Considering dental implants abroad?

Every year, many people consider travelling abroad for dental implants. Dental practices abroad often advertise as being cheaper than the UK, but there are lots of risks that come with travelling abroad for implant treatment or any other dental work. Before you commit to anything, it’s vital you’re fully aware of the risks involved and what to expect.

It’s common for dental practices abroad to advertise implants for cheaper than the UK average, which is around £2,415¹. The price difference can be due to a number of factors like lower wage and overhead costs, less-expensive premises and cheaper insurance costs.

• Return flights (of which there might be several)
• Taking time off work, including a loss of earnings from extra time off if needed
• Hotel accommodation, which could be up to three weeks for complex treatment
• Food and other living costs while you’re abroad
• Airport parking charges
• Fuel or train fares to and from UK airports
• Taxi fares or hire car costs

The biggest risk of having an implant abroad is what happens if something goes wrong. It’s important you’re fully informed of all the potential risks before you commit to any treatment.

Dental treatment isn’t regulated in the same way in every country. In the UK, dentistry is regulated by the General Dental Council (GDC). Dental professionals working in the UK have to be registered with the GDC and hold appropriate indemnity insurance. If something goes wrong, you’re able to easily raise a complaint, which the GDC can investigate if needed. The GDC has no power to investigate any dental work completed outside the UK. If the treatment you receive abroad goes wrong, it can be difficult to recover the money.

Regulation varies depending on the country you visit, so it’s important to do thorough research on how dentistry is regulated in the country you’re planning to visit if you’re considering treatment abroad.

There have been many reports and stories about patients who have had complications following treatment which have led to serious oral health problems, or worse. Unfortunately, accessing follow-up treatment at home can be difficult if there’s a complication, as it’s hard for dentists to rectify implants that were placed in another country.

If you’re considering going abroad, you should always do lots of research around the practice you’re going to, your dentist’s qualifications and what kind of guarantee they offer.

If you’re going abroad, your dentist won’t know your dental history and you may not be able to have a thorough consultation with your dentist abroad before starting treatment, which can cause serious problems.

You should speak to your dentist before you commit to any treatment. They can offer advice based on your specific dental history and talk you through the risks in detail.

If you are set on having implants placed abroad, you should request a copy of your dental records to send to your dentist overseas, as well as a copy of your implant records to give to your regular UK dentist.

At Bupa Dental Care, you can be sure that you’re in the hands of an experienced implant dentist. Some of the benefits of choosing us for implants include:

• Bupa Dental Care is the number one provider of private dental care in the UK²
• We currently offer dental implants at over 275³ of our practices across the UK
• All our dentists who fit implants have undergone further postgraduate training and are fully qualified to offer implant treatment
• We offer transparency throughout your treatment. There are no hidden fees

We recommend using a reputable UK dentist, such as a Bupa Dental Care implant dentist, for undergoing implant treatment. If you’re adamant on going away for treatment, these are the questions you should ask before committing to a treatment plan.

• What exactly does my treatment plan involve and how many appointments will I need?
• What brand of implants do you use?
• Are you regulated by or registered with a professional recognised body?
• Do you have insurance to cover the procedure?
• What happens if there’s a serious problem and follow-up work is required?
• Who will be doing my procedure and what qualifications do they have? Is there somewhere I can check their qualifications?
• Does the surgical team speak English? If not, is a translator provided?
• Can I see references from previous UK patients?
• How many times have you carried out the procedure?
• How often do your patients experience complications and infection?
• Do you offer a guarantee following the treatment?
• What aftercare do you provide?
• What happens if I’m unhappy with the results?
• If there are complications and I need further treatment, is this included in the initial cost?
• Who can I contact for advice after the treatment?
• Will you send details about the procedure to my dentist in the UK?