If you need a couple of dental crowns, then the treatment cost may be a worry. To save money, you may be considering having the work done overseas.

Having dental work done in another country can appear to be a cheaper option. Dental tourism deals combine the costs of travel, the time you stay in the country and your treatment. This may seem cheaper than having your dentist do the work at home.

However, the value of overseas treatment isn't guaranteed. If all goes well, your crowns may cost less; however, if things go wrong, you could need a lot more dental work at a far higher cost.

Why might overseas dental crowns cost more in the long run?

Treatments That Aren't Up to Scratch

Dentists in Australia have to meet certain qualification and practice guidelines. They conform to regulations to ensure that you get safe and high-quality dental treatments.

These standards don't apply to overseas dentists. While all countries have their own standards, these may not always be as high as Australian regulations. You have no real way of knowing if an overseas dentist is going to do a comparable job.

If an overseas dentist makes a mistake when they crown your teeth or if they use sub-standard materials, then you may need to have remedial work done at home later. This adds to your costs, and your treatment may even end up being more expensive than it would have been if you'd used your home dentist.

Treatments That Are Too Quick

While your dentist times crown treatments carefully, you don't always have the luxury of time when you have overseas treatments. These treatments are often compressed into a short space of time. This increases the risk that you'll develop problems later.

For example, if you need root canal work done before your crowns are fitted, then your dentist at home takes time to space out the treatment over a period of weeks or even months. This ensures that your teeth heal and become stable after each stage of work before your crowns are ultimately fitted.

If you have root canal work followed by crowns overseas, then the clinic may cram the work into a few days. If your teeth aren't allowed to heal properly after root canal work, then you may get infections. Again, you may need the help of your own dentist to fix minor problems and, in some cases, start the treatment over to do it right.

If you're worried about the costs of your crowns, tell your dentist. They can help you find different options for cheap dental crowns and talk to you about ways to manage your payments.