Going abroad to Turkey as well as other areas of Europe has seen a surge in more recent times. More and more people from the UK have resorted to going to Turkey, Bulgaria and other areas of Europe to have their teeth operated on. Though this can look a great move financially, there are the horror stories that can also follow on from this too.
This article is not to say the dentists are bad, however it is more a case of “what if” things do begin to go wrong? It is to make you fully aware of what to expect and what risks are involved. You may know how to raise concerns in the UK but are you familiar with the process in a foreign country?
There are enough good dentists in the UK
There are no end of excellent private dentists all over the UK. Turkey is thousands of miles away and when anything goes wrong it won’t as such be a case of getting in the car and popping round the corner. Also, there are endless horror stories of dental works being undertaken in Turkey and then the dentist in question goes out of business leaving the patient with no one to turn back to and follow up with when things go wrong.
The other issue in going all that way for this work is who are you really hiring? Naturally, every dentist will tell you they are the best. This is marketing after all. You can never really know how good a dentist will really be or how credible their reviews are in another country.
Then there are the regulations and standards of practice as well as codes of practice. Every country is different after all. You can never be sure what rules, regulations and training a dentist will have been through in another country and how they will be able to work on previous dental works done to date in the UK. This is also why you should maybe think again if you may be tempted by the cheaper prices overseas. The saying goes, “buy cheap buy twice”. Unfortunately, with teeth once they have been damaged, the option to redo is less manageable which is why it is always best to get it right the first time and start with a conservative approach.
Overall
Overall, many dentists practising abroad are educated and trained to international standards. This means they are just as competent as dentists in home. You can never be too sure though. This is why it may be better, safer and easier to pay more and save in the long run rather than save now and pay a hefty price later on.