Dental crisis sends 35,000 abroad

THOUSANDS are seeking cut-price dental work overseas because they cannot get an appointment on the National Health Service, it has been claimed.

The most popular destinations are Hungary and Poland where treatment can be several thousand pounds cheaper than private work here.

But experts have warned these trips could be a false economy. Frances Blunden of consumer magazine Which? said: "People should go into this with their eyes wide open. They need to be mindful of what would happen if they needed follow-up treatment.

"They could end up having to pay twice over. And it will be very hard to complain."

The figures issued by the health tourism website Reva-Health.com show that 35,000 Britons a year are travelling abroad for dental work. This is expected to increase in the next year to between 52,500 and 70,000. Tourists are apparently saving an average of £3,745.