Sept 6th 2009

When most Irish people think about dental tourism, they think of Hungary. The country has been actively encouraging dental tourism for many years and clinics in Budapest are well-used to visitors not just from Ireland but from all over Europe. An estimated 50% of Austrians opt for dental care in Hungary rather than at home.

It’s an industry worth an estimated $1bn to the Hungarian economy annually. It is not surprising when you consider the savings on offer: a root canal in Dublin can cost anything from €230 to €800 but in Hungary the cost is as low as €200. A crown costing up to €1,500 here can cost just €200 in Budapest.

So can you trust the quality of the work? Yes, says Matthew Long, managing director of dental tourism operator Budapest Dentists (www.budapestdentists.com). He points out that most clients are travelling for extensive work – veneers, crowns and implants – and are doing so at the recommendation of a friend.

“I wouldn’t recommend it for fillings or extractions or, perhaps, even teeth-whitening. It is in restoration work that the savings are to be made. The savings are made in the laboratories because the cost of labour is much lower, as are profit margins. In terms of the quality of the work, Hungarian dentistry is acknowledged as among the finest in the world. The Germans, Austrians and Swiss have been travelling to Hungary for cheaper dental treatment for years. The guarantees are the same as you would get in Ireland. A lot of people who go know someone who has been there and has been very happy with their treatment. Experience would say that there is no need to be apprehensive,” he says.

The key to ensuring that you have a satisfactory experience is to be vigilant when selecting your overseas dentist. Do your homework, ask as many questions as you like and if you are not happy with the answers, find another dentist. Also factor in the cost of flights, accommodation and living costs while you are having the work done.

Tourism for Health

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

International Herald Tribune

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Budapest
When Loman O’Dowd of County Donegal, Ireland, retired last year after decades of hard work, he felt the urge to travel, to see the world.

He also needed extensive and expensive dental work. His asthma was acting up as well. So this month, O’Dowd, a retired horticulturist, took care of both his wanderlust and his medical needs during a 10-day trip to Hungary.

He toured the ancient castle in Buda. He had dental bridges and fillings put in. He stayed in a luxury apartment overlooking the Danube. He had daily inhalation treatments at an asthma cave. He played golf and ate goulash.

“I’ve been all over and the total cost – including the airfare- will be far less than what dental treatment would cost me at home,” he said, in a tidy waiting room, just after his final dental appointment in downtown Budapest. “I would recommend this in a second.”

A growing number of people from Western Europe and even the United States are becoming medical tourists, traveling by plane to faraway countries to get cheap medical care that would be prohibitively expensive and sometimes involve long waits at home.

Dr. Attila Kuncsik , O’Dowd’s dentist here, now sees  foreign patients every week.

“This part of my practice has grown very rapidly, especially in the past year,” he said, noting that, while most of his patients were from Britain and Ireland, there are some from Israel and the United States as well.

Traditionally, only the very wealthy traveled for medical care. They flew to the United States and Western Europe when they developed a serious illness. But these days, as medical costs have greatly increased and insurance coverage has diminished in many developed nations patients come here for elective or semi-elective procedures that are covered poorly or not at all by insurance and national health plans: things like major dental work, corrective vision surgery or routine heart evaluations.

Low-cost airlines and Internet advertising, which connect patients and doctors around the world, have also encouraged this sort of travel, 

The evolution of the medical tourism market in Hungary was perhaps predictable, since Austrian, Swiss and German patients have been driving over the Hungarian border for cheaper dental care for 10 to 15 years. Labor, equipment and real estate costs are far lower than in Western Europe, allowing doctors and dentists to offer their services at a fraction of West European prices.

A crown, which would cost between €800 and €1,000 in Western Europe, runs only about €200 here, at an up-market dental office, fashioned by a master ceramicist. Most work is guaranteed for 3 to 5 years.

For others, avoiding the long waits that are common under national health plans are also a big incentive. Jamie Mulligan, 29, an Irish rock musician, flew to Budapest for just two days to get a tooth replaced. He traveled with a friend, who came to have four root canals, a procedure that now requires a three-month wait in Ireland, he said.

Before you travel to Budapest you may wish to consider having a consultation with your own dentist to establish the treatment that you may require.

 If you require an extraction then it may be better to have this done at home as

• firstly it might not be economic for you to travel to Budapest just to have an extraction and

•  secondly you will have to wait for 6 weeks until the gum will have healed to have your restoration treatment in Budapest.

However many patients chose to travel to Budapest either on a day trip or on an overnight trip to have an initial consultation and where possible to incorporate  preliminary hygiene treatment or extractions.

Return flights and an overnight stay can cost as little as €100, the probable cost of a dental consultation at home.

If you wish Dr Kuncsik can refer you to a Clinic in London or in Dublin for an OPG x-ray. This is a full mouth x-ray of your teeth and gums. He will be able to offer you an initial opinion based on this x-ray.

If you have and can forward a Panoramic X-Ray (OPG)  Dr Kuncsik will offer you an initial opinion.

If you can provide some clear close up photos of your teeth he will also offer you an initial opinion.

Our dentists will not be able to offer you a final opinion until they physically examine your teeth.

Our dentists cannot offer final opinions based on examinations/consultations abroad where they cannot access proper technological and diagnostic equipment. They will only offer consultations and definite opinions in their own fully equipped surgeries in Budapest. They need to have access to the technological and diagnostic equipment which is essential when offering a patient a complete professional opinion and treatment plan. 

Budapest Dentists will offer consultations and x-rays free of charge in Budapest.

Budapest Dentists can offer all types of Orthodontic treatment at the surgery of Dr Gabor Hermann. 

You may need to consider the economics of this type of dental treatment in Budapest because you may need to have the Dental Braces refitted and readjusted in Budapest.

If you would like to meet Dr Hermann we will be delighted to arrange a consultation for you. 

Irish dentistry has set out in recent years to undermine the quality of the treatment carried out by their colleagues in Hungary. They have never acknowledged that Hungarian dentists are trained in and are graduates of one of the most highly regarded Medical teaching systems in the World. 

Graduates of Semmelweiss University and Szeged University are recognised to be of the best trained dentists in the World.

Dental tourism did not originate in the U.K. or Ireland. For many years patients have been travelling to Hungary for dental treatment from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Israel, the U.S. and other European countries to avail of high class affordable dentistry.

The advent of Budget Airline flights to Budapest has enabled Irish and U.K citizens to avail of the benefits of Hungarian dental treatment.

How scientific was the recent survey carried out by the Ir.Dent.Assoc.? Did it really search for the truth or was it an exercise in propaganda and scaremongering ?

The opinions of the overwhelming majority of  satisfied patients who received dental treatment in Budapest would certainly give a fairer reflection of the facts and of the truth  rather than the opinions of  the narrow base of their own, possibly biased, members on whom they depended for their results.

A dental bridge is a false tooth, known as a pontic, which is fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. Bridgework acts as a series of connected crowns, replacing missing teeth by bridging the gap and using the surrounding teeth as abutments.

Fixed bridges cannot be taken out of your mouth as you might do with removable partial dentures.

The time frame for having crowns and bridges fitted is 5 working days in Budapest, ideally Monday to Friday. Preparatory work is carried out and impressions are taken on the 1st day. The technician and the ceramicist then create and prepare the crowns. The trial fitting is carried out on the 3rd day with final fitting and bonding on the 4th or 5th day. The price of an individual Porcelain crown is €200 or £170. 

Dentallux also offers Zirconium-oxide or Cercon crowns. Cercon-Zirconia is a system used to create single units or multi-unit bridge non metal restorations from translucent, biocompatible zirconium-oxide, the strongest and toughest dental ceramic. These crowns have a slim and tooth coloured zirconium base that replaces the normal metal base. It is much stronger material than the normal full porcelain crown. It is suitable for creating very long bridges. The price of a Cercon crown is €300

Spring Special Offer

Zeno Cercon Zirconium All Ceramic Crowns the most beautiful and natural looking crowns

only €300

These top of the range Zeno Cercon crowns normally retail between €400 and €500 in Budapest and for more than €1000 in Western Europe.

Contact Budapest Dentists

Dental Bridgework before and after

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Dental Crowns become necessary when there is insufficient tooth structure to support a filling. Teeth that are severely broken down from decay or fracture can be fully restored to proper appearance and function with a crown restoration.

Dental Crowns cover the tooth completely, fitting just at the gum line and protecting the remaining tooth. Most crowns have a tooth-colored porcelain exterior fused to a high noble metal base. The shade is customized to match your other teeth so that in your mouth a crown will look just like a natural tooth.

 The time frame for having crowns made and fitted in Dentallux Budapest is 5 working days, ideally Monday to Friday. On the 1st day, your teeth will be prepared and impressions will be taken. On the 2nd day the technician/ceramicist creates and prepares the crowns/bridges for your first fitting which will take place usually on the 3rd day.  On the 4th or 5th day the crowns/bridges are fitted and bonded. Porcelain crowns cost €200

Dentallux also offers Zirconium-oxide or Cercon crowns. Cercon-Zirconia is a system used to create single units or multi-unit bridge non metal restorations from translucent, biocompatible zirconium-oxide, the strongest and toughest dental ceramic. These crowns have a slim and tooth coloured zirconium base that replaces the normal metal base. It is much stronger material than the normal full porcelain crown. It is suitable for creating very long bridges. The price of a Cercon crown is €300.

Spring  Special Offer

Zeno Cercon Zirconium All Ceramic Crowns the most beautiful and natural looking crowns only €300

December, January, February, March, April. 

These top of the range Zeno Cercons crowns normally retail between €400 and €500 approx in Budapest and for more than €1000 in Western Europe.

Ceramage Crowns before and after

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Cercon Crowns before and after

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Root canal treatment is a dental procedure in which a diseased or injured tooth is repaired by removing the damaged portion, and then sealing up the tooth to protect it from further injury.

The process of root canal treatment removes bacteria, nerve tissue, the organic debris left over from the breakdown of nerve tissue, and bacterial toxins from within the inner aspects of a tooth.

Subsequently, once this space has been cleansed root canal treatment involves filling in and sealing off the interior of the tooth. This is done as a means of minimizing the possibility that bacteria will be able to re-colonize the inner aspects of the tooth.

The cost of Root Canal treatment in Dentallux Clinic is between €110 and €150.

The treatment is carried out during 2 days (one overnight) or in conjunction with the rest of your treatment plan in Budapest.

Budapest Dentists offer two teeth whitening methods.

The First method is the “Indirect” method. This is self applied by the patient in their own home. In this case Dr Kuncsik takes impressions of your upper and lower teeth from which the technician makes the upper and lower whitening splints/trays. The patient purchases the teeth whitening material that is used called “Vivastyle “. The patient fills the splints with this material and has to keep it in his/her mouth for 1 hour every evening for about a week. This gives an excellent result, and has the great advantages that the patient can repeat it when the teeth begin to discolour. The patient can continue the bleaching until the perfect shade is achieved.  There are no repeating costs other than the cost of the teeth whitening kit as the whitening splint will last for many years.

Dr Kuncsik does not offer this treatment for patients, who have a really sensitive tooth-surface or abrasions, as this can increase this sensitivity of the teeth.

The whitening splint costs €80 Euros per piece, totaling €160, the whitening kit costs €90 Euros, it contains 8 sachets of whitening material and some accessories.

Dr Alfoldi offers the Zoom Whitening System 

The cost of this treatment is €400 or €20 to €25 per tooth.

It is important to know that the whitening materials whiten only the patient’s own teeth, and will not whiten crowns, veneers and fillings.

 Before the bleaching procedure each patients has to have a thorough professional cleaning and polishing in order to achieve a perfect whitening result.

 The whitened teeth usually revert and regrade to the original colour they had before whitening after about 6 months, so the bleaching has to be repeated. At this stage the patient may chose to use the whitening splints.

A dental veneer is a thin layer of porcelain made to fit over the front surface of a tooth.

• Veneers can improve the colour, shape and position of your teeth.
• A precise shade of porcelain can be chosen to give the right colour to improve a single discoloured or stained tooth.
• Dental Veneers can also be used to close small gaps. 

Dental Veneers make teeth look natural and healthy. Because they are very thin and are held in place by a special strong bond very little preparation of the tooth is needed.

The time frame involved in having Dental Veneers fitted is 5 working days in Budapest. Preparatory work is carried out and impressions are taken on the 1st day. The technician and the ceramicist then create and prepare the Veneers. The trial fitting is carried out on the 3rd day with final fitting and bonding on the 4th and 5th days.

Dr Kuncsik offers  Ceramage veneers.

• Ceramage  veneers cost  €250 

Ceramage is a newly developed zirconium-silicate material which combines the advantages of ceramics and composite. Ceramage combines natural colour reproduction with extraordinary  strength and elasticity. The natural light-transmission, high resistance to abrasion and brilliant aesthetics make Ceramage the ideal restoration for patients

Ceramage Veneers before and after

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A dental implant is a unit made of pure titanium or non metal ceramic, which is inserted into the jaw, where it performs the function of the root of a natural tooth that has been lost. A replacement tooth, which will be indistinguishable from natural teeth is attached to this implant by the Dental surgeon.

Dr Kuncsik, Dr Ivan and Dr Alfoldi offer The Pitt – Easy System  www.oraltronics.org and the Semados System www.bego-implantology.com  and the The Nobel Biocare Branemark system www.nobelbiocare.com

   Pitt-easy implants 

   Bego-Semados Implants  

The entire implant process from evaluation to completion, generally takes three months and 2 visits to Budapest.

The time spent in Budapest during the first visit is 3 or 7 days. This visit can be reduced to 3 days if you can arrange to have the sutures removed at home. After placement, the implants are allowed to bond with the jawbone for 3 months. During this period it is possible to wear dentures.

Once the dental implants have bonded the second phase of the procedure begins. At this time, the surgeon attaches small posts/superstructures to the implants to which the crowns are fitted. This visit lasts for 5 working days. 

The price of the Pitt-Easy and Semados implant is €790 euro.

The price of the Titanium Superstructure/Abutment is €150.

A Porcelain Crown will cost €200. 

Nobel Biocare Replace system 

This system produces individualized implants, crowns and bridges.

Nobel metal-free materials – alumina and zirconia – provide natural-looking restorations and eliminate potential allergic reactions and promote long-term soft tissue stability.

Nobel Biocare implants cost €950 

Nobel Biocare Guide system

Nobel Guide is a state-of-the-art computer-based implant system for pre-planned predictable computer guided surgery. Using CT (Computer Tomography) scanning and 3D CAD/CAM Software Nobel Guide allows the Surgeon to preplan the exact positions and depths of implants before surgery with pinpoint accuracy. From this planning Nobel Biocare produces a surgical template that guides a complete flapless surgery which will reduce discomfort for the patient as well as reducing chair time, and repeat appointments.

Dr Gyula Ivan and Dr. Antal Alfoldi  are the implant surgeons with whom Dr Kuncsik cooperates.

Dr Ivan’s main expertise is with Nobel Biocare. He  not alone works as a Surgeon but also is a tutor for Nobel and mentors Dental Surgeons in Nobel implant practices

Dr Antal Alfoldi of Alfoldi Dental systems  has more than 15 years experience in implantation. He has been an active number of the Hungarian Implant Society for many years. Dr Alfoldi  has successfully placed over three thousand implants.

The prognosis for implant treatment is very positive in the absence of risk factors such as heavy smoking, uncontrolled gum disease and underlying poor bone quality and quantity. Smokers may have as much as 3 times higher risk of complications with their implants compared to non-smokers. Prospective implant patients are advised to discontinue smoking if at all possible. The success of implant treatment will depend mainly on your ability to maintain very high level of oral hygiene in the long term.

For more information please contact us at Budapest Dentists 

Spring 2010 Special Offer

Zeno Cercon Zirconium All Ceramic Crowns the most beautiful and natural looking crowns

only €300

  January, February, March, April. 

These top of the range Zeno Cercon crowns normally retail between €400 and €500 approx.

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