Dental tourism in Albania, what to know, pros and cons

There was a time in which travel mainly existed for two reasons: leisure and work. In recent decades, however, the distances between countries have “shortened” thanks to the birth of low-cost flights that have made travel within the reach of most of the people and thanks to an inexorable process of globalization that leads travelers to be less and less worried about the confrontation with the experience of traveling and the encounter with other cultures. This process has consequently broadened the range of reasons why travel may be worthwhile. It is not a secret, for example, that Turkey is no longer just the destination of those who want to visit the splendid Cappadocia or get a taste of oriental culture in a few hours of flight but also the destination of those who no longer have thick hair and as numerous as they once were. At the same time, tourism related to dental care has developed in countries beyond the Adriatic, such as Albania.

A few months ago, I had my last teeth cleaning. As usually happens, the service is accompanied by a general visit that informs you of any problems such as, for example, the presence of caries. Thus I discovered that I had three bad teeth and one of them required immediate attention. The dentist, having made me aware of the problem, offered me his services at a price of 100 euros per caries, for a total of 300 euros.

A person close to me informed me that he was about to go to Albania, for dental operations much more important than mine. After booking a visit to a clinic in Tirana, I booked, well in advance, cheap plane tickets, departure from Bari.

When you look at the numbers, five days in Albania made up of overnight stays, meals and flights, cost a little more than the elimination of three caries in Italy. But, if I had opted for the most comfortable solution, I would not have visited the very interesting Tirana, the characteristic Kruja and, above all, the fantastic location of Lake Bovilla. The question is pretty simple:

For me, the answer is obvious but I understand it may not be for everyone. Leaving aside the travel question which, on the other hand, would be a "superfluous" addition to a need, it is important not to leave out all the questions concerning this need.

Obviously, the quality of the service is a fact that completely depends on the clinic that provides it. Far be it from me to vouch for all Albanian clinics, since I have only tested one. Elite Dental (by clicking on their name you can view their multilingual site) is the clinic to which I entrusted my care and the clinic that the positive experience of people close to me convinced me to choose. The interiors of the building have a modern and minimal design that feeds the perception of clean and aseptic environments (which is not just a perception). The staff is young, professional and welcoming and my experience with caries ablation has been nothing short of perfect, characterized by an imperceptible anesthesia and an even more imperceptible removal of caries. The price that, I remember, in Italy was 300 euros, was 90 euros. The experience of close people and many people present in the clinic on the days I attended it confirms the quality of the service even in the face of much more complex interventions, situations in which savings, compared to the Italian counterparts, can reach several thousand euros, figures in front of which travel expenses become more than negligible (even if more returns to Albania were to be organized).

Even the answer to this question can only be a resounding "it depends". What is certain is that the awareness of the staff of the clinics of the fact that the client is a "dental tourist" stimulates the organizational apparatus to optimize times, allowing even complex interventions to be completed in a week's stay. However, the complexity of the patients' clinical situations generate complexity of approach. Therefore, in some cases, the technical times of a break between one intervention and another require a return to the homeland and one or more further appointments in Albania.

In addition to depending, even this question, on the clinic on which we focus and on their policies, it is a question that I cannot answer due to lack of experience. Basically, I would ask "how would you behave if something went wrong in a clinic in your country?" because, basically, we are talking about Albania and not a state on another planet, just as we know that staying in your own country does not necessarily mean that you will not have problems. In any case, we must not forget that the wheel has already been invented and we just have to use it. The wheel, in this case, is, drum roll ... Google and its reviews! By reading the opinions of users of a clinic, you can get an idea of the most specific cases.

Duh...who would be willing to speak highly of a competition that keeps up (or sometimes surpasses) with quality and saves you a ton of money?

If this is the motivation that stops you from exploring foreign alternatives, it is fair and admirable. It is fair and admirable but also reserved for wealthy people. Here we talk about the ability to eat and chew without problems, the possibility of having a smile with all the psychological and social implications that it entails. On the basis of this, if in my country I cannot afford a smile, I could even go to Madagascar to take it back. Ethics should not have an exclusive bottom-up direction but should also travel in the opposite direction. If in my country I cannot afford a smile because it costs too much and, perhaps, I don't have a steady job or a decent salary, I would say that ethics is a subject that could be expanded beyond measure, without being, as usual, the "last" those to sit at the table of the accused.

There is no need to fear. Dental tourism has been a reality for several years now and, by getting in touch with Albanian clinics, you can almost always speak your language and have assistance at all stages of your trip (complete with all-inclusive packages). Of course, if you had to choose this option, you could find yourself spending a little more (not necessarily) but the burden remains to do the math and understand how much it is worth leaving or staying in your country.

I am not a dentist, I am not a doctor and apart from my own experience and that reported by others, I cannot guarantee anything. Indeed, I can guarantee only one thing: visiting Albania is an experience that I would recommend to everyone. About this, however, I will write more in depth in a future article!

I hope to have inspired you and/or to have removed some doubts. If the article left you something, likes, shares and comments are greatly appreciated. If you want to read other similar content, subscribe to the newsletter!