Is it Safe Having Dental Work Done Abroad?

In recent years, the number of patients travelling abroad to have cosmetic dental procedures performed has risen dramatically. This is often because of lower treatment costs, but is it as safe as having the same treatment in the UK and are the results the same? Here at The Door W4, we believe the best decision you can make when it comes to any procedure is an informed one, so we’re going to be sharing some of the key differences when it comes to having dental procedures performed in the UK vs abroad.

Benefits of UK Procedures

1. Easily Resolved Issues

Any procedure comes with the possibility of risks and complications. On the off chance you do experience complications with a procedure performed by a UK dentist, it’s easy for you to pop back into the dentist who performed your original procedure to resolve them. Many dentists won’t make revisions to work performed by another dentist simply because they don’t know the specifics of the original procedure. If your procedure was performed abroad and you experience complications, you might find it more challenging finding a dentist in the UK who will help rectify the issues you’re experiencing.

2. No Time Limit

When you have a procedure performed in the UK, you have plenty of time to revise your plans, change your mind, have another consultation or whatever you need to tweak to feel completely confident in your plans. Often, when patients go abroad for a procedure they’re only away for a week or two, which can sometimes put unconscious pressure on going ahead with a procedure you might not be completely comfortable with or you might not have had a chance to ask all of the questions you’d want to ask.

3. Plenty of Preparation Time

Some procedures require you to prepare your mouth in the months leading up to it to ensure the best possible results. In the UK, you have the chance to meet with your dentist months before your procedure so they can help guide you on best practises in the lead up to the big day. Often when having a procedure done abroad, you don’t get to meet with your dentist until you’re there, which is a day or two before, and sometimes even on the day of, your procedure. This sometimes mean the appropriate preparation for your procedure hasn’t had a chance to be performed, leading to less than optimal results and recovery periods.

Dangers of Procedures Abroad

1. Time Limit

When having dental work done abroad, you typically have a timeframe that the work has to be performed in (the length of time you’ve booked your stay for). What can happen is that your procedure is rushed so that all steps of your procedure can be completed before your flight home. Rushed work can often lead to complications as sometimes corners are cut in order to complete the work more quickly.

2. Cap on Healing Time

With any procedure, there’s going to be a healing period which can lasts from weeks to months depending on the procedure and the individual. In the UK, you can have regular checkups in the time following your procedure to ensure everything is healing as it should and to give you advice to ensure your healing process continues to be as smooth as possible. When you’re only abroad for a week or two, it’s impossible for the healing process to be as thorough which can increase the risk of infections and other complications.

3. Less Rigorous Regulation Bodies

The UK has the GDC (General Dental Council) - a regulatory body who work to ensure all dentists are qualified and working at the standard they should be. Every dentist has to have their 5 year degree in dentistry approved by the GDC to be a working dentist. Many dental practises, especially ones offering ‘quick fix’ substantially cheaper procedures abroad aren’t held to the same regulatory standard and so can get away with much less safer practises, putting you and your teeth at risk.

4. Non-Natural Results

We’ve all heard of ‘turkey teeth’, often when work is performed abroad, how natural your teeth end up looking isn’t considered. Many UK dentists will advise against whitening teeth to extreme levels or creating veneers that look ‘too perfect’, because the overall finished look tends not to be one that is natural-looking. Often when performed abroad, this factor is overlooked because time is of the essence and the job just needs to get finished.

Dental tourism continues to rise despite more and more people sharing the complications they experienced online, so, is it safe to get your teeth done abroad? While it’s not a simple yes or no answer, we can assure you that it is safe to get your teeth done in the UK. It can be tempting to opt for the cheap veneers or cheap cosmetic dental procedures you see online, especially when coupled with the idea of a sunny holiday, but you can often end up paying more to rectify a bad job or worse, end up with pain, sensitivity or even tooth lost for the rest of your life.