We are all ware of the increase in popularity of dental tourism. More and more people are going abroad for cosmetic surgery and for dental treatment because of the lower costs of treatment.  I am sure there are plenty of skilled dentists and doctors abroad, but what happens if something goes wrong?

A recent report from the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) advises against having medical treatments abroad. A Survey carried out by The BDHF showed that 1 in 5 medical tourists had problems after treatment abroad. It also revealed that more than 25 % of the patients felt they did not get the after care required and 18% of patients had complications. Overall only 57% were happy with the treatment.

It is important to understand that implant surgery is a complex surgery and requires regular maintanance and if this is not done, the implants are more likely to fail.

We see new patients that have been abroad for treatment and have had problems and they come to us for reparative work. We recently had a patient from Derby who had been to an Easter European country and was suffering from complications due to the implant surgery.

So my advise is search for an experienced surgeon and don’t choose the dentist/doctor just on the basis of low cost. It is important to find out about the surgeon , their  postgraduate qualifications and experience, do not choose someone just because they offer cheap treatment. People shop for a cheap implant dental surgeon but would they shop for a cheaper heart surgeon?

Raha