A Kensington mum travelled to Belgium SEVEN TIMES to fix her pearly whites after being quoted £18,000 at her usual London practice.
Thairah Shaker, 54, travelled to Belgium via Eurostar to get braces put on, three implants and several crowns put in saving more than £8,000 in the process.
She told South West Londoner that she decided to seek out treatment abroad after finding that every dentist she visited in the UK quoted her astronomical sums.
She said: “I was keen to get the work done to fix my smile, but I wasn’t willing to spend that much.
“I’ve got a daughter who is trying to get on the property ladder and I’d much rather use that money to help her.”
After finding a dentist in Brussels who quoted her half the price for the same treatment, Mrs Shaker began having work done, visiting Brussels on seven occasions over eight months.
SHOW ME YOUR TEETH! The braces fitted on Mrs Shaker’s teeth
Engineer Mrs Shaker said: “I’m thrilled with the outcome – even with the cost of taking the Eurostar every few weeks, I saved over £8,000.
“It may not be for everyone, but I’d recommend people explore the option before making a decision at least.”
But Mrs Shaker’s not alone. Dental implants in some parts of London are an eye-watering £2,000 per tooth, veneers cost from £800 per tooth, crowns at £895 and lingual braces from £6,000.
Maintaining those pearly whites may soon become a reality few can afford and it’s no wonder more and more people are travelling to Europe in search of the perfect smile.
SAY AHHH: Mrs Shaker’s pearly whites post-treatment
So why do UK dentists charge more than their European counterparts?
Keith Pollard, chief executive of health care publisher Intuition seemed at a loss as to explain it.
He said: “We have the most expensive dentists in Europe – ask the dental profession why that is and you won’t get an answer.”
However, Peter Hodgkinson of the British Dental Association goes some way towards a reasonable explanation.
He said: “Demographics are changing. We have an ageing population, many of whom already have a mouthful of metal, which will need more work as they get older, but the NHS pot available for looking after them is very limited.”
Shopping around is even harder to do. It’s nigh on impossible to get a quote unless you have a consultation and assessment, often costing upwards of £80 each, thus wiping out any savings you may make by choosing a cheaper dentist.
DATE WITH THE DENTIST’S CHAIR: Some are going abroad to avoid sky-high costs (© Herry Lawford)
As a result, more and more people are deciding to go abroad for their treatment, in the hope of achieving a Hollywood smile for a fraction of the cost.
Consumer group Which? launched a campaign this year to ‘Clean up Dental Costs’.
The aim was to reduce how much people pay for treatment by ensuring dentists are upfront about their charges and provide patients with clear information about what treatment they can and cannot receive on the NHS.
Their research revealed one in five patients had been overcharged for dental treatment and 31% have been put off having treatment due to the costs.
Around 26% of people are unsure how private and NHS treatments differ, with 40% completely unaware that the NHS should provide all clinically necessary dental treatment.
Richard Lloyd, Which? Executive director said: “A visit to the dentist is an essential health check for millions of people across the country.”
“We are calling on the NHS and the regulators to clean up dental costs and make sure the existing rules are put into practice consistently.”
But NHS dentists do still have something to smile about after Mick Armstrong, Chair of the British Dental Association, came out in their defence.
He said: Whilst this Which? survey paints a mixed picture, evidence continues to show that the public consistently value their visits to the dentist.”
