A top dentist has urged Millennials to think twice about travelling abroad for dental treatment
Dr Orr warned that anyone who has had dental treatment abroad, such as veneers, crowns or implants, may not be eligible for treatment on the NHS if they have a problem: ‘Flying back to the country you had the original treatment may be difficult and/or expensive. And you may not be able to rely on the NHS to fix it either’.
‘My main concern is one does not know the lifelong maintenance needed for this type of work. Veneers can be an excellent treatment in the right situation, but – like every treatment – they have their pros and cons.
‘Regardless of who does it, nothing lasts forever and veneers / crowns etc will need to be replaced several times over the person’s lifetime, so it makes sense not to do these things if there are more conservative alternatives available, especially in younger patients’.
Dental veneers change your natural teeth and the treatment is irreversible.
A veneer is a thin facing, custom-made from porcelain, which is bonded to the front surface of a tooth. Veneers can be a good solution to chipped, misshapen or mildly crooked teeth. They can also be used to close gaps between teeth.
Veneers should mimic the size, shape and colour of your teeth and create a natural look.
However Connor has found himself trolled online for his veneers with many mocking the artificial look of them and found them to be so white they have been branded ‘’blinding’’.
Dr Orr said this reflects the way that treatment is undertaken.
He said: ‘Very often when treatment is done in a short timeframe, for example, when carried out during an overseas holiday, the treatment may involve a lot more drilling than what could be achieved if the dentist had time to straighten teeth using braces, provide whitening then reshape the teeth using conservative veneers or composite bonding’
The result achieved can appear impressive at first, but sometimes the teeth are permanently compromised for the sake of speed. Many people having treatment like this do not appreciate that no treatment will last forever, and will need to be replaced eventually. It therefore makes sense to try to preserve as much of the natural tooth as possible each time treatment is carried out. This is much easier to do with today’s techniques and materials so that teeth last a lifetime’.
Dr Orr said: ‘If you do decide to choose a dentist abroad it is better to rely on a recommendation rather than an internet search engine which is what Connor said he has done. It is important to check them out, ask about their level of experience in carrying out the kind of treatment they propose’.
