Dental tourism: the complete guide to this trend

This is no secret. In the United Kingdom, dental care is particularly expensive and poorly reimbursed by Social Security. It is because of these disproportionate prices, combined with the lower cost of transportation, especially air travel, that dental tourism is becoming increasingly popular. French patients have the opportunity to get treatment for less money, while discovering a destination.

Hungary, Portugal, and Spain, leading destinations for dental tourism

Because of the low cost of airfare and the possibility of being reimbursed for dental care within the European Union, the most popular countries for dental tourism are Hungary, Portugal and Spain.

These three countries have modern dental clinics equipped with the latest technology, are subject to the same hygiene and aseptic rules as in the UK, and train dentists of the same quality.

Hungary is the cheapest of the three countries, with care up to 70% cheaper than in the UK.

Reminder of the reimbursement of dental care by the social security

Not all dental care is reimbursed by social security.

You will be reimbursed up to 70% of the conventional rate for: consultations, two scaling sessions per year, dental caries treatment, root canalization, tooth extraction, metal or ceramic-metal crowns (depending on the location of the tooth in the mouth, whether visible or not), bridges and complete dental appliances.

In the field of orthodontics, patients under 16 years of age are reimbursed at 100%, which is not the case for adults who must pay for their orthodontic treatment and prostheses.

Reimbursement of dental care abroad by the mutual insurance company

For expenses that are not reimbursed by social security, you must rely on your complementary health insurance. It is impossible to establish a scale of reimbursements, since they depend on the mutual insurance company you choose and the contract you sign.

The choice of your complementary health insurance is therefore crucial. Today, everyone offers you insurance – apart from the professionals in the sector – your banker, your supermarket, online companies… However, beware of offers that are too tempting and be sure to read the fine print and the details that correspond to the many asterisks. They often begin with the fateful word “except”. If you are paying for a low-cost health insurance plan, you should expect to be reimbursed accordingly.

You must choose your mutual insurance company based on two criteria: the complement of the care partially reimbursed by the social security and the reimbursement of the expenses that it does not cover at all. This is why you will find in the insurance wordings reimbursements advertised with coverages exceeding 100%.

Supplementary insurance comes after the social security reimbursement. In all cases, you should check with your insurer before deciding to seek treatment abroad. It is imperative that you verify that the care in question is covered by your contract. Forward the quote from the foreign clinic to your insurance company to be sure.

Dental tourism : Frequently Asked Questions

How to choose a dental clinic abroad?

Among the criteria to consider, the training of the dentist, the brands of implants used and the reputation of the clinic (you can look at Google reviews for example) are probably the most important.

Is dental care abroad always of lower quality?

Dental care abroad is generally cheaper due to the socio-economic conditions of the countries (lower taxes, cheaper rents, lower salaries, etc.) but the quality is often not the same. There are very good and not so good dentists all over the world.