A leading dental professor has issued a stark warning to people who are travelling abroad for dental treatment following a surge in patients experiencing painful and botched outcomes.
Professor Phil Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, said dental tourism is having a huge impact on the UK dental sector.
Professor Taylor said: “Some people have erroneously turned to travelling to places around the world for cosmetic dental treatment attracted by slick advertising showing supposedly massive savings on UK prices, however, this continues to have serious ongoing consequences.
“There are increasing numbers of patients who have had dental work abroad being left in long-term pain both from their teeth and in their pockets when they have to repair the damage caused.”
Professor Taylor said the types of procedures which are being carried out abroad can often result in overtreatment, which ranges from offering unnecessary treatment to grinding down perfectly good teeth that could have improved appearance with much simpler, less invasive treatments.
He continued: “With dental implant treatment the failures can be very serious indeed, requiring very advanced surgical interventions to repair the damage that’s been done.
“UK dentists are seeing an increase in this problem and of course the patient has very little recompense, if any, for the poor treatment.
“Most reputable dentists do not advocate invasive cosmetic treatment as this is invariably unnecessary and it is important to emphasise that there is no such thing as a registered specialist in cosmetic dentistry in the UK. The profession will though, wherever possible, provide an aesthetic solution to any problem.
“Patients need a detailed quote and explanation of what the dentist is going to do for them, and it would be wise to obtain advice from more than one professional before you make your final decision.”
To find out more about the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, go to www.rcsed.ac.uk.
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About The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh:
- RCSEd was first incorporated as the Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1505 and is based in Edinburgh and Birmingham.
- It is one of the oldest surgical corporations in the world with a worldwide membership of almost 30,000, which includes 15,000 members in the UK.
- The College also has a significant global presence with members in over 100 countries worldwide.
- The College promotes the highest standards of surgical and dental practice through education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical and dental workforce.
- It is also home to the UK’s only Faculty of Surgical Trainers, open to all those with an interest in surgical training regardless of College affiliation.
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