Woman's long-haul trip to find dentist

By Andrew Ffrench »


PHOTOGRAPHER Alice Taylor got her fillings done in Cambodia after struggling to find an NHS dentist in Oxfordshire.

Ms Taylor, from Jericho, Oxford, travelled to Phnom Penh for her mother Anne’s 60th birthday party in April.

The 29-year-old decided to get her teeth done at the same time to save money, after a private dentist in Oxford quoted her £80 for a single filling.
Ms Taylor thought she needed two fillings but ended up with 10, leaving her with a total bill of $200 – about £125.

She estimated that she had made a saving of £675 on the possible £800 bill she could have faced from a dentist in the UK.

Ms Taylor said: “I think it’s a fabulous saving and it almost covered the cost of my return flight, which cost me about £700.

“I was going to Cambodia anyway for my mother’s birthday, so I thought I would get the dental treatment done at the same time.

“I visited two private dentists in Oxford last year and I wasn’t particularly happy with the treatment I received.

“I went to one dentist to have a crown put back in after it fell out, and the dentist put it back in after warning me it could fall out again.

“It did fall out two hours later, so I went to another dentist and had the tooth extracted, because that was the cheapest option.

“At the time, I rang round a few places looking for an NHS dentist but I couldn’t find one.

“It seems a bit random to go so far to get dental treatment, but if you’re travelling in south-east Asia, it’s good to know there are dentists who can treat you for a reasonable price.

“I’m a bit sceptical about dentists in England, so I’m no longer looking to sign up with an NHS dentist.”

Ms Taylor, who works at the jewellery store Nothing, in Oxford’s Covered Market, added: “My dog ate my last pair of glasses and I know opticians in the UK can be expensive, so I got some new glasses in Cambodia as well.”

She decided to get her fillings done in Cambodia after root canal treatment there cost her only $50 four years ago.

She added that four of the 10 white fillings were large fillings, while the other six were small, and did not require local anaesthetic.

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk