Comparing dental quotations

Diagnosis and treatment scope

1. Which dentist will examine and treat me?

Ask for the treating clinician’s name, role and professional credentials, and which stages will be performed by another team member.

2. What records is this plan based on?

Clarify whether the quote uses photographs, a panoramic radiograph, CBCT, digital scans or only a message. Ask what cannot be determined until examination.

3. Which teeth are being treated, and why?

Request a tooth-by-tooth list that separates disease treatment from elective cosmetic changes.

4. Am I being offered veneers or crowns?

The terms are not interchangeable. Ask how much natural tooth structure is expected to be removed and why that design is indicated.

5. How many natural teeth will be altered or removed?

Ask whether any tooth can be preserved with filling, root canal treatment, orthodontics, bonding or monitoring.

6. What alternatives have been considered?

Include doing less, delaying treatment, a removable option or no treatment where appropriate.

Implants, materials and temporary teeth

7. What is the implant manufacturer, system and model?

Request traceable component information. A brand name alone may not identify the connection or restorative parts.

8. Does the implant price include the abutment and final crown?

Separate the fixture, healing component, abutment, temporary and definitive restoration.

9. Are temporary teeth included?

Ask what you will wear after preparation or surgery, whether it is fixed or removable and what happens if it breaks.

10. Which crown, veneer or bridge material is proposed?

Ask why it suits the tooth position, bite and maintenance needs rather than accepting “premium” as a specification.

11. What happens if bone grafting or sinus augmentation is needed?

Request the possible fee, material, added healing time and alternative if the procedure is declined or unsuitable.

12. Is root canal, gum treatment or extraction included if discovered?

Ask how new findings are consented, priced and documented before additional work begins.

Travel, stages and total price

13. How many visits and clinical days are planned?

Separate appointment days, laboratory days, healing periods and travel buffers.

14. Are hotel and transfers included?

Confirm dates, provider, standard, companion costs, cancellation terms and whether arrangements are part of the clinical contract.

15. What is excluded from the total?

Ask specifically about imaging, medicines, sedation, temporaries, laboratory revisions, reviews and local emergency care.

16. Which currency and payment schedule apply?

Record deposit, balance dates, conversion method, card/bank charges and invoice currency.

Aftercare, warranty and informed agreement

17. What written consent and treatment records will I receive?

Expect time to understand benefits, material risks, alternatives and what remains provisional.

18. What does the warranty cover and exclude?

Ask about clinical fees, materials, travel, maintenance requirements, smoking, grinding, trauma and disease.

19. What happens if I have a problem after returning home?

Clarify remote support, local examination, record sharing, urgent costs and when return travel may be required.

20. What are the deposit and cancellation terms?

Read whether the deposit is refundable if the in-person diagnosis changes, treatment is unsuitable, travel is disrupted or you choose not to proceed.

21. What happens if the plan changes after examination?

Ask for a commitment that changes will be clinically explained, itemised and agreed before non-urgent treatment continues.

Copyable quote comparison table

↔ Scroll sideways to compare

How to interpret different answers

A longer plan is not automatically over-treatment, and a shorter plan is not automatically more conservative. Differences can arise from the quality of records, prognosis assigned to natural teeth, restorative design or approach to risk. Ask the clinicians to explain the difference in plain language.

Do not use review scores as a substitute for clinical information. Reviews can describe communication or experience, but they cannot show whether the proposed treatment is appropriate for your mouth.

Red flags before a deposit

• a guarantee based only on photographs;
• refusal to name the treating dentist;
• every tooth assigned the same restoration without explanation;
• implant prices that omit the final restoration;
• pressure to pay because a discount expires immediately;
• no written cancellation or aftercare terms;
• promised “zero risk”, “completely painless” or “lifetime” results without conditions;
• reluctance to provide records or component details.

Frequently asked questions

Evidence and further reading

• General Dental Council, “Going abroad for dental treatment”
• General Dental Council, “Communicate effectively with patients”
• General Dental Council, “Standards for the Dental Team”

This guide provides general information and does not replace an individual clinical examination, diagnosis or treatment plan.