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John Thompson took the chance to take a holiday in Budapest while there for his treatment |
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A Manchester-based patient who lives just yards from a dental surgery saved himself £8,000 by travelling to Hungary instead for treatment.
Father of three John Thompson decided to travel more than 2,000 miles to Budapest rather than have the work carried out at his local practice in Salford.
The 57-year-old chipped a tooth last April and opted to have implants. But he was put off by the £13,000 price at the Rocky Lane Dental Surgery and, after searching on the internet, discovered the work could be done at a Budapest practice for £5,000.
He told the Manchester Evening News: ‘I have nothing against the [Rocky Lane] dental surgery, they do a great job, but I couldn't believe the price. They told me they couldn't do the work and it would have to be referred out, but it was still a massive sum.
‘I was told it would be about £900 to replace the bridge and to re-do my teeth with implants would be about £13,000. There was no way I could afford that.’
But he was delighted with his decision to go abroad for treatment, adding: ‘Initially, I was very sceptical. You do hear horror stories about people going abroad, but nothing could be further from the truth in my experience.
‘The dentist I chose was eminently qualified, spoke excellent English and created a personal treatment plan for me. Including travel, the price came in at just over £5,000 – saving me £7,901.61. On top of that, I got two really enjoyable one-week holidays thrown in.
‘My wife is delighted with the outcome. She says that I have now got my smile back.’
Dr Ben Atkins, principal dentist at the Rocky Lane practice, said: ‘What people have to consider when thinking about having dental work done abroad is that it is a long way to go if anything goes wrong.
‘I also look after patients who require complex treatment outside of my practice work and I have come across a number of people who have had to come us after having surgery abroad and I have seen some disturbing sights.
‘The reason work in Britain costs more is because of general costs – staffing, rent, rates and materials are all things reflected in the price. There is also the legislation which surrounds dentistry and is there to keep standards high.
‘It is very difficult to ensure the standards abroad are comparable to those in Britain and that is the danger. If things go wrong, it can be a real problem.’ |
