Hungary and mainly Budapest is the capital of dental tourism in Europe. Patients come here for dental care from all over the world even from Australia and the US. The majority of patients are from Europe. Dental tourism patients need all kinds of care, the selection is wide, from aesthetic treatments to those required for medical and health reasons. Generally speaking it can be said that most people come to Hungary for dental implants.
Implant based treatments are possible nearly for everyone, there is only a little amount of people who can not have teeth implants.
What is a dental implant?
Dental implants are medical solutions that can replace lost teeth almost perfectly in bite appearance and aesthetically.
The dental implant solution consists of 3 parts. The implant screw is the artificial root itself, which is inserted into the jaw bone by a dentist during a surgical procedure. After implantation, the artificial root needs time to heal while the bone grows around it and the screw becomes stable. After the healing time has elapsed, the abutments are inserted into the implant screws, followed by crowns that are actually visible over the gums.
Healing periods after implant based treatments in Hungary
We know from many years of experience that, in addition to price, the length of dental treatment in Hungary is also an important factor for dental tourists. Below, we generally write about healing times and visit length but in each case we create a personalized treatment plan for our patients based on a panoramic X-ray. The tailor-made treatment plan includes all the important information so you can make an informed decision before traveling to Hungary for dental implants.
If the tooth replacement is done within a short period of time after the loss of the natural tooth, i.e. the implant is placed, there is usually a sufficient amount of bone in the patient’s mouth so no bone graft in necessary. In this case the healing time is 3-4 months after the placement of the implant. If there is no need for bone grafting, the tooth replacement process is fast, as you only have to travel to Hungary twice for an implant-based treatment. The first visit is the surgery for placing the implant screws and then 3-4 months later the palcement of the abutment and fitting the crown over the 2nd visit.
If it takes a long time between the original tooth loss and tooth replacement then the jaw bone may get thinned or absorbed so bone grafting is needed. The thinning of the jaw bone can be attributed to two reasons. One of the reasons is that teeth are lost, there is no chewing there, so the stimulation of the bone stops and begins to degenerate. Another possible cause is if gingivitis remains untreated and travels from the gums to the teeth and then to the bone and as a result the bone withers. In this case, the teeth will loosen and may even fall out on their own.
Based on a 3d scan, the oral surgeon will decide about the need for bone replacement before implantation and the amount of bone grafting material.
Dental implants and bone grafting in Hungary
If there is no enough bone in the region where the implant screw should be placed, then dentist may replace the bone. Several variations of this are conceivable, depending on the extent of bone loss. For minor bone loss, the oral surgeon delivers an artificial bone replacement material under the gums. The dentist covers with an absorbable membrane, then sutures the gums together. If an artificial bone substitute is used its composition is very similar to natural bone.
In the case of more significant bone loss, artificial bone replacement is no longer sufficient. To solve this problem the dentist will remove a small amount of bone from the posterior layers of the jaw bone and place it in the area where the implant screw will be placed. If there is significant or severe bone loss, our Hungarian clinic also allows the oral surgeon to replace the missing bone from the hip bone. In this case, the bone replacement is no longer done in the dental chair but in the traditional operating room.
If bone grafting is required in Hungary before implantation in terms of process two versions are possible. Bone grafting and implantation can be performed at the same time, and the dental tourism patient will receive the abutment and crown 6 months after the first. So, it is just two visits in Hungary to replace lost teeth.
If bone replacement and implant placement cannot be performed at the same time, a healing time of 6 months is required after bone grafting, before the implant post can be inserted. Then 4 months of healing are needed until the implant screw is stabilized. And then the patient can return to Hungary for fitting the abutment and crown in the course of the 3rd visit.
Sinus lift is a special solution of the bone grafting process. It is applied for the top jaw when the amount of bone is increased so that new bone is formed from bone substitute placed under the raised mucosa of the facial cavity. In case of sinus lift no membrane is necessary since the bone grafting material is held in place by the mucous membrane of the facial cavity itself.
The first visit of the surgery is 2-3 workdays in Hungary. Over this period bone grafting, if necessary, is taking palce along with the placement of the screws. The same time lenghts is necessary if bone graft and placement of screws are in separete visits. Fitting of crowns for single implants or crowns for implant reatined bridges take 3-5 workdays in Hungary. If you need full mouth restoration making all-on bridges takes 7-10 workdays in Hungary.
Oral surgery under general anaesthesia in Hungary
Placement of implants screws and bone grafting/sinus lift are possible under general anaestehsia. (You are sleeping while treated.) If you want it some tests (blood test, ECG, chest x-ray) are necessary before surgery. These tests can be arranged in Budapest before treatment. If you do not want general anaesthesia, all treatments are under local anaesthesia which also makes treatment painfree.
If you are a nervous patient, but do not want general anaesthesia, it is possible to take a relaxing pill before surgery which makes it easy to get through the care. This medication is provided by the clinic.
After bone replacement and sinus lift, facial swelling and pain is still possible for a few days, which is a natural part of the process, but pretty slowly the swelling disappears and the pain goes away. Taking antibiotics and painkillers is necessary after the procedure.
Quality of dental implants in Hungary
Depending on the quality of the jaw bone, the dentist may recommend a premium quality implants (Nobel, Camlog or Straumann) for perfect ossification. In this case, the price will be slightly higher than if a mid-range implant (Alpha-Bio) were used. But the cost of implant based treatment will still be much lower in Hungary than if the patient had the same care in Western Europe or the USA. Of course, implant-based solutions are possible in Hungary for one tooth, for some teeth, and for a complete arch. The healing processes described above are also valid when a single tooth is being replaced, or an implant retained bridge or even an all-on-4 or all-on-6 solution is required.
The prices are so competitive in Hungary for dental implants that patients from the UK or Ireland travel for a single tooth replacement.
How much you can save in Hungary on dental implant treatments
If you want to know how much you can save in Hungary on dental implant treatments, feel free to contact us at smile@dentaltreatment.eu and we will get back to you with a quote soon. Foreign patients save in Hungary on dental implant treatment up to ~40-70% compared to UK and Irish prices. If you need full mouth restoration with All-on-4 dental care with top quality Straumann implants you can save up to 75% including flights and accomodation costs even if you are from the US. In other words, the more extensive dental care you need the more you can save in Hungary.
