Dentist
 

Has anyone went to Thailand for dental work ? . I need some major work done ie ...( dental implants ) and have found it to be far to expensive in Oz . Would love to hear of anyone's experience with Dental tourism .

Thanks

Re: Dentist
 

I would be very careful - you get what you pay for and when it comes to your health you don't want to take any risks. Dental implants are very very invasive and take a number of repeat visits - successful ones are reliant on expert knowledge and experience. Why is it cheaper in Thailand, I would ask myself? You will have to go a number of times so would that really make it cheaper - have you built in the cost of accommodation and repeat flights? I think I had at least 3 visits for each of my implants - and those visits are months apart. If they try and do it all in one visit then its not being done properly.

As you probably know, its not the same has having a filling. If implants arent done properly it can involve all sorts of things like having to remove bone from other parts of your body and transferring to your jaw. I'm not a medic but I do know that you want to make sure that you go somewhere that you trust.

I sound like a doom merchant but just would not want to see someone end up in trouble. Good luck.

Re: Dentist
 

No your not a doom merchant I am a dental technician & you give very sound & acurate advise.

Re: Dentist
 

It's along the same lines as the plastic surgery tourism to Thailand. While it may be cheap you get what you pay for. Going to a foreign country with somewhat dubious hygeine standards for an invasive procedure IMO isn't the most wise decision you'll make this year.

Re: Dentist
 

I have been quoted $7120 for 3 crowns in OZ, that includes all the prep work etc. I dont think I would be game to go to thailand, however my bro in UK sees a private dentist and is being charged 450GBP for crowns.

Singapore dental work is also very reasonable compared to OZ and the standards very high. I have also looked into this.

It depends on your travel plans, for me as the UK is the place I go to most getting fitted in with a UK private dentist is probably going to be my solution and a fraction of the oz cost.

Re: Dentist
 

On the NHS it will cost you £198, regardless of how many! This applies to England and Wales only.

Re: Dentist
 

Thanks everyone !. I have thought about going back to the UK but its not ideal as i would have to spend most of my time catching up with friends and family !. I don't think its much cheaper for implants there anyway . Am thinking i may have the implants done in Oz and then go abroad for veneers ?????. Decisions , decisions . Arrrrrrrrragh ! . xxx

Re: Dentist
 

Would you wear nhs glasses full time ???? Your teeth appearance are far more important than glasses & with teeth you dont take them off.You pay for Quality & with teeth you dont mess around.

Re: Dentist
 

Wonder if anyone has had thier teeth done in ANY other country and what the cost is?

I would love my teeth sorted, but the expense here is just too much for me.

Re: Dentist
 

I recently had 2 dental implants and agree that it is a complex process. I'm sure the dental standards in Thailand are very high but I doubt that implants could be done properly in one visit

Re: Dentist
 

They do dental implants on the NHS?
That's news to me

Re: Dentist
 

I really doubt that a UK private dentist would be radically cheaper for dental implants compared to Australia

Re: Dentist
 

No , the dentists i have contacted in Thailand have told me i would probably need 2 visits . It is still much cheaper . I have been doing research into dental tourism and have found many good reports on Thailand . I would not want to walk around with NHS glasses on everyday and i know how important your teeth are but $40, 000 + is more money than i have to spend on my teeth . I also would not assume that all dentists in thailand are not well qualified however i would also not jump feet first with something so important and it is good to hear other peoples opinions .

Re: Dentist
 

Can i ask those of you who have had implants how they found the process and if they have been happy with the result ?. :o

Re: Dentist
 

I'm very happy with the result. It was a long process for me as I had to have a bone graft in my jaw - which was f**king sore. They look completely normal and there is zero discomfort. They are an expensive option but HBF covered about a quarter of the cost and even Medicare chipped in for part of the bone graft costs

Re: Dentist
 

The job as proof reader fell through then?

Re: Dentist
 

I'm part way through a dental implant - I have the titanium implant but not the tooth yet. You have to wait for the bone to regrow around the implant before the tooth can be attached. My implant is being guaranteed for 30 years but I have to have it checked annually to comply. Cost is just short of $6K before Medibank makes a contribution. It's not something to undertake without easily available support, IMHO.

Re: Dentist
 

Just remember it is the dental technician who does 85% of the work & gets paid about 10% of the over all cost.

Re: Dentist
 

Then why doesn't this technician retrain as a dentist?

Re: Dentist
 

Ouch...my crowns in oz totalled $1150 each. I guess that's around 520 quid on a cost of living basis.

Re: Dentist
 

Tough titty. Go back to school and become a dentist.

Re: Dentist
 

I did forget to say it still leaves me with a £76,000 take home pay after tax so you see what the dentist gets.

Re: Dentist
 

Wish my wife who is a dental technician (though currently on a break from that) would get that much! She used to work in the Newbury area last time we lived in the UK.

Re: Dentist
 

Whats her name ? I used to work for broughton & tyrell. I have now stared up my own Lab for the last 9 years.

Re: Dentist
 

Yes, I had 16 crowns done in Singapore (that's not a typo, I do mean sixteen) when I lived there. They cost me under A$6k in total, done by a UK-trained dentist. They're fab. (They'd cost more these days though, am sure.)

I'll be seeing him next week when I stop over :) No hygiene worries in Singapore, and he's also an implant specialist so let me know if you want his details.

Re: Dentist
 

I would love his details . x

Re: Dentist
 

She worked for Precision in Thatcham - although being Australian, most of her experience has been with Qld Health when she lived up there.

Re: Dentist
 

Dentists fees seem to vary a lot too depending upon where you are. I used to go to a surgeon in Sydney when I was working down there ( because it was close to work ) but then found up here on the coast it's way cheaper. It might be worth contacting a surgery in a nearby smaller town / suberb and compare prices.

I also worked with a bloke who needed lots of work doing, and was quoted $5000 after the initial consultation . He offered the dentist $4000 cash, and he agreed - so there's no harm in asking. :fingerscrossed:

Re: Dentist
 

Funny enough was gonna mention singapore as my friend here is from there and told me she would make an appointment there with her dentist for me:huh:

Re: Dentist
 

There are tons of good dentists in Singapore - much as there will be in most other asian countries I'd say, including Thailand. Bangkok has some world-class hospitals and dental facilities. A lot of the surgeons will be western-trained.

The issue to me is, if you need major work doing, are you prepared to stay for an extended period or make multiple trips there, and what happens if something goes wrong and you need emergency treatment? (I've made the same point on cosmetic surgery threads, especially having been through that myself in good old England.)

I can give you several names of Singapore-based dentists that my friends use for routine work, root canal work, wisdom teeth, etc. Most of them are in "local" surgeries, not the expatty ones where they charge you a fortune because they know your company provides insurance.

I go to mine because he was my routine dentist when I was there, then did my major cosmetic work, and I trust him and his lovely staff to look after me. I always stop over on the way back from the UK so it doesn't cost me a flight but, if I needed more major work, it would be worth paying. Koala Kim goes to him too, at my recommendation. drstevenang.com

(And on a whole other topic, I'm getting my eyes checked out there next week too. I have a slight bleed in the back of one eye and my friend's dad is an eye surgeon, so I'm getting a second opinion :) )

Re: Dentist
 

She must of known Des Kelly he is doing realy well his lab has such a brilliant reputation.

Re: Dentist
 

Long time it has been since we were on the same thread how are you.

Re: Dentist
 

I'm fine thanks, sweetheart - about to leave Swindon for the second part of my exotic annual holiday so it's about to get better. Or maybe not, as the second part is Redcar :D Ah well, sun is shining.