Dental clinics in the Czech Republic have been filling up with foreign visitors for quite some time. That’s because anything that can be done to a feuding family of teeth will cost “several times lower” here than in other EU countries, according to information provided by Czech Dentists.com, a dental practice organization. And that usually includes the price of the plane ticket to get here.

Prices can drop even lower in a place like Kroméříž or Zlín, up to 50%, they claim.

Not forever will dental associations here be able to emphasize that prices east of the Vltava are still significantly cheaper. But the quality of care is on par with anywhere else. The care can become so personalized and such good value that having little porcelain things cemented to your real teeth or titanium bolts permanently screwed into your jawbone has never seemed so appealing.

Czech dentists must graduate from medical school, in addition to completing their studies at dental schools. They must regularly attend lectures, and the more famous give presentations at international conferences.

That means that by the time you lie down in the examining chair entirely at their mercy, you’ll be able to worry a bit less as that inevitable drill approaches in a tiny hysterical whine, ready to dig in.

Inside the dental relaxation lounge

Dental clinics these days are multi-functional. Now they are pharmacies, research laboratories, art museums, and relaxation lounges. Dentists inform you exactly what they are going to do, show you story boards to drive home the point, and readily offer another squirt of pain killer as soon as you cry uncle. Here they also offer pick-up services at the nearest airport, accommodation packages, and Sunday morning and emergency appointments for those travelers extra pressed for time (why is it that the orally challenged are always pressed for time?) With many Prague dental clinics, you can call from London and get an appointment within two days, and then arrange however many follow-up visits you need, whether you nip back into Prague or plan to visit the city for a week or two.

Don’t be surprised if a Czech dentist outside of Prague personally takes your distress call at five in the morning. A pleased patient satisfied with the topnotch care he’s never received back home from the national health insurance schemes has been known to invite his savior dentist to the local pub for a celebratory drink or two.

Take a look inside some of the dental centers in Prague. How much cleaner, more sterile, or more professional can a place look? The new humming machines are surely the most technologically advanced things around for miles, if not countries. Their new x-ray is much safer than the conventional blasters, plus it’s panoramic. Now you get those ghostly images of bone pieces for 180 degrees, back to front, ready almost as quick as you can take a Polaroid.

At first glance, though, you might think you’ve stepped into some abstract art museum. Paintings of splatters and blobs hang in the sterile hallways with purple fluorescent light leaking from under precision doors. Open one door and it’s a strange place indeed inside – dark and quiet, inert forms either dead or asleep, lying in banana chairs, all facing a plasma tv screen flickering in the dark.

Two grandmothers in fresh green scrub suits bustle by. They are the in-house surgeons. One of them explains about the dim room. “It is for those who need time to surface after their analgo-sedation,” a new kind of half general anaesthesia “that doesn’t cause total blackout.” The women bustle between the sterilization room and operating room as if they were on their way to the pantry. They provide a personal touch as they drop a Czech proverb to ease the apprehensive.

Yes, there’s time to talk here. You can speak with the staff at many Prague clinics in English, German, Italian, or Russian. No need to worry about communicating, even with a mouth pried wide open. And focusing on the pretty historical buildings outside the window is relaxing too. Leave it to a Baroque corner or statue to ease anxiety a bit.

The number of foreign patients is still small but this select number has been increasing rapidly.
Call it chopper economics.

You don’t have to be in show business to care about having sparkling white teeth. These days, tooth whitening is accepted as standard, and thanks to a number of different techniques, yellowed, gray, or discolored teeth can easily and quickly become a thing of the past.

Certain foods, drinks, and cigarettes all contribute to the dulling yellow color which slowly creeps into teeth with age. Other villains include genetics, accidents or injury to teeth, and certain types of medications.

The good news is that you have a lot of control over yellowing simply by taking good care of your teeth. That includes brushing frequently enough and using the correct technique, which a dentist or hygienist should be happy to show you. Some toothpastes designed specifically for whitening are available on the market; and regular professional cleaning can make a before- and-after difference. Modern teeth cleaning procedures in Prague dentistry includes the use of rotating instruments, lasers, and ultrasound.

In between trips to the dental hygienist, you can try whitening your teeth at home. You simply wear a special case that fits your teeth exactly, containing a whitening gel. It’s necessary to wear it for a few hours each day, so if you have blocks of time when you’re out of the public eye, this can be an effective method. But don’t go overboard: overuse can lead to increased tooth sensitivity or gum irritation.

What if you can’t make such a big time commitment? Then it’s off to the dentist’s, where a carefully balanced, stronger whitening solution plus the use of a blue light or lasers can achieve the same effect in one to two hours. In some cases, whitening as well as the shape of the teeth can be improved at the same time. The tooth enamel is filed and a very thin veneer is applied to the surface of the teeth.

But what about that annoying tooth that slowly turns darker and darker gray … or even black? This is a slightly different situation. Significant color change is usually due to an accident, death of the tooth pulp, dark fillings, or tooth decay. It’s always necessary for the dentist to examine and explore a bit further to find out the actual cause of this type of discoloration.

In the case of tooth decay, replacement of the dark material with a simple filling may suffice. Another simple solution is to whiten the inside of a “dead” tooth with a dental inlay. Ceramic onlays, on the other hand, help teeth regain their original strength while allowing the natural color of healthy tooth tissue to show through. All these procedures can usually be done in just one visit to the dentist.

You don’t have to worry that a discolored tooth necessarily means a lot of pain, time, trouble, and toil at the dentist’s. Often the remedy is just a quick, single session in the reclining chair, thanks to the latest modern dental technology. And that’s enough to make you smile, just to think about it!

Dental care is one of the few regular medical checkups that each and every one of us requires throughout our lives. A simple check up and a filling is not such an expensive investment in most parts of the world. But when it comes to the more complicated procedures, then the price difference can be quite considerable and it is no wonder that an ever-increasing number of foreigners are seeking out well experienced and qualified professionals in the Czech Republic to look after their so-called pearly whites. It is not unheard of that with some of the more complicated procedures people have flown from afar as Australia and New Zealand to have their treatment done in the Czech Republic. Currently most foreign customers are from the U.K. and from other western European countries. When you take into consideration today’s cheap airline tickets and the fact that a direct flight between London and Prague takes less than two hours it can make good economics to have your local dentist based in the heart of Europe. This way you can visit what many regard as the most beautiful city in Europe, pamper yourself in one of the Czech Republic’s renowned spas or wellness centers, get away from life’s everyday pressures for a little while, and at the same time have your teeth fixed. A great example of time management if ever there was one. Obviously, costs vary depending on the type of procedure and also from dentist to dentist, but in general you can expect to pay one third to one half of the costs that are charged in the U.K. or the U.S.

There is a very long list of the type of procedures that dentists do but some of the more common dental procedures include:

Dental Crowns (cap)

A dental crown or cap is used when a tooth requires rebuilding either due to the tooth being broken, decayed, or simply because it has not developed or grown the size and shape it should be. The procedure is relatively quite simple and painless and generally requires two visits to the dentist. There are a number of different types of crowns, ranging from full porcelain, porcelain fused to metal, and full metal crowns; the dentist will explain which is the most appropriate. The process starts with a dentist preparing the teeth and then taking impressions of the tooth or teeth involved. Then a temporary cap is placed over the tooth. The impression of the tooth is then sent to an external laboratory where the actual crown or cap is manufactured. When the crown is complete it is then checked and adjusted by the dentist before it is cemented onto your actual tooth.

Dental Implants

Over the last 20 years dental implants have made great leaps forward and are now a very popular and effective way of replacing lost teeth. Implants can be used to replace a single tooth or they can be used to support dental bridges that hold multiple teeth; or they can also be used in conjunction with dentures to increase their stability and in turn also help reduce gum tissue irritation. A dental implant is a titanium-based cylinder that is installed to replace a missing tooth root. Once the implant has been successfully accepted by the body, then other necessary items, such as a crown or dental bridge, can be attached onto it.

Inlays and Onlays

Inlays and onlays are used when the cavity or lost tooth structure is too great to be restored by an ordinary filling. Inlays and onlays, unlike fillings, are not manufactured at a dentist’s surgery, but like crowns are created in a laboratory and then they are fitted by a dentist. The inlay and onlay procedures only differ in the amount of damage there is to the tooth. It is referred to as ‘inlays’ when the material is only bonded within the center of a tooth, whereas it is called ‘onlays’ when the extent of the tooth damage is so extensive that it requires one or more cusps (points) of the tooth or full coverage of the biting surface. One of the main benefits of inlays and onlays is that unlike a conventional filling they do not weaken the tooth structure but actually strengthen it. Another benefit is that their lifespan is much longer than a filling and thus can actually become a cheaper alternative over the course of their lifespan. Inlays and onlays are made from different types of materials and some of these include porcelain, composite resins, and gold.