As the recent dentistry crisis in the UK shows no signs of abating, Brits in need of dental care should check out dentists in Spain while on their holidays. The prices are less, the quality good and it’s possibly the only way to go if you want to keep on top of your dental health.
The dentistry crisis in the UK has been well-documented over the last few years, but despite Government pledges to improve matters the British Dental Association is reporting that National Health dental services are on the verge of collapse. This comes after reports that in Plymouth there is a 9,000-long waiting list to see an NHS dentist, with some patients lucky enough to be signed up to a dentist having to travel 70 miles for their treatment.
Why Spain?
Low-cost flights and the birth of the package holiday in the 1950s, coinciding with Spain’s transition to democracy in the 1970s, has made Spain the British number one holiday spot. Spain’s reliable climate and the willingness of pioneering tourist locations like Benidorm to embrace Britishness by providing a home-from-home in the sun with Full English Breakfasts and Sunday Roasts has ensured Spain is still as popular today as it ever was.
While there may be a backlash from some quarters about over-developed Brit enclaves, mainly based along the high-profile Costas – Costa Brava, Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca, there is still plenty of unspoilt Spain to go round. The other Costas – de la Luz, de Almeria, Verde, Calida and Tropical have learned the lessons of over-development so that its gorgeous beaches are not overshadowed by looming tower blocks. And, there is also inland Spain; the white villages of Andalucia; the beguiling Capital, Madrid and the stunning Moorish architecture of the Alhambra in Granada, to name but a few. Whatever floats your boat, you’ll find it somewhere in Spain.
Dental Care in Spain
Private dental care in Spain is good, and being a member state of the European Union, the country adheres to Europe-wide protocols on training, health and safety. Clinics are contemporary and modern, equipped with the latest diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. Dentists in Malaga and other cities are likely to offer CAD/CAM Cerec technology, which provides for prosthodontics (crowns, veneers) to be measured up, manufactured and fitted in one day.
Excellent clinics that cater to international patients can be found throughout the country, from Madrid to Barcelona, but head for the Costa del Sol if you’re looking for English-speaking dentists. In Fuengirola, Malaga and upmarket Marbella, where there are lots of Brit holidaymakers and/or a big ex-pat community, is where you’re more likely to find no language problems.
The cost of dental care in Spain
The price of most dental procedures in Spain is a lot less than in the UK, whether that’s for everyday dental care or large, one-off procedures like dental implants. In Spain, the cost is around £1,200 (€1,400) compared to £3,000 (€3,600) in the UK for a titanium implant, abutment and crown but even for general dentistry, like fillings, the cost is considerably less at £42 (€50) compared to £150 (€188) in the UK.
Anyone who is serious about their dental health needs to make their own arrangements to combat the shortage of British dentists. In Spain, it will be easy to do this if you factor it in on your holiday – and it will cost a lot less than going privately at home.