What is dental tourism?
Ready for your annual vacation? Did you schedule your excursion? Your museum tours? Your porcelain veneers? Wait … what?
When you think of tourism, you probably think of tropical beaches or famous attractions in a foreign city. But some people plan their vacation around dental tourism.
Here's what you need to know about this unique way of traveling, including the why and where of dental tourism. And we'll provide ways to get lower-cost dental care.
Dental care can be expensive, even with insurance. Dental tourists spend less in another country, even with travel, lodging, meals, and incidentals added to the dental bill. The Washington Post article noted an 18 percent savings that included a dental procedure plus travel expenses. The Ontario Academy of General Dentistry reports that procedure savings alone can range from 40 to 75 percent.
With dental costs on the rise, a vast number of people across Europe and the USA are finding it difficult to afford proper dental care, especially when it comes to more complex procedures. This is the main reason people are turning to spending their holidays in destinations that offer them the same quality of dental services at lower price rates. There are different reasons why the prices in some countries are lower than the others, but in most of the popular dental tourism destinations it’s due to lower labor and real estate costs. Dentists in these countries can afford themselves to have lower prices than their colleagues in big centres of Europe and USA, while providing the same quality of dental work. Of course, this is not always the case.
How to do dental tourism?
So if you're considering a Spain dental trip, ReTSmile is for you. Find out what kinds of treatment are available and what you need to be aware of.
We will also give you an idea of approximate dental prices in Spain, but it's easy to get a free, personalised quotation for your work straight away. Just submit a few details here and our International Patient Coordinator will contact you with prices from our recommended dentists in Spain.
Once you know how much your treatment will cost you can make a more informed decision about your trip.
With the constantly rising costs of healthcare, many people from United Kingdom, United State of America, Canada, or other countries from Europe are making difficult decisions about their health, including sometimes forgoing routine preventive care as a way to save money. This includes dental care, which can result in patients requiring even more expensive and complicated emergency care down the road.
One way that these citizens are choosing to save money on costly dental treatments is by traveling abroad to have the work done for less. Medical and dental tourism — patients traveling to other countries for cheaper medical or dental care — has occurred throughout history, and today it’s as popular as ever.
An entire industry revolves around connecting patients with care in other countries. However, patients should consider several important questions before taking a trip to a foreign country for any kind of dental treatment: Do the cost savings outweigh the risks of entrusting a dentist in another country with their oral health? What research should they perform to find the right dentist? And, for dentists who hear patients expressing interest in dental tourism, what advice can they give to help ensure the best possible outcomes?
Is dental tourism safe?
Dentistry in Spain has a reputation for being of a high-quality. What’s more, you will probably find the cost of a visit much lower than in Northern Europe or the US.
To practise in Spain, dentists must hold a degree from a Spanish university or a diploma from a recognised EU country. It takes around five years at university to train as a dentist in Spain.
Once a dentist has completed their undergraduate education they may choose to specialise in a particular area of dentistry. Continuing education isn't mandatory, but it's a good idea to ask what courses your dentist has completed since graduating. The best dentists in Spain should show a commitment to ongoing education even if it isn't required.
Dentists in Spain must register with the Spanish Dental Association (Consejo General de Colegios de Odontólogos y Estomatólogos) in order to practise. They must also register with their local authority. Although this registration requires dentists to meet certain minimum standards, it doesn't involve any kind of ongoing formal regulation.
There are other organisations for different specialisations, for example, the Spanish Implantology Society or the Spanish Society of Prosthodontics. If you need specialist work such as implants, crowns, bridges, root canals or periodontal treatment, it could be worth checking if your dentist has voluntary membership with the relevant association.
Spanish dentists may also register with the General Dental Council (the governing body in the UK). This is optional and doesn't offer any guarantees, but may give you extra peace of mind about the dentist's commitment to meet certain standards.
Some dental clinics might be ISO certified as well. This is another good indication that the clinic meets certain quality standards, but it isn't mandatory.
There are many benefits of dental tourism, the first of those being the chance to get some complex dental procedures done at way lower price rates than in your own country. Another upside to the pricing system is its transparency - many clinics will give you the estimated cost of the treatment upfront. Dental clinics involved in dental tourism can often be more caring and attentive towards foreign customers and provide high quality services, using the best materials, since they want you to be satisfied and refer them to your friends back home. Also, there is no waiting - the clinics will adjust their schedules to your plans, so that you can take maximum advantage of the time spent in their country. And, of course, we shouldn’t forget about memorable tourist experience, getting in touch with local culture, visiting attractions and restaurants and other exciting activities that your destination offers.
What are porcelain veneers?
Porcelain veneers are thin porcelain prostheses ranging in thickness from 0.3mm to 1mm, which are glued to the anterior surface of the teeth.
In most cases they are used to correct stains, shape, position, fractures or wear. Thanks to this quick, simple and painless procedure, the aesthetics of the smile can be improved drastically in only five days.
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Color changes in teeth resistant to whitening.
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Corrects small alterations in the position of the teeth.
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Restores the anatomy of the tooth in fractures or malformations.
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Cover cracks in teeth that are aged or affected by bruxism.
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We carry out veneers of minimal or no carving.
How much are porcelain veneers?
The price is 420 euros per porcelain veneer.
The cost of porcelain veneers in The United Kingdom, France or Belgium ranges between 1000 €- 1200 € per tooth. If this is a daunting cost, then dental tourism to Spain is a good option as the price here is 420 € per tooth .
What are the best porcelain veneers?
There are many materials, we use lithium disilicate. The main advantages of this material are in the balance between physical and aesthetic properties that give strength, ease and aesthetic quality to treat this combination of elements. Its durability has been proven to be up to 3 times stronger than other materials used for the same purpose. They are digitally made veneers, which allows the initial smile project to be reproduced more precisely. It also allows characterizations for more natural looking.
Advantages
- Great biocompatibility.
- Very good fit to the gum.
- Unbeatable aesthetics, great translucency, which makes them ideal for veneers and crowns in the anterior sector
- Correct adhesion to the tooth
- Good resistance and durability.
- High resistance to wear and tear.
- Its characteristics are not altered over time, in terms of colour, brightness, etc.
Can porcelain veneers be reshaped?
Porcelain Veneers can be reshaped by our dentist, however the smooth surface is never going to have the glaze or the polish as the original, however with the propper technique you will feel them as if they were new ones.
Do porcelain veneers stain?
Veneers do not stain as easily as your natural tooth enamel; however, they can still become discolored over time. Surface stains can develop after prolonged exposure to highly pigmented drinks such as red wine and dark coffee. Other occurrences that can lead to discolored veneers are: Your Age.
However, using special polish pastes and dental brushes we can provide the bright and the initial appearance
What are porcelain veneers made of?
Porcelain veneers consist of a thin ceramic shell that is molded to fulfill a specific shape on the front side of a tooth.
What porcelain veneers are made of is a very common question among first-time patients. The material itself is typically a porcelain and at ReTSmile our veneers are made from Lithium disilicate (e.max® )
Lithium disilicate is an advanced glass ceramic produced using a constantly optimized process to prevent the formation of defects (eg, pores, pigments). Pressable lithium disilicate (IPS e.max® Press, Ivoclar Vivadent Inc.) owes its esthetic characteristics in part to polyvalent ions that dissolve in the glass and provide the desired color. These color-releasing ions are distributed homogeneously to prevent pigment imperfections. Machinable lithium disilicate CAD/CAM (IPS e.max® CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent Inc.) blocks are colored using coloring ions, but achieve their desired shade and opacity during the post-milling firing process.
Porcelain veneers made from lithium disilicate are a great cosmetic dentistry option if your teeth are discolored, worn down, chipped, misaligned, uneven or gapped. The solutions that veneers routinely provide have made veneers one of the most recognizable and popular treatment procedures in cosmetic dentistry.
Can you remove porcelain veneers?
With adequate care, veneers can last for more than a decade, but circumstances such as injury and oral health issues can create the need to replace veneers. To answer the question, dental veneers are removable and replaceable
How much do porcelain veneers cost per tooth?
The price is 420 euros per porcelain veneer.
The cost of porcelain veneers in The United Kingdom, France or Belgium ranges between 1000 €- 1200 € per tooth. If this is a daunting cost, then dental tourism to Spain is a good option as the price here is 420 € per tooth .