Dentists In Tents Filling The Gap Posted on September 3rd
1:31pm UK, Wednesday September 03, 2008
The chaotic search for a dentist may be getting a step easier with the arrival of a pop-up dental surgery from Hungary.
The mobile dentist is coming to call
The company involved - Hungarian Dental Travel - is holding consultations in Manchester this weekend to persuade prospective patients of the benefits of dental tourism.
The company was set up more by Christopher Hall and his business partner, Cecilia Varga, who spotted an opportunity in the market.
“Cecilia came from a town in Hungary with a medical history and she quickly realised that the UK needed dentists and Hungary needed patients,” Mr Hall told Sky News online.
Business is booming, says the pair and they are planning to take their Hungary ‘roadshow’ elsewhere in Britain.
There was one mammoth problem, Mr Hall did admit to, and that was getting the X-ray equipment approved.
“We worked with Dr Alan Calverd - a prominent British physicist - who designed a shield to block out radiation,” he revealed, pointing out that, in a normal practice, the X-ray machine would be blocked off and protected.
The idea behind the mobile dentist is to persuade British patients they have nothing to fear from going abroad.
That, Mr Hall said, had been a big problem initially.
“Prospective patients were understandably concerned about going to another country that they didn’t know much about for treatment.
“They’re gradually coming to realise that Hungarian dentists are highly qualified and our dentists are all registered with the General Dental Council in the UK.”
The pair are hoping their mobile surgery will convince would be dental tourists that they have nothing to fear and they’ll save money meanwhile.
British patients are very cautious and I do understand that. For Austrians it’s very normal to travel to Hungary - they’ve been doing it for 20 years. It only became available for the English because of the low-cost airlines that began four years ago.
Cecilia Varga - Hungarian Dental Travel
Ms Varga said patients who opted for treatment in Hungary could expect to pay about 70% less for treatment than at a private clinic in the UK.
Prospective patients will get to discuss their requirements with a Budapest-based dentist who registered with the General Dental Council in Britain three years ago.
Other staff will be on hand to explain the price plan and flight and hotel costs.
“If you or someone that you know is interested in saving money by having dental treatment done in Hungary then please book for your consultation,” the firm says.
Dentists in Hungary are highly qualified with three years of post-graduate supervision following a five-year university training course.