Sarah was told that private in the UK would cost over £40,000
An NHS worker who was refused treatment for severe gingivitis on the NHS flew to Croatia for a full set of dental implants – after being charged more than £40,000 to have the work done privately in the UK. Sarah Wilding, 54, from Leicestershire, has always kept up with regular dental check-ups but started to notice her gums receding and her teeth loosening in her late 40s.
After being told she had advanced gum disease, she says her condition was left untreated by her NHS dentist and she was eventually turned down for a referral to a specialist. “I was told I had gum disease and when I asked what it was I was told the bone had shrunk – no treatment was offered,” said Sarah, who works in theater operations for the NHS.
He added: “They never picked it up earlier either. I had a two-year period where I wasn’t working and couldn’t afford the hygienist, but I still went for my tests and nothing was flagged.”
Sarah says her condition progressed quickly. She started losing teeth from the front and back of her mouth, which affected her ability to eat, work comfortably and feel confident about herself. “I had to make dishes with missing teeth and I absolutely hated them,” she said. “I couldn’t bite into apples, I carried Fixodent in case they broke and I kept thinking – what if I’m out with friends or at work and they slip? It really hit my confidence and made me feel self-conscious in social situations.”
She looked at her treatment options privately and was told that if she wanted to treat the gum disease and replace the teeth, it would cost between £9,000 and £15,000, not including the £1,500 consultation fee. The NHS refused her request for a hospital referral, despite her appeal and her explanation that she had missed appointments with a hygienist due to financial hardship.
“They told me I didn’t qualify – but they wouldn’t tell me why,” Sarah said. “I even called the hospital myself. It was a dead end.”
She began exploring options abroad, including Turkey, but says aggressive sales tactics and “offer expires soon” pressure made her uncomfortable. “I almost went to Turkey. It was before they had a bad rep, but I didn’t like it,” he said. “They were rushing me into a deal like it was a sofa sale – but that was all my mouth.”
Sarah found it Teeth – a dental clinic in Zagreb, Croatia, which her cousin had also visited more than a decade ago. She arranged for a scan and x-rays in the UK to send to the team and was given £12,000 for a full recovery. Her father agreed to cover the cost from her inheritance, which allowed her to close the process without needing a loan.
Despite a medical scare weeks before her trip – an anaphylactic reaction during gallbladder surgery that landed her in ICU – Sarah chose to go ahead with the treatment after sending her hospital notes and medication details to Dentum’s team in advance.
She flew to Croatia in the spring of 2024 with a friend and had a full consultation the morning after arrival. At 5pm that same day, he was in the chair. “I had every tooth removed under twilight sedation and they placed four implants on the top and six on the bottom – known as all-on-6,” she explained. “It took about five hours in surgery, but honestly, I didn’t feel a thing.”
Instead of sending her home with removable dentures like many other clinics, Dentum fitted her with temporary implants with screws to wear during the healing process, before returning for her final porcelain teeth months later.
“The service was incredible – they couldn’t do enough for me,” she said. “The surgeon was also a dentist, the anesthetist knew all about my allergy, the staff at the accommodation were great, they called me back within a week for aftercare. Every patient we met there was British.”
In total, Sarah paid just under £17,000 for the full procedure, including extras such as sedation, porcelain veneers and a lifetime guarantee. He says a similar treatment listed in the UK would cost £35,000 to £42,000.
“Even my British dentist admitted he couldn’t match the price,” he said. “And the difference in how I feel is just incredible. I’ve had people come up to me and compliment me on my teeth, asking if I’ve had whitening done. I just say, ‘They’re not mine – they’re screwed!'”
Sarah says the change was life-changing – not just physically, but mentally too. “I didn’t go for white-on-white teeth – they helped me choose a natural shade that suits me,” she said. “I can eat whatever I want, I’m not ashamed anymore and I feel confident. It’s honestly the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Dr Andrej Bozic, chief oral surgeon at Dentum, said Sarah’s story was becoming increasingly common. “Many of our patients come to us after years of frustration in the UK – whether it’s lack of access, delays or high prices,” he said. “We now treat more than 600 British patients every year.”
