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Hungary looks like the latest hot spot for Europeans after bargain dental surgery, with over 25,000 Brits alone anticipated to land in Budapest this year. With many treatments such as implants unavailable on national health and with private dental work being incredibly expensive, western Europeans are increasingly turning to their Eastern European neighbours for dental work. In London, a couple of fillings and a crown will set you back about $1,500 (£750); Head over to Budapest and with cheap flights and car rental included, the total can be more than halved – to about $700 (£350).
And it’s not just the Brits. Austrians and Germans have been medical dental tourists for years – in fact, it is estimated that one on three Austrians uses a Hungarian dentist. Tiny villages all along the border feature state of the art dental surgeries. It’s not that the Austrians don’t have good dentists, it’s just that Hungary has an excellent pedigree when it comes to dentistry. They were the first country to establish a dental university and they are still reknowned for having some of the top dental surgeons in Europe.
Meanwhile, the biggest dental clinic in Budapest will be opening it’s doors next month featuring an impressive six floors of specially designed glass and steel with six surgeries, a specialist training centre, a laboratory, digital x-ray machines and a rooftop cafe.
But is it safe? As with most overseas surgery, it’s important to make sure that all potential risks are known prior to travel, and to be aware that there may be hidden costs. Continuing care is the major problem – sometimes, it can take a few days for a problem to manifest itself, by which time, the patient is back home in their own country. Most countries have some medical affiliation that they must be a part of, for example, Hungarian dentists must be registered with the Hungarian Medical Chamber. It is imperative the surgeon you choose has the appropriate qualifications.
Aftercare should also be a top priority. Reputable firms should guarantee to deal with any problems you have promptly without you incurring any further costs – including the price of flights and accommodation should you need to return to the surgeon for further work. Treatment records (such as x-rays) should be available so that you can pass them on to your local dentist, or so you can hold onto them in case you need more work in the future.
3 Comments
Great read thanks for sharing, very informative.
Medical Tourism, as one of the fastest growing businesses of the 21st century
It has been reported,last year more than 150 000 patients decided to travel for more affordable treatment. Investors see medical travel sector as a lucrative business opportunity and for bigger market share and profit the quality often suffers.
It has been reported, there are at least 28 countries in four continents servicing international medical travellers from Europe, The United Sates of America and Canada. Last year more than 150 000 patients decided to travel for more affordable treatment (Josef Woodman: Patients Beyond Borders). Investors see it as a lucrative business opportunity and for bigger market share and profit the quality often suffers.
A simple internet search brings up millions of Web sites in seconds that promote the cost-savings of having medical procedures performed overseas. Online providers publicize medical vacations, consisting of airfare, hotel accommodations, excursions, and medical care at fractions of the cost of the same care in the United Kingdom or the United States and new companies and websites born every day to attract the attention of the medical tourist, using first class web design and image technology. Unfortunately, most of those companies are not even registered and not quality but quantity orientated.
Los Angeles Times published the case of California (USA) resident Edson Martinez, who visited Tijuana, Mexico, for wisdom-tooth extractions. The procedure was performed with pliers for $50. Three weeks after his return to the United States, Martinez found that the Tijuana dentist had extracted only part of each tooth, and he had to spend $1,000 to complete the work (panama-guide.com).
Mr Christopher Hall- the Managing Director of Hungarian Dental Travel- comments: „When choosing a medical provider abroad, I would recommend to consider an agency, who works with several well-vetted medical providers in abroad. Also, make sure the agency is a properly registered company and possibly have offices or agents in your home country. It is not a guarantee, but reassurance that they know your culture and expectations on a professional level and they are ready to serve it. Most of the new agencies are not properly registered and working from home, therefore if there is a problem they can easily escape from the responsibilities. Medical travel definitely can be a very positive choice and some of the treatments can be also tax deductible.”
Great blog! Thanks. It’s our health…we cannot be too careful with it comes to any type of procedure(s). As patients or prospective patiens we have to do our homework!
I recently had lasik surgery done. One of the challenges I had was not having the time to sort through all the properganda on the Internet, magazibes, etc. A friend told me about a website to go to for help. She had an augmentation done a year ago and used them with great success
They are based in San Diego however from whatI understand they can help anyone in the United States (I am not sure about other countries). What I liked the most was that my profile remained anynomyous until I was ready to decide what to do. I received replies from four surgeons that met all the things I was looking for. I liked having that complete control without the sales pressure that some of these places can be known for. Check them out.