Is traveling abroad from the UK for dental treatment too costly & time consuming?

Isn’t traveling abroad for your dental treatment more costly and time consuming than in the UK, when you add in airfare, accommodations and traveling to and from the airport? Actually, the answer is usually no and here’s why.

You may think traveling abroad for dental treatment will cost you more but when you consider the value of the treatment in Central Europe is about 50-70% lower than in the UK, that there are inexpensive flights from the UK to Central Europe daily, and that driving to and from London and paying for tolls takes time and is expensive, then the answer is easy.

Breaking it down

Traveling from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland is quite convenient and there are many cheap fares for the 1 ½ to 2 hour flight to, for example, Bratislava airport.  There are daily flights from all London airports, Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dublin with flights every two days from Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Bristol.

Ryanair.com is the cheapest airline with direct flights to Bratislava for around £30 if booked in advance. When you consider, frequent flyer miles on an airline; such as, British Airways, that offer cheap fares or perhaps you use your accumulated travel miles for a quick trip to Central Europe at no charge, then flying takes less time than driving in the UK. If you do have frequent flyer miles it is best to check with your airline’s website for the best deals and times of travel. Depending on the dental treatment, you may be able to have it finished in one visit. For example: if you are interested in 1-4 veneers and stay for four days, many clinics can finish the job in one visit.  This type of treatment would probably take two visits in the UK.

Worried that it is a hassle booking your airfare and accommodations? There is one new travel website that is very easy to use and will give you destination cities, connections from your city in the UK, total travel times, and the cheapest fares. Medbeaver.com provides the best fares by departure city in the UK. The site is easy to use. Just type in your closest UK city and the destination city and the search will give you all the travel options very quickly and conveniently. The site displays travel by plane, train, bus, and will even give you the option for other close cities to your destination city. It really can’t be easier to use.

Skyscanner.net is also very easy to use. The site places your city automatically so all you need to do is type in your destination city and the dates you want to travel. The site will also convert the fare to the currency of your choice.

Most dental treatment abroad clinics offer free transportation to and from the clinic and the clinic may be located in a nice little city with historical sites, cafes and parks to spend your time in between dental treatments.  The clinics usually offer to make the accommodation for you and some have flats available for a low-cost or arrangements with local B&B’s (called “Pensions” in central Europe) for the best deals.

You might think it takes more time to travel to central Europe for your dental treatment abroad, but actually many UK residents think that after you calculate what the cost would be to travel into London, pay the tolls, park and wait for your appointment, traveling abroad can result in less time as well as less expense.  In fact, many UK residents think dental treatment abroad is much less stressful than driving into London on the M25!

Once you start calculating the reduced cost of the quality dental treatment combined with low fare flights and reasonably priced hotel/pension stays in Central Europe it makes sense to take a look at traveling abroad for your dental treatment.

Here is a video by Maxine, a UK resident, discussing how at first she was fearful about flying abroad for her dental treatment, but found it so easy, less expensive and faster than getting treatment in the UK.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qCPikdAsV8

Video provided by Dental Holiday, Piestany, Slovakia

The dental treatment abroad clinics will most often provide interested clients with quotes for your dental care.  When reviewing several different clinics, make sure you are comparing apples-to-apples, that all prices for X-rays, consultation, etc. are included.

Don’t let the fear or cost of traveling abroad stop you from the great dental treatment you can receive for reduced prices. Traveling abroad for treatment is often fast, cheap and the quality of care is at the same level as in the UK for a fraction of the cost. Book your flight today and start enjoying your new smile.  

Profile of the author

Robin McGuire is a US citizen and freelance travel writer living in central Europe.