Is it better to go abroad for teeth whitening?

In short – no. It’s becoming increasingly popular for people in the UK to go abroad for crowns & veneers. Many are being persuaded to jump on the trend of ‘dental tourism’ thanks to the amazing ‘one day transformations’ currently circulating on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. But there are a couple of big problems with that – crucially, it’s extremely difficult to judge the quality of care and the general outcome of these quick procedures being offered in certain European countries.

Here at AP Smilecare, we’ve been providing affordable, trustworthy crowns & veneers to our customers for years. That means we know the difference between a viable long-term treatment, and a ‘quick-fix’, so we’re here to break down the reasons why it’s best to seek out your crowns & veneers here in the UK, instead of taking the risk of heading abroad to receive a service that could be low in quality, or worse, pose a significant risk to your oral health.

Biggest problems with dental tourism

There are more than a few risks associated with heading off to a foreign country to receive a cheap crowns & veneers service. More than a few people return from these procedures needing additional care and treatment following negative incidents. For example, recently a woman from Belfast was left in agonising pain after receiving a botched veneer job that left her in agonising pain, as well as a £14,000 bill. She stated that people who go through these treatments are “sold a dream and you are delivered a nightmare”. So why do these treatments often go so wrong?

Qualifications and regulations – in a lot of cases, when you’re in a foreign country, it can be very difficult to determine whether or not the dentist performing the procedure has the correct qualifications. Yes, the price for a procedure is a lot cheaper, but have you had the chance to think through why that might be? Highly trained dentists charge what they do because they’re good at what they do, so anything being advertised as ‘cheap’ or ‘a quick fix’ needs to be considered with great care before you commit to it.

On top of this, the laws and barriers that apply to dental practices differ from country to country, so even if someone has been qualified by an official body, there’s not always an easy way of telling exactly what their qualification allows them to do. There’s all sorts of countries (including the UK) where people who aren’t qualified to perform certain dental treatments have been doing them anyway (think hygienists vs dentists for example, it’s a subtle but important difference) and these differences can be exacerbated even more in foreign countries.

Of course, there are some very able clinicians abroad who we admire, and produce beautiful work; however these may not be the ones advertising the low fees!

Materials being used

If you’re unlucky enough to be receiving your treatment from an unqualified dentist, then the chances are that the materials that they’re using aren’t legal or safe. Some materials are simply not suitable for use in a professional, medical environment, and as a result of the low quality materials, you’re far more likely to experience complications after having your treatment, meaning you’ll have to spend even more money on corrective surgery to repair the damage caused by the sub-quality materials and chemicals used (chemicals like hydrogen peroxide are a popular choice for shady crowns & veneers providers, and can cause chemical burns to your mouth and gums so don’t risk it!)

Time constraints

Certain crowns & veneers procedures need months to complete, meaning they can’t be properly completed during a week long excursion. Many will require several return appointments in order to monitor the progress being made, to ensure that the treatment is doing its job correctly, and you’re not having any adverse reactions. Dental tourism foregoes this crucial safety step in favour of squeezing long-term work into a short holiday. That means you won’t be protected if any adverse effects do start to develop, which can have detrimental effects on your oral health.

Go for treatment you can trust

It might seem like a good idea to save yourself some money (not counting flights, time off work, accommodation and so on) by opting to get a new smile and a holiday in one. However the risk of damaging your teeth, soft tissue or even your overall health, far outweigh the short-term benefits you may gain from getting your teeth whitened abroad.

By opting for a long term general and cosmetic dental plan with us here at AP Smilecare, you reduce the risk of needing to fix any problems caused by illegitimate practitioners. We can’t stress enough the differences in how we prepare teeth in the uk for crowns and veneers when compared to a lot of treatments abroad. We are much more delicate in our preparation, which is why it’s often the case that repair work can be more complicated and expensive than opting to get your treatment here in the first place.

If you’re interested in starting your crowns & veneers journey with one of our in-house professionals, feel free to call our team at AP Smilecare on 01254 297 000. We can talk you through our teeth whitening process and make sure it’s the right treatment for you. When it comes to oral care, we’re always ready to help you!