Dental implants abroad - is it cheaper?

Here at the Cosmetic Dentistry Guide, we continually analyse information and questions from our visitors and try to develop and provide articles to answer these questions to benefit our visitors. Dental tourism is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, whereby patients combine a dental treatment with a holiday and still save money. Popular destinations for dental implant treatment abroad include Budapest in Hungary, India, Spain and Croatia. Dental tourism is certainly popular for more expensive treatments such as dental implants. The top 5 most common questions about implant dentistry abroad that we receive are:

  • Why are dental implants cheaper abroad?
  • Can you recommend a clinic abroad for dental implants?
  • What is the cost of dental implants abroad?
  • Where is the cheapest place to get dental implants?
  • Is it safe to have dental implants abroad?

Price seems to be a motivating factor in going abroad for implant dentistry abroad; however, it is important that you are aware of negatives of having implant dentistry abroad.

After care – once you have had your implant treatment, for follow up aftercare appointments, would you need to take time off work book a flight and a hotel to see your dentist again?

If something goes wrong – dental implants do fail – this is fact whether you have treatment in the UK or abroad. A good implant surgeon will have a 90%-95% success rate. If you have implant treatment in the UK and it fails, booking an appointment and getting to see your dentist is more convenient and certainly more cost effective than taking time off work, booking a flight and accommodation.

Regulations – although regulations in different countries may be strict regarding dentistry abroad, we cannot be sure if they are to the same standards as those set out by the General Dental Council in the UK.

Continuity of care and familiarity – in the UK, you know where your dentist is and you will see the same dentist for all your appointments, whereas abroad, you may not see the same dentist every time and you will not be familiar with the systems.

Having said all of the above, hundreds of people travel abroad for cheaper dental implant treatment every year and are very happy with the treatment, service and standard of care that they receive.

How can foreign clinics afford to offer cheaper dental implants?

When considering the cost of implant treatment, you should be made aware of the different costs involved.

  1. The type and quality of dental implants used – cheaper implants will bring the price of your treatment down.
  2. Salary of dentists – the costs of living and salary of dentists abroad is considerably less than in the UK.
  3. The costs of running a dental practice and hence overheads tend to be cheaper abroad, due to lower staff wages, lower costs of rent and materials.

Related Articles:

Insurance for dental Implants
Cost of Dental Implants