Dentistry abroad: what dental treatment abroad costs, the risks and aftercare at home

The General Dental Council (GDC), which regulates dentistry in the UK, says you should always be assessed by a qualified dentist before being given a treatment plan and cost estimate, and that the dentist carrying out the assessment should ask for your full medical history. A plan built only from photographs cannot show whether a tooth is healthy enough to crown, whether there is enough bone for an implant, or whether gum disease needs treating first.

The GDC also suggests speaking to your own dentist before you travel. They know your dental history, can say whether the proposed treatment suits you, and need to know your plans in case of later complications. If you do not have a regular dentist, a one-off consultation at home still gives you an independent opinion.

Each clinic sets its own price, so compare what quotes include, not just the totals. Ask each clinic to confirm in writing:

1. the name of the dentist who will treat you, and who will make any crowns, veneers or bridges;
2. each tooth to be treated and the treatment for each one;
3. the materials and, for implants, the manufacturer and system, with documents you can take home;
4. X-rays or scans, temporary teeth, and any extractions, bone grafts or sinus lifts;
5. how many visits and how many trips the treatment needs, and how long each stay must be;
6. which check-ups and adjustments are included, including any after you return home;
7. the guarantee: what it covers, for how long, and what conditions apply, for example whether you must attend yearly check-ups at the clinic;
8. what happens, and who pays, if something needs to be redone.

Then add what no clinic price covers: flights and hotels for every trip, travel insurance, time off work and dental visits at home. The NHS treatment abroad checklist says that if cost is your main reason for going abroad, you should factor in fluctuating exchange rates, the possibility of extending your stay and the cost of possible return trips. The lowest quote is not always the lowest total once repeat trips and repairs are counted.

The BDA survey of July 2022 shows why aftercare matters. Of the UK dentists who responded, 95% had examined patients who had travelled abroad for dental treatment, and 86% of those had treated cases that developed complications. Two-thirds said repairing the damage had cost patients at least £500, and one in five of those reporting costs said the bill had exceeded £5,000. Nearly all said they were concerned about continuity of care.

Before you book, find out who will look after your teeth at home. Ask your own dentist whether they will see you for check-ups and repairs after treatment abroad, and on what terms. Ask the clinic how it handles problems after you have left, including whether you would need to fly back and who would pay for that.

A useful aftercare arrangement names who to contact, which check-ups are included and where, how your records reach your dentist at home, what the guarantee covers and requires, and who pays for repairs, flights and hotels if something fails.

Questions to ask about aftercare

1. Who do I contact if something feels wrong after I get home, and how quickly will they reply?
2. Which check-ups and adjustments are included, and where do they take place?
3. Will you send my X-rays, scans and treatment notes to my dentist at home?
4. For implants: which system was used, and will I get the details my dentist needs to maintain or repair it?
5. What does the guarantee cover, for how long, and what must I do to keep it valid?
6. If something fails, who pays for the repair, the flights and the hotel?
7. Can my dentist at home carry out repairs under the guarantee, or only your clinic?
8. How do I make a complaint, and which body regulates your dentists?

There is no best country for dental treatment. What matters is whether you can check the dentist, reach the clinic after you return and get a written plan. Compare countries on:

1. Travel advice for the clinic's city, today. Read the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice for the city, not just the country.
2. How many trips you will need. Implants and some other treatments need more than one visit, so the flight time and cost count more than once.
3. Checkable dentists. Whether the country's dental regulator publishes a register you can search.
4. Complaints. The GDC points out that you may know how to raise concerns about dental treatment in the UK but not be familiar with the process in another country. Find out how complaints and legal claims work there.
5. Language. Whether your plan and records will be in a language you and your dentist at home can read.
6. Records. Whether the clinic will send X-rays, scans and notes to your dentist at home.

Countries with dental clinics on Flymedi

One entry per country with an English destination page and at least one listed clinic, in alphabetical order, checked on 17 September 2026. A country is left out while any of its listed clinics is in an area where the FCDO advises against all travel or all but essential travel. Before you book, read the current FCDO advice for the clinic's city at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.

• Dental treatment in Colombia
• Dental treatment in Hungary
• Dental treatment in Poland
• Dental treatment in Spain
• Dental treatment in Thailand
• Dental treatment in Turkey

Some overseas clinics offer consultations in the UK or online before you travel. The GDC notes that what takes place at such events, for example assessments and advice, may amount to practising dentistry, which in the UK only registered professionals can do, so check whether the person seeing you is on the GDC register. Wherever it happens, a proper consultation covers your medical and dental history and the options for your teeth, including doing less or nothing.

If you live in the US, Ireland, Australia, Canada or elsewhere, the same checks apply: an examination before a plan, a registered dentist, and a written aftercare arrangement. Ask your own insurer or dental plan in writing what it covers, and read your own government's travel advice for the clinic's city.

1. 1

   See a dentist at home

   See your own dentist, or a local one, for an examination and X-rays, and ask what they would recommend.
2. 2

   Check what is covered

   Find out what the NHS, your dental plan or your insurer would cover.
3. 3

   Shortlist clinics

   Shortlist clinics whose dentists you can check on a public register, in countries that pass the comparison above.
4. 4

   Consult the named dentist

   Send your X-rays and history, then have a consultation with the named dentist and ask for a written tooth-by-tooth plan.
5. 5

   Get it in writing

   The plan, the materials, the number of trips, the guarantee and the aftercare arrangement.
6. 6

   Insure and book every stage

   Check your insurance, book travel for every stage, and keep to the gaps between stages that the dentist sets in writing.
7. 7

   Keep your records

   Keep copies of X-rays, scans, implant details and notes, and give them to your dentist at home.
8. 8

   Keep up the check-ups

   Keep up the check-ups and hygiene visits your plan and guarantee require, at home or at the clinic.