What to do if your teeth hurt? Of course, you need to run to the doctor at the district clinic, especially if you have compulsory medical insurance. They should do everything there efficiently and for free, it seems... But in most cases they won’t. “Good” fillings (and other materials) in free regional dentistry have a separate price list, not included in the compulsory medical insurance, as do good specialists. No, really, if the specialist is good, why not transfer him to the same district clinic to an exclusively paid department? And if, nevertheless, an unmercenary enthusiast is found, then the queue for him will drag on for at least a month. It seems that it’s not so scary, but we still need to find that enthusiast.
The decision to go straight to a paid clinic, especially in Moscow, is also not the best choice. It’s the same lottery with specialists, and in terms of finances, even the most innocent caries can result in significant costs for an unlucky patient. In most paid clinics, the price list is compiled in such a way that you cannot even predict in advance which specific services may be useful or necessary for you and what cost to expect (even approximately). In general, I will not delve into all the disadvantages of dental offices in the capital, I think that if you are reading this note, then you already have some idea about this. It’s better to tell you about dental treatment in Belarus using my own specific example.
A few answers to the most common questions
- Why do Russians go to Belarus to have their teeth treated? It's simple: - Our prices are either high or inappropriately high, especially in the capital region. But here they are significantly lower. — The quality of work is no worse, and often better. — Local clinics employ local specialists who value their reputation.
- What specific dentist should I contact? There are many good ones in different cities. Below I will tell you about the one in which I had my teeth treated. I’ll probably write about one more in the next post, if there’s demand.
- So is it worth going to another country to save three pennies? If the work is small, of course, it’s not worth going just for the sake of teeth. If, on the contrary, it is significant (prostheses, implants, etc.), the savings will be expressed in tens of thousands of rubles.
- Do you need to live there or is it enough to come once, get your teeth done and leave? It is clear that there is a direct dependence on the amount of work. “Soon,” as Ostap Bender said, “only cats will be born.” To cure ordinary caries, one visit is enough, but for crowns or dentures, your personal schedule will require several visits. If time is running out, you can stop right there, spend a vacation, for example, or a weekend. There are plenty of beautiful places in Belarus, and housing prices are low. But there is no urgent need for this.
Reflections before your trip and choosing a dental clinic in Belarus
Before going for such services, I searched a lot and studied information on the Internet: reviews, dental websites, forums; compared prices according to price lists: Moscow clinics, provincial (using the example of Ryazan), Minsk and provincial Belarusian. Paradoxically, despite the fact that many Russians (including my friends) use the services of dental offices in Belarus, for some reason there is not much useful and specific information on this topic in RuNet (which partly prompted me to write this note). Mostly you can find reviews in the spirit of “yes, everything is great, it’s really cheap here,” but without names, addresses, names of doctors, etc. Those. on the one hand, a positive review is encouraging, but on the other hand, it leaves you wandering in the fog, since there are no fewer dentists in Belarus than in our country. It’s scary to go anywhere at once.
As a result, I settled on three candidates, this is not an advertisement, but my personal choice: “Doctor Nebolit” (Gomel), “Dentline” (Minsk) and “Orsha Dental Clinic” (Orsha).
A few words about each and why I liked them.
“Doctor Nebolit” (Gomel, Sovetskaya St., 119)
Pros
- My relatives had their teeth treated here: they put crowns, etc. Successfully. Their impressions were the most positive. Two years have passed and there are no problems with my teeth. (Perhaps in the future I will talk with them about the clinic in more detail and publish a detailed review.)
- Dentistry, although not in the center, can be reached from the center in 10 minutes by trolleybus.
Minuses
- Very sparse website, no prices listed.
- There are practically no reviews about this clinic in Gomel. From what we could find: someone complains about the relatively high prices. My relatives, however, did not complain about the prices, quite the contrary.
"Dentline" (Minsk, Dzerzhinsky Ave., 69 and 78)
Pros
- Quite a lot of positive “live” reviews on the Internet from residents of Minsk.
- Prices are among the lowest in the capital.
- A decent website with a clear price list, you can look at doctors.
- Clinics (there are two of them) are located near the metro station (Petrovshchina).
- This is Minsk, hence all the advantages for the subsequent cultural and entertainment program.
Minuses
- Slightly more expensive than in provincial dentists.
Paid department of the “Orsha Dental Clinic” (Orsha, Taras Shevchenko St., 36A)
pros
- In the complex here are the lowest prices of the offered options.
- State clinic. Doctors work on a permanent basis. Greater responsibility , etc.
- Closest to Moscow (500 km), 6-7 hours by train; an hour less if by car.
- Informative site with clear price list.
- In RuNet there was one “live” large review about this clinic, strictly positive.
Minuses
- Orsha is a small city with one hotel and a couple of attractions; you shouldn’t count on a cultural and entertainment program here.
- This is a clinic. Therefore, there is no need to wait for European-quality renovations and ultra-modern equipment.
- In state clinics, paid services for foreign citizens are at an increased price. This is not so much a minus as a given, since this “increased price” is still at the standard level for private owners.
Ultimately I chose the latter option. This was influenced by the assessments indicated above, and completely subjective (based on my personal schedule and movements, since dental treatment was not the only goal on my trip). I will tell you more about the Orsha clinic further.
Implants used
In family dentistry Dental Estetic Clinic, implants are used only from well-known, trusted manufacturers in Switzerland and Sweden. Materials from Alpha Bio, MegaGen, MIS (more details...), Nobel, Straumann , with which our orthopedists work, are durable and of high quality.
Warranty for used implants
Timing of the operation
The timing of surgery may vary:
- one-stage (one-step),
- within three days (“All on 6”, “All on 4”),
- after a few months.
It depends on the condition of the dentition.
With the one-stage implantation method, the implantation operation is carried out immediately after tooth extraction. This issue can be resolved only after an x-ray. The surgery can be performed in one visit. During the day, a sinus lift (bone augmentation) and an operation to insert an implantable pin are performed - and you can go home.
Today you can get a beautiful smile in three days. This is exactly how much is needed for a prosthetic operation on 4 or 6 implants. On the first day, implants are placed and impressions are taken. On the second day the patient rests. On the third stage, special multi-units are attached to the implants - transition elements between the crown and the titanium pin.
If you contact an implantologist after a long-standing tooth extraction, it takes time for the bone to grow - somewhere from 2 to 6 months. When the volume of bone tissue is restored, the issue of introducing an implant into it is decided.
How I treated my teeth in Belarus
(at the Orsha Dental Clinic)
In a nutshell - why all this was started. I haven't been to the dentist for 5-7 years, no less. During this time, some fillings fell out, and pieces of teeth broke off in close contact with the nut shells in the pie. And then the other day another filling, quite voluminous, came out, and as a result it became completely inconvenient to eat. Then I decided that it was time to pay more attention to my teeth. At first I planned to go to the regional clinic to have everything diagnosed there, and then go to Belarus. But I read the reviews, looked at the queues to see doctors, remembered my last visit to the district dentistry and crossed out the first point. It’s better to let them diagnose it where they will treat it.
Make an appointment
So, first thing is to record. This is not stated anywhere on the website of the Orsha Polyclinic, but you can make an appointment not only by phone, but also by sending a corresponding request by e-mail or through the feedback form (you will find them in the “contact us” section). And don’t be intimidated by mail on the mail, or a bunch of requirements for electronic appeals. In Belarus, the vast majority of organizations keep their e-mail on free services (apparently, the reason is some local laws), and in the application it is enough to indicate your full name and e-mail, it is advisable to add that you are from Russia. If there is free and cheap access to intercity, of course, it is better to call. But at Megafon, for example, a minute of conversation with Belarus costs 35 rubles.
In general, I wrote a request through the feedback form and began to wait for an answer, I thought that it would come in a day or two, not earlier. But no, the working day at the dentist had just begun, when literally 6 minutes later they answered me. Since I was not aware of what exactly needed to be treated, I only made an appointment with a therapist.
The therapist: caries, fillings, etc.
The clinic inside is not much different from the same one in Russia, maybe a little more modest and there are no crowds of people. Upon arrival, the receptionist quickly gave me a card, and I immediately went to the doctor. She is a pleasant girl; she has no complaints about her work, only positive impressions. Initially, I mentioned that it would be good to finish everything today. So after 1.5 hours it happened. True, it turned out that two teeth cannot be closed with fillings (i.e., then I need to consult an orthopedist).
The result according to the therapist is as follows: three caries were cured (one deep and complex) with some kind of medicine and good fillings, a bunch of stones were knocked down, fluoridation, something else (I don’t understand all this very well, that’s why such a vague description, an agreement with the price list just below - everything is there point by point). I had no pain relief. They asked - is it necessary or not? I decided to try without it, and then, if anything, inject myself. Everything turned out quite comfortably and skillfully; no painkillers were needed in 1.5 hours.
Payment here occurs after reception. You leave the doctor and pay at the reception desk. Bank cards are accepted for payment. You receive a contract, price list, check and a good mood.
The result was 193.65 b.r. (5,900 rubles).
On the way to the orthopedist
Next, I immediately went to the orthopedic department, it is nearby and has its own registry. It wasn't very organized here. I bought a coupon for an appointment with an orthopedist, it cost 4.74 rubles. (150 rubles), but then I sat down in a “queue” of one person, which stubbornly refused to move for half an hour. I would have been sitting there if it weren’t for my companions, who drew the attention of the manager passing by to my expectations, saying that they had come from Moscow, etc. The woman immediately pulled me out of the “queue”, and I immediately got an appointment with another head, namely the head of the orthopedic department.
Why am I writing all this? If you don’t make an appointment with an orthopedist in advance, in fact you will be more active than I am. And here it’s not a matter of arching fingers, because foreign citizens bring increased income to the clinic, and accordingly it’s only in its favor that you are satisfied. Plus the human factor: after all, there are 7 hours of travel behind us, and we still have to go back. And good advertising from satisfied visitors to the clinic wouldn’t hurt. By the way, the coupon was bought in vain, since the final price list for the orthopedist also included the initial examination, but oh well.
Orthopedics, metal-ceramic crowns
The head of orthopedics looked at my teeth and confirmed the therapist’s diagnosis that two of them needed work. Crowns. He said that he needed to come two more times, but then, after thinking, he concluded that he could do it in one, i.e. this one and another one. Fine. Crowns to choose from: metal (the color of dinner spoons), with veneer (the same, but with a white coating) and metal-ceramic. The difference, as the doctor said, is purely aesthetic: metal-ceramics look best, of course, and are difficult to distinguish visually from ordinary teeth.
Approximate prices taking into account all work: metal crown - 80 rubles. (2,500 rubles), with coating - 90 b.r. (2,800 rubles), metal ceramics - 120 b.r. (3,750 rubles). These are truly indicative prices, and not minimum prices, as in some establishments. I chose metal-ceramics, although later I had my doubts, because it’s unlikely that anyone would look closely at my back teeth, but oh well.
Then they sent me for dental scans. Here the second inconvenience emerged: you must first pay for them at the reception, and then just do it. I still don’t understand why they can’t be included in the total bill. Two photographs cost me 3.90 rubles. (120 rubles).
Next, the orthopedist prepared my teeth for the crowns: he sharpened them, straightened them, adjusted the fillings on the adjacent ones, took an impression, etc. With this, my first visit to Orsha dentistry ended, all that was left was to go to the reception desk and pay an advance (at least 50% of the cost of all services).
In total, for two crowns they calculated me 255.44 rubles. (7,800 rubles). We add here 120 rubles for the pictures and a wasted 150 rubles for the coupon.
Next appointment in a week. At the same time, the doctor said that if this time or date is not convenient for me, then everything can be postponed to a later date, and he gave me his mobile number. In general, in communication, the manager seemed to me to be a normal person: without ingratiation and without special friendliness, he answers all questions, is not rude, does his job efficiently, nothing more and nothing less.
In total, I spent a little more than 4 hours in the clinic that day.
See the orthopedist a week later
Now fast forward a week. The same orthopedist, without any queues, tried on the crowns for me, worked on them, then gave them to the master for polishing (or what is it called correctly?), and offered me to pay the balance of the bill and wait half an hour. No sooner said than done. Half an hour later, the doctor put the crowns on me, everything stuck there, and all I had to do was look in the mirror at the result, say “thank you” and head for the exit. The warranty on crowns is 1 year.
At the orthopedics registry they did not give me a contract or price list, but when I mentioned this, they printed everything out and gave it to me without any problems. I have not lost them, they are in the photo above. It’s quite interesting that the price list takes into account literally everything, right down to pieces of cotton wool and disposable glasses for rinsing your mouth. And there is also “teaching the patient how to brush their teeth,” which, of course, did not exist. Laughter and that's all. In private clinics, such lines are not written down on the bill, but it turns out that their free “all inclusive” is in fact still more expensive than these paid little things.
I spent a little over an hour in the clinic on my second visit.
Doctors
Yes, most importantly, the names of the doctors:
Therapist - (after 1.5 years the girl no longer works at the clinic, so I am removing her full name) Orthopedist, head. department - Yuriy Mefodievich Goroshko
I recommend them if you go to this dentistry.
Results
All my dental treatment costs amounted to 458 rubles. (14,000 rubles) , a round trip with a reserved seat - 3,000 rubles, a budget option with transfers - 2,000 rubles (about it in the article about Orsha), approximately the same amount will be spent on gasoline if you travel by car.
The first time I went to Belarus not only because of my teeth (I stopped by the clinic along the way), so I only include travel costs from the second trip, which is 2,500 rubles. As a result, my final total for dentistry in Belarus was 16,500 rubles. For comparison: in Moscow, the average price of one metal-ceramic crown is around 10,000 rubles. In the provinces the price is already better, 1.5 times lower than in the capital, for some this will be a good alternative option.
Teeth in a month and a half [ upd. for a year and a half] they haven’t bothered me. Everything is fine. ( upd. If problems arise in the future, I will definitely add a few lines here. The crowns, both visually and when touched with the tongue, are practically no different from the rest of the teeth. I’ll probably soon forget where they are.
I was going to add a story about Orsha to the article: how to get here conveniently, where to stay and eat, but there is already too much text. Therefore, a separate note has been prepared about Orsha.
What is implantation and implantation?
Implants are metal pins that are implanted into bone tissue and serve as support for a special adapter (abutment) and a tooth-shaped crown. Most often, dental implants are made from titanium as one of the most durable metals, which does not interact in any way with human tissue and therefore does not cause rejection reactions.
Implantation is the process of implanting metal pins into bone tissue, which will later become a support for an artificial crown or bridge. Implantation is used in cases where it is no longer possible to save one or more damaged teeth, and it is necessary to restore the continuity of the dentition using an artificially implanted structure.
Implantation takes time and can be carried out in several stages, especially dental implantation. All dental procedures are performed using modern, highly effective painkillers. Adequate anesthesia makes the prosthetic procedure comfortable for the patient.
Before starting treatment, the dentist must analyze x-rays in order to determine the scope of work, the number and duration of the stages of sanitation and prosthetics themselves.
A few words about implants
What are the benefits of implants? They allow you to restore lost teeth without grinding down nearby healthy teeth. We can replace one lost tooth in the dentition with crowns or several at once. Implants fix bridges much more reliably compared to the roots of ground down teeth and prevent the destruction of jaw bone tissue.
Prices for dental implantation in Minsk are slightly higher than for other types of prosthetics. However, implantation justifies every ruble invested in it due to the fact that it allows the patient to forget about the problem the patient had for decades, or even for life. You can reduce the cost of treatment thanks to promotions that are periodically held at DEC
Why Stomident?
If you need to insert a tooth, the cost of the procedure can be easily calculated in advance. The final cost is justified by the high professionalism of our doctors and the comfortable conditions of the clinic. By contacting Stomident, you receive several main advantages:
- use of the best foreign implantological products and materials;
- use of modern diagnostic and working equipment;
- comfortable psychological atmosphere;
- a full range of services for each patient.
Implantation or prosthetics, what to choose?
Restoring one lost tooth
Medical tactics in this case involve dental prosthetics, which can be carried out in two main ways:
- a metal pin is installed in place of the root, which will serve as a support for the crown;
- Healthy teeth located nearby are ground down and depulped, and their roots become the support for a “bridge” of three crowns.
Dental implantation is preferable, more reliable and cheaper. One zirconium crown on a post and abutment is practically indistinguishable from a healthy tooth.
The main disadvantage of the bridge structure is the need to replace it as the gums sag in the place of the missing root, as well as the rapid loosening of the supporting roots due to inadequate distribution of the load on them during chewing.
IN THE ABSENCE OF SEVERAL TEETH IN A ROW
Clasp and bridge dentures are also not the best solution to the problem if several teeth are missing in the dentition. Removal of successive roots leads to rapid resorption of bone tissue. Fixation of the prosthesis leads to gradual loosening and loss of healthy supporting teeth. The greater the “extent” of the bridge, the shorter its service life.
Titanium implants do not have all these disadvantages, which prevent a decrease in the volume of the jaw bone, restore the continuity of the dentition and contribute to the optimal distribution of the load on all teeth of the jaw.
ALL TEETH ARE MISSING. FIXATION OF REMOVABLE PROSTHETICS
Dental implants can be used to secure removable dentures to the jaw in the absence of teeth. 4 metal pins, located at a certain distance and from each other, allow you to confidently smile and talk, eat food, without feeling discomfort from the uneven distribution of pressure of the prosthesis on the gums when chewing.
