Dental tourism is booming again after the pandemic, with many Irish people choosing to travel abroad for treatment – mostly to Turkey.
earlier this year it was reported that dental clinics across Europe have noticed an increase in bookings from Irish customers since the lifting of Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Yesterday the Irish independent revealed huge differences in costs for people seeking dental work in Ireland – and the price difference can be even greater when traveling abroad.
Mary Flanagan, Kreativ Dental’s Irish representative in Budapest, wants to break the stigma that dental practices abroad are not of the same quality as in Ireland.
Ms Flanagan’s experience at Kreativ Dental was a success, she had her implants for 18 years and never had any problems with them. She now helps patients with travel, appointments, contacts with the clinic and aftercare.
“I love it because I’ve been to the clinic, I’ve done it, I trust them, I believe in them, and for people transitioning, I know I’m sending them to a good clinic,” she said.
But she believes an aftercare service in Ireland is an important factor to look into when traveling abroad for dental work, in the unfortunate event that something goes wrong.
“I think every dentist abroad should have an aftercare dentist in Ireland because if something goes wrong, it puts patients at ease that they don’t have to travel for a checkup,” she said.
Ms Flanagan believes that since the lifting of Covid restrictions, the demand for dental work abroad has increased.
“There’s a demand among people now going abroad to get their teeth done…in February or March of this year, the demand became huge, and I mean huge,” she said.
“The price plays a big part in why people go abroad, let’s face it, but to say I really believe Kreativ Dental wouldn’t last as long if the quality wasn’t right.”
Fintan Hourihan, the CEO of the Irish Dental Association, said people should consult their local dentist before going abroad.
“We think there are the highest standards of dental care here in Ireland but what we would say to the public is to make an appointment with their local dentist to find out exactly what they need rather than what they might think. they need,” he said.
“Secondly, the Dental Council has a website, dentalcouncil.ie, which has a very good document on choosing your dentist, be it here in Ireland or abroad.”
According to Mr Hourihan, the Irish Dental Association has not been informed of an increase in the number of people traveling for dental work and is concerned about some of the dental treatment people receive abroad.
“We are not aware of an increased interest in dental care abroad, although it is possible that this idea is being promoted by commercial interests seeking to generate business. Dental tourism, like medical tourism in general, is a fact of life in every developed country, and some people travel to Ireland for specialist dental work.
“The Irish Dental Association is concerned about the results many Irish people have experienced when they choose to travel to other countries for dental care and urges people to discuss their oral health with a dentist at home before making any decisions take over their dental care.
“We need to encourage people who travel abroad to focus on the quality of the work they receive and whether that work is really necessary, not just the price of that work.”
He wants to encourage people considering traveling abroad to consult the Dental Council’s booklet on choosing the right dentist.
“We would encourage those considering travel to review the very helpful guidelines from the Dental Council, the regulatory body charged with protecting patients receiving dental care,” he said.
“More than three in four Irish dentists had treated patients for problems arising from treatments they received abroad, according to a survey we conducted in 2009.
“Of the 440 dentists surveyed, 76pc said they had seen patients who had less expensive procedures abroad in the past 12 months. Problems included too much dental work done in too short a time frame, unnecessary work and poor equipment used by dentists abroad.”