A third (32 per cent) of overseas travellers had dental cleaning, and a quarter (24 per cent) had teeth whitening or fillings. One in five (20 per cent) had crown procedures, followed by root canals (19 per cent) and extractions (18 per cent). One in ten (11 per cent) had veneers or composite bonding procedures.
This comes as 13 per cent of UK adults admit to not having seen a dentist for more than five years, and nearly half (48 per cent) say they have been put off from going because of reasons such as the cost (13 per cent), fear of the dentist (12 per cent) or lack of suitable appointment times (seven per cent).
Jo Turner, head of product and proposition, group protection at Canada Life, said, “It's understandable why many are going abroad for dentistry when the alternative of UK treatments are often a lot more expensive by comparison. Don’t be seduced by what looks like a bargain though. Having to fix mistakes can end up blowing your budget out of the water.
“It's also important to shop around at home and explore where you might be able to save money."