Since the statutory health insurances usually take over only the standard care for dentures, other dentures can become expensive. Patients are therefore increasingly choosing the variant of dentures abroad.
Why do patients increasingly choose dentures abroad?
Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, or some of other eastern European countries: Patients are increasingly considering having cheap dentures made abroad.
With these apparent advantages, practices from abroad attract:
- Dental treatment abroad can be up to 70% cheaper because of the lower cost of living on-site, lower rental, and material prices.
- There are hardly any language barriers because the practitioners often know English language.
- Dental clinics often offer so-called all-round care: from fillings to inpatient stays with bone augmentation and implantation.
- Travel agencies are increasingly organizing trips abroad coupled with dental prosthesis treatments.
The quality of dentures abroad is often questionable
How good the quality of dentures abroad is having not yet been examined frequently.
But not only the dentures themselves carry risks – but the treatment itself is also often over-treated by treating healthy or only minimally diseased teeth. For example, almost all, that is 74 of the 76 examined crowns, from foreign treatments were classified as “questionably necessary”.
6 tips: This is what experts recommend for dentures abroad
If you still want to use dentures from abroad, the experts have put together a few tips that you should take to heart before planning a dental restoration abroad.
Tip 1: Have a local dentist examine you beforehand
After the examination, you will receive a treatment and cost plan that lists exactly which treatment steps are necessary and how much they cost. With this current result, you present yourself to your dentist abroad.
Tip 2: Insist on the findings of your local dentist
The medical service of the health insurance companies found in studies more and more frequently that dentists in other countries treat healthy or minimally diseased teeth unnecessarily with crowns or fillings. Foreign dental clinics make quick money at your own expense, and it is usually exceedingly difficult for you to enforce your patient rights.
Healthy or only minimally diseased teeth are over-treated.
Tip 3: Prepare a detailed cost estimate for the foreign dentist
The cost estimate now to be prepared should not only list all services in the manufacture’s context of the dentures. Make sure that items that belong to the pretreatment are also listed. This can be, for example, the removal of caries and the subsequent build-up of the tooth.
Tip 4: It also includes the additional costs in the cost of dental treatment
High-quality dentures are not finished quickly. It requires several appointments at intervals so that the dental technician can produce the dentures. There is also a healing time for implant treatments.
Besides the medical expenses, you must pay travel expenses, accommodation, and meals out of your pocket. Think in advance how many appointments are necessary and add the travel costs to your total costs. These can quickly drive up the low prices for foreign dentures.
Tip 5: If you are unsure, get a second opinion
Do you have doubts whether your domestic or foreign dentist offers you the best value for money? Get a second opinion at the patient advice center or from a dentist in your neighborhood. You will receive a second opinion from a dentist who is not performing your treatment. This means you can be sure of an independent assessment.
Tip 6: Submit the treatment and cost plan for your health insurance company
Submit the foreign doctor’s cost estimate to your health insurance fund. They must confirm in advance that the planned therapy has been approved. In this way, you can also find out what proportion of the costs your insurance will cover.
After completing the dental treatment, you must first pay the bill yourself. You can then submit the invoice to your cash register and receive the corresponding grant back.
Dentures abroad: is the treatment covered by the health insurance fund?
Health insurance companies usually cover the cost of your dental treatment abroad.
Health insurance companies charge more work for such treatments. For this reason, you should have your health insurance company calculate the treatment and cost plan from abroad before each treatment so you can find out what costs you will have to face.