People who considered dental implants abroad, how did you decide if it was worth it?

Posted by CelineGauthier@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 17 comments

I’ve been researching dental implants abroad and noticed that most information online focuses heavily on price or best clinics.

But it feels like the real decision is more complicated than just comparing UK prices with Turkey, Hungary, Poland, Spain, etc.

Things I’m curious about:

how many visits were actually needed
whether you got a treatment plan from a UK dentist first
what happened with aftercare once you came back home
how you compared quotes when clinics included different things
whether bone grafting, sinus lifts, temporary teeth, or final crowns changed the cost
how you decided whether the savings were worth the travel and risk

For people who seriously considered dental implants abroad, or already went through with it, what was the hardest part of the decision?

And looking back, what do you wish you had understood earlier?

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terryjuicelawson@reddit

Unless you have teeth like Shane McGowan, I think people should question if they need these things at all. They almost always look ridiculous.

JustmeandJas@reddit

I’m looking to get mine done as I find it hard to chew on one side of my mouth and the dentist is refusing to recrown or take the failed-crown-tooth out

MoleWhackSupreme@reddit

You’re thinking of veneers. Maybe try knowing what you’re talking about before making disparaging comments lmao

Zealousideal-Habit82@reddit

Did you see Shane after he had his teeth done? He looked a new person.

Not everyone gets implants done that look like they've just run their face through an entire box of Daz. A good dentist will advise the patient on how to have the implants designed in a way that they complement the rest of their remaining teeth IMO.

edent@reddit

I had the option and I chose the UK.

It was a course of 3 treatments - 1 to remove the old ones, 2 to put in the implants, then 3rd to attach the crowns. Each several months apart to let them heal and to make sure there were no problems.

Then a few follow up visits to make sure they were doing OK.

Taking multiple flights would have been expensive and my local dentist is only a bus ride away if anything went wrong. I also know that he's registered, carries UK insurance, etc.

Having it all done at once (smile in a day) seemed quite risky when I checked. You'll also find that NHS dentists won't work on teeth which have been installed badly from outside the country.

So it was a bit more expensive (but not massively). I got to sleep in my own bed after each procedure. I had full confidence that it was being done to UK standards.

CelineGauthier@reddit (OP)

Makes completely sense

Banana-sandwich@reddit

Have you had an initial consultation and CT scan with a UK dentist? The initial assessment will give you a rough idea of how straightforward your case is in terms of bone graft requirements. There are other factors that increase risk of complications like smoking and medications. Also sometimes implants just fail for no obvious reason. With more dentists now training in implants prices can be more competitive but it's still pricey due to cost of materials.

Thanks a lot

Winter-Childhood5914@reddit

Is there a reason you need this vs just braces in the UK + composite bonding? Pretty rare to actually need crowns unless something has seriously gone wrong with your teeth.

Say this as it’s extremely destructive and irreversible. If you haven’t got a medical need just get braces and then once your teeth are straight go for composite bonding to make them look amazing.

Isgortio@reddit

I've seen x-rays of implants placed in those countries, I've seen the crowns and bridges placed too... No one in the UK wants to touch it, so if you have any issues you have to go back to the person that fitted them. It's cheaper to go abroad, yes, but the chances of getting the best treatment are quite low.

They may also use a brand of implant that isn't used here in the UK, so if you did find anyone willing to touch them then they probably won't have the correct tools (they all have proprietary screwdrivers, and they're brand specific and bloody expensive to buy so dentists don't have them all to hand).

Western-Proposal-784@reddit

Do not do it. A lot of dentists have a policy that if you’ve had work done in places like Turkey, they won’t touch any issues that arise once you’re back in the UK. They don’t want the liability.

Mediocre-Spell-6090@reddit

They're not bad..there's good and bad providers everywhere including UK. People in the UK think everywhere else people get horrible medical care. Never understood that. As if people in Turkey and Hungary die every day because of shoddy healthcare. Dentists here won't touch you with a long pole after you get treatments abroad. But that's just business. It'd still be cheaper to go back abroad to get your check ups.

Research your provider, look at all reviews and choose a well reviewed dentist. You'll be fine. UK is not the end all and be all of healthcare. Especially when most dentists and doctors in UK are foreign trained. In most places, medical ethics is the same, don't harm a patient.

Guilty-Vermicelli320@reddit

UK dentists will probably offer warranties on the implants

AV1052@reddit

Not had my teeth done but I have a dentist family member. Please spend the extra money to get your teeth done in the UK, if you insist on doing it. That way, if things go wrong, another UK dentist will be more likely to be able to fix it. She's seen implants from other countries use implants that are 20 years old, so it's much more difficult to fix any problems than if newer ones were used (ie in the UK)

Thank you for your feedback

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