Simon Purchall, Founding Director of Smile Savers Hungary Ltd, gives us an insight into the things to watch out for when picking a good dentist abroad.
'With the rise of dental tourism and with so many dentists abroad offering their services on the internet these days we thought it would be a nice idea to share with you some of the tips and tricks we've collected during our 4 year history of pre-vetting, recommending and working with high quality dental clinics in Budapest. I hope you find this information useful and hopefully you can avoid some of the more common pitfalls when selecting a suitable dentist abroad.'
10. Giving it Away
In the UK and elsewhere dental patients are usually asked to pay for absolutely everything right down to the mouth wash. In today's competitive dental tourism market there's a lot to be got for free. Typically we would expect to see free consultations, x-rays (including panoramic x-rays), airport transfers and transfers to and from all your appointments, oral-sedation, impression taking, antibiotics, pain killers where necessary and of course the complimentary mouth wash. The list could go on but be wary of too many discounts and freebies if the basics don't add up.
9. Was That Really You on TV?
Probably the most abused of all the methods used to woo a potential client. Over the years we have quietly plugged away at our job with the goal of bringing the best for less to UK clients. Along the way we have attracted some great press attention both in print and TV which we're very proud of so it bugs us a just a little bit when we see clinics listing other companies' press cuttings as examples of their own achievements.
Always check any reference to press coverage for a specific mention of the clinic in question. If the link is broken or doesn't go anywhere it's probably for a reason.
8. Letters of Praise
A good clinic will have happy clients willing to share their experiences. It's sometimes a leap of faith that gets someone in a foreign dentists chair and when the experience turns out to be way above their expectations the letters come flooding in. Often a clinic's websites will publish client's letters and emails as proof of their excellent service. But look closer. Are they showing the entire letter or just conveniently edited highlights? We've certainly seen lots of takes on this; even obviously made up testimonials. Thankfully we have the English language on our side as genuine English is particularly hard to forge and relatively easy to spot. If in doubt ask to see case studies and if you're still in doubt ask for some reference telephone numbers of people who they have treated from your area.
7. Location, Location, Location
If you're thinking of travelling to a new city for dental treatment always check exactly where the clinic is in relation to the city centre. So many clinics skirt over the fact that they are in fact many miles away from where you might want to be staying (one dental clinic we inspected and rejected was a 3 hour drive from the airport!).
Personally I'd rather spend my time taking in the sights of a new city, not be stuck in traffic for hours between appointments or looking round the dead streets of a distant suburb where the hotel is 'conveniently located'.
6. The Price is Right?
The most important part for many people is understandably price and today's highly competitive market of dental tourism has a huge drive to keep prices as low as possible. A word of advice here: you should try as much as is possible to satisfy as many of the criteria listed below before looking at price. For more involved procedures it may be worth avoiding temptingly low offers from clinics that score low on experience and qualifications.
Also, keep an eye out for any hidden extras. For example: with dental implants there is the price for the implant and the price for the crown but lesser known is the cost of uncovering the implant, fitting healing screws and the abutments which support the final crown. Ask exactly what is included in the price.
Welcome to our site. In the pages that follow you'll find most of the information you need to help you make the right choice about travelling abroad for dental treatment. At Smile Savers Hungary we have limited our area of specialization to the one place that stands heads above the rest for dentistry,
Budapest in Hungary. In the pages that follow you can find out why that is, all about the clinics, essential information on dental
treatments including
dental implants,
dental crowns,
dental veneers for
Hollywood smiles and even a
free smile design service. You can find the
flight that's right for you, get useful tips on things to
see and places to
eat in Budapest, find out about our
services in detail, including
guarantees and
prices, have answered some frequently asked
questions or send us an email to answer some not so frequently asked questions. You can discover exactly what our
clients and the
press are saying about us & our recommended
clinics and check out the
latest news from Budapest (if it's in anyway connected to dentistry!). We also have some great deals and, from time to time, some tempting special offers. So take your time and look around, there's something for everyone.
We've Come a Long Way
Since our conception we have guided an ever increasing
number of clients each year, many through recommendation, along the very
rewarding process of obtaining the very best that Budapest has to offer.
First class clinics, top notch service and second to none support & after
care exactly where needed. We've grown in a rapidly expanding market
and to a greater extent played a dominant role in that expansion.
We have always strived to set ourselves apart from the increasing number
of sole-trader clinics offering their services in Budapest by representing
not just the clinics but also, and most importantly to us, the interests
of our clients, you.
In the UK dental costs can often be prohibitively high - people are sometimes only able to afford the most basic of treatements, more like a patch up than a fix - the old drill-and-fill mentality looms large. At Smile Savers Hungary we have a solution. We have researched our subject well and have many extremely satisfied clients as proof of our achievements which has been to bring you the best dentists that Budapest can offer. Check out our prices here or by entering our main Flash web site.
Of course price is not everything and there are limits
as to how low we and our clinics are prepared to go. The main stopping point is quality.
Even though our dentists have done everything to keep your costs to a minimum
in order to remain competitive, their standards are high and in no way
will their professionalism allow them to drop their levels of service
and quality. All our dentists have long standing reputations to maintain
both in Hungary and abroad and this is the main reason that quality will
never be sacrificed.
Hungary is also a world leader in dentistry. No one
else has so many dentists per capita. Hungarians have been benefiting for
years from a system that produces some of the best creative and scientific
minds in the world. Your search for Top 10 Tips On Finding Good Dentists Abroad somehow
brought you here but I'm sure now you've found us you'll be glad you did.
We have lots of information on Hungary and Budapest and of course on our
favourite subject - dental treatments in Budapest.
World Leaders
Hungary is in sharp to contrast to most European countries
in that it has a hugely competitive army of highly trained dental professionals
fighting for a relatively small home market. Competition has been stoked
further by waves of foreign clients initially crossing the immediate borders
from Austria and Germany in search of a better deal. Now, with the recent
entry of Hungary into the EU, it's marketplace has expanded and competition
has grown even more fierce producing some of the best clinics Budapest has ever
seen. Prices have remained constant and in some cases fallen whilst quality
and levels of service have risen sharply.
Hungary and specifically Budapest is now a world leader in dentistry. No
one else has so many highly trained and experienced dentists per capita.
Smile Savers Hungary
Unrivalled Service
At Smile Savers Hungary we will go out of our way to
find you a dentist to suit your situation from our meticulously hand picked
selection of world class clinics. On top of that we can help you find cheap
flights, offer discounted hotels and apartments near to your clinic, look
after you whilst in Hungary to make your stay as pleasant as possible and
provide unrivalled after-care once you get back. All backed by guarantees
enforced by tailor made contracts drawn up between us and our recommended
clinics.
Taking the Next Steps
If you like what you see here and are interested in using
our services to get top quality low-cost dental treatment in Budapest then
take a look at our Budapest clinic. We have negotiated the best price and work hard to ensure your needs are met no
matter how complex. To book a London consultation call 0800 0470 842 or if that isn't suitable for you, as a special service, where relevant and at no extra cost,
you can send us your panoramic x-rays or digital photos and we can get you,
direct from the specialists in Budapest, a close to 90% accurate quotation within 3
working days so you have the best idea of how much you can expect to
pay without even leaving the country! What's more; as our client you are guaranteed
priority treatment in Budapest, so you can be seen even quicker. Whatever your needs you
can be sure we will go that extra mile to make sure your experience lives
up to your expectations and more.
See here for what people are saying about our services.