ask for some. 3. What about consent i.e. agreeing to an exact treatment plan? to consent properly you should understand everything involved including risks and complications. Is there a language barrier that might make this uncertain? 4. Who will maintain the advanced work when you return home; your own dentist? And what will their fees be for this? Would this have been included if they did the work themselves? 5. Will your own dentist be able to deal with any complications or would you need a referral and would your own dentist be willing to do corrective work if you went against their advice? |
And Finally
Most dental tourism companies require clients to sign waiver of liability forms. These documents are supposed to shield dental tourism companies from legal action. The forms state that if the client wishes to initiate legal action he or she must turn to the courts of the country wherein the dental clinic is located. Some dental tourists will find it costly, impractical, or impossible to obtain legal and financial redress after suffering harm while receiving dental care in another country so make sure all documentation is read and fully considered. your own dentist may even be willing to check over these documents for you and make recommendations for a fee.
Most dental tourism companies require clients to sign waiver of liability forms. These documents are supposed to shield dental tourism companies from legal action. The forms state that if the client wishes to initiate legal action he or she must turn to the courts of the country wherein the dental clinic is located. Some dental tourists will find it costly, impractical, or impossible to obtain legal and financial redress after suffering harm while receiving dental care in another country so make sure all documentation is read and fully considered. your own dentist may even be willing to check over these documents for you and make recommendations for a fee.