Have a trip while you're at it
I have read in recent months a number of Irish Newspaper articles on travelling to Hungary for dental work - an option used in Austria and Germany more so than here. Maybe for one crown it doesn't pay off, but for more dental work it may be worth taking a weekend in Budapest to get a quote. I have copied the article below from the Irish Independent of May '03, written by Catherine Troy. Getting a flight to Budapest may not be as crazy as it sounds... I must say I don't know anyone who has done this myself.
"Next month, Dubliner Maurice Moore will fly to Budapest, Hungary, to undergo major dental care. Why, might you ask, should an Irishman take a four-hour flight across Europe to a former Eastern block country to have his teeth done? After all, don't we have thousands of highly skilled dentists at home here in Ireland?
Yes, but unfortunately - like many other home-grown professionals such as medical consultants, doctors, pharmacists, opticians, chiropodists, chiropractors etc - their acumen and skills cost a small fortune.
And, nothing highlights this cost differentiation more than the case of this 59-year-old art illustrator, who, instead of paying €12,000 for his dental treatment in Ireland, will get the same treatment for €3,500 from a Hungarian dentist operating out of a High Street clinic in Budapest.
Mr Moore is no stranger to the Irish Dental Service and the stench of anaesthetic gas oozing from public clinics.
"My teeth have niggled me for years," says Maurice. "Three of my molar teeth are missing, so I have difficulty chewing my food."
In 1990, Maurice contacted a dental specialist in Harcourt Street, Dublin, and asked about tooth implantations. He was quoted £2,000 - an exorbitant price when you learn that you could buy a house for £20,000 at that time. "I staggered out of the place in shock," says Maurice. Subsequently, with three children to rear and not tuppence to go around, Mr Moore forgot about getting his teeth fixed. "Ah, I put up with it. But the teeth were still hurting me." he said.
Two years ago, when his kids had grown up and left home, Maurice travelled to Newry and Belfast to make new inquiries about dental treatment. But he found the average quote for the implantation of three molar teeth was about €9,000.
Early this year, Maurice saw an advertisement for Dental Tours in Budapest, Hungary. (Dental Tours Ltd advertises itself as a professional travel organisation with additional qualifications in the dental/medical branch.) Operating out of a Hungarian dental clinic, German-trained dentist Imre Mohas offers dental care at such reasonable prices as:
* Scaling and polishing, and an oral hygiene demonstration - €55
* Temporary filling (composite) - €20
* Gold filling - €210
* Extractions (per tooth) - €38
* Root canal treatment - €70
* Full dentures - €480
Admittedly, it is hard to visualise the working of Dr Mohos's dental surgery here in Ireland - but the fact that he has won an international award of professional distinction certainly gives his clinic a great deal of professional authority.
"Dental prices in Switzerland, England and Ireland are extremely high," says Dr Mohos. "It is a common practice for people in Switzerland to check out dental prices with their local dentist - and to then travel to Hungary because they can get the same treatment at a more reasonable rate here.
"It is the same in Ireland. Dental prices are very high there, and people are looking at ways of getting the same treatment at a more affordable rate. The reason why dental care is cheaper in Hungary is because the labour costs and the profits are lower."
When he arises from the dentist's chair, Maurice hopes to enjoy a few days sightseeing around Budapest.
"To be honest, I am looking forward to the holiday," he says. "I have heard that Budapest is a beautiful city. Hopefully, no major medical problems will arise. After all, it's not like you are at home. You can't just ring your local dentist if something goes wrong."
Catherine Troy
