Dental Crowns in Spain

Dentists in Spain
Save yourself up to 70% on cosmetic dentistry in Spain

Spain makes a compelling dental travel destination: The harmonisation of qualifications and equipment standards across Europe allows patients to compare treatments on a price basis while being assured of quality.

A large number of destinations are available from the less explored natural beauty of the north to the bustle of the southern resort towns. Spain's islands, including Tenerife, offer other enticing destinations for high quality dental care.

Our three most popular dental clinics are:

Benefits of travelling to Spain

Spain is one of the world's most mature tourism destinations. A large number of regional airports and a good system of internal transport links allow easy travel to all areas of this diverse country. Large numbers of visitors as well as a substantial expatriate community, particularly along the Costa del Sol, mean travellers enter a country well used to dealing with their needs. A lower cost base in rent and staff fees allow Spainish dentists to offer substantial savings for most dental procedures over their Northern European counterparts.

Dentists in Spain - Prices

The following price guide indicates estimated cost of Dentistry in Spain. Please note that this is a guide only and you should always check with your dentist directly.

*Exchange rates from 08/2007

Dentists in Spain - Qualifications

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Dental training lasts 5 years. Currently, 10 public and 4 private Colleges produce about 900 dental graduates each year. The quality of training and verification of degrees is overseen by the Ministry of Health.

There is no compulary requirement at present though a system of monitoring skills development and training is currently in development. Currently, many courses and degrees are available and a commitement to furthering of skills and updating of procedures is a central tenant of the Consejo General's code of practice for it's dentists (accounting for over 90% of dentist's in Spain).

Dentists from other EU nations may practice in Spain without any linguistic examination - allowing for instance English dentists to open practices catering to expat communities without having to master the Spanish language.

Dentists in Spain - Additional Information

Organizations

Consejo General de Colegios de Odontólogos y Estomatólogos de España (Spanish Dental Association) has a membership accounting for over 90% of Spanish dentists. It maintains an up to date register of all dentists qualified to practice in Spain.

Dental Ethics

The Dental Association regulates its members and publishes a code of ethics. This emphaises the dentist's obligation to the health and welfare of their patients and their own commitment to continuing training and perfection of their skills.

Complaints

Initial complaints of an ordinary nature should be refered to the Regional Colegio or Municipal Consumer Offices. Etiher party may appeal decisions or progress to civil authorites if disputes are not resolved. Severe disiplinary decisions such as removal from the register of dentist were previously rare but recently a more hardline approach to serious incidents has lead to an increase in harsher punishments.

Data Protection

Patient records are protected by a number of statuets and are in line with EU legislation. A dedicated agency, the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD), oversees data protection in Spain. The digital processing of patient data must be registered with AEPD and the agency will ensure that proper safety procedures are in place to protect the data. Details are available on the Spanish Dental Association's website.

Resources

Ministry of Health
Ministry of Health: Pº Prado, 18-20.
28071-Madrid
phone: 901400100
fax: 34-91-596.44.80
website: Website:www.msc.es

Spainish Dental Association
website: http://www.consejodentistas.org/ (in Spainish)

Data Protection
http://www.consejodentistas.org/codigotipo.pdf (in Spainish)

Council of Euopean Dentists
CED/DLC Code of Ethics (Word Doc)

Dental Crowns
Restoration for damaged or worn teeth

You can browse a list of clinics that provide dental crowns here on RevaHealth.com. If you need any help deciding which clinic to choose, just ask us for help.

Crowns tend to be quite expensive and therefore individuals are increasingly looking to other destinations to cut down the cost.  In addition there have been several advances in the field with newer porcelain crowns offering a better cosmetic appearance and only requiring a single visit.

What are Dental Crowns?

A crown is a cap that typically completely covers a single tooth and adds strength, stability and durability to an otherwise weakened structure. It can be made out of gold or ceramic and is typically fitted by a dentist in one or two visits. Crowns tend to be expensive with US pricing ranging from $600 to $3,000 dollar and are therefore one of the more common treatment sought by dental tourists.

You might need a crown if:

• If a lot of your tooth has decayed and there isn't enough tooth structure to fill in the same way that small cavities are filled
• A large section of your tooth has fractured off
• You have a large cavity and are opting for the addition protection that a crown offers against fracture and decay
• You have implants and are opting for crowns to be fitted
• If you have had a root canal on one of your rear teeth then a crown is typically required to strengthen the tooth
• If you want a better smile but veneers/implants are not appropriate
• Grinding or acid erosion has significantly reduced the tooth

What is the procedure like?

The tooth in question needs to be prepared by stripping off the entire top covering (enamel) of the tooth where the crown is to be fitted. It should be noted that this process is not reversible.  From this point on, the procedure differs greatly according to the type of crown being fitted. In the instance of gold crowns, a mould is taken and sent to a laboratory so that the crown can be manufactured. This can take anywhere from days to weeks, so a second visit is required for the crown to be fitted. Your dentist should supply you with a temporary crown or ‘flipper’ for you to wear in the interim. Certain ceramic crowns can be made in the dentist’s surgery and fitted in a single visit.

What different types exist?

Full gold crowns – Although called full gold these are normally an alloy of various metals. Check with your dentist that the ‘gold’ they are using contains at least 75% noble metal. Gold crowns are typically made by taking a wax impression and having the crown fabricated in a laboratory and then fitted in a latter visit.  As gold crowns require at least two visits to a dentist, many dental tourist opt for ceramic varieties, however it should be noted that many dentist still regard full gold crowns as being superior in the long terms.

Porcelain fused to Metal Crowns – In order to achieve a more natural look on visible teeth, porcelain can be fused to metal crowns.  This is a different process to full gold crowns as more of the original tooth needs to be removed in order to make space for the porcelain. Although gold can be used normally, a different metal alloy is used because of the intense heat of the fabrication process. The latest and most expensive material used is circoniumoxide.  

Porcelain Crowns - There are two main types of porcelain crown. The traditional variety is felspathic and is created in a lab making porcelain. The newer type is created by a single ingot and can be created by specialised equipment in the dentist’s surgery.  This makes porcelain crowns particularly attractive to the dental tourist as they can be completed in a single visit.

Procera (Alumina or zironia) – Procera AllCeram is a brand name for natural looking crown created by covering a alumina or zironia core with ceramic.  The crown is created by computer- aided manufacturing rather than the traditional casting process. Studies by Procera have shown a very high success rate over 5 and 10 years.

CERAC – Is the current leader in computer aided crown manufacture in the US. The crown is created out of ceramic and rather than being fabricated in a laboratory, it is build in specialized (and expensive) equipment in the Dentist’s surgery. This can result in crowns being fitted in a single visit.

What affects the price?

There are a huge number of factors that determine the price. It is important when you are comparing prices, you are comparing like with like.  Look for details like:

• The type of crown you are getting
• Is a pin required to anchor the crown?
• Is root canal work required?
• Additional work that may need to be performed

Price Comparison

Price lists should always be viewed with caution as many factors can increase or decrease the resulting price. The follow table gives some indicative costs for crowns across the world: