The crown of Chinese cloth: how much Russians save on dental tours
Dental tourism is gaining momentum: more and more Russians are going to treat and restore teeth in other cities and countries. Over the past ten years, the demand for this direction has increased several times, especially among residents of the capital. Dental tours offer not only to combine recreation with comprehensive dental services, but also to significantly save money. However, the pursuit of profit can result in questionable quality of materials, lack of warranty, and other serious risks. Izvestia tells us more about which areas for dental treatment are popular among Russians in 2025 and whether it is profitable to be treated with a voucher.
An integrated approach: how teeth are treated on medical tours
Dental tourism is a type of medical tourism where patients specifically travel to other cities or countries for treatment in order to obtain more favorable conditions than in their home region. Dental tours usually include not only medical services, but also organizational support: assistance with paperwork, transfer, accommodation, escort and follow-up.
It is important here that a person does not need to undergo numerous examinations at home and go to the clinic, everything is done on site in a short time, explained Zalim Kudaev, founder of the federal network of dental clinics "Teeth in one Day".
"This comprehensive service reduces the likelihood of outdated tests or scans, and makes the treatment process more transparent, effective, and safe," he notes.
The target audience of dental tours is patients in need of complex and expensive procedures such as implantation and prosthetics. Young people and middle—aged people choose tours for aesthetic procedures - the installation of veneers and lumineers, bite correction with braces and aligners.
From the South to the East: which countries do Russians go to for dental treatment
In 2025, Turkey, Vietnam and China remain the most popular destinations for dental tourism among Russians. This is evidenced by the statistics of tour operators and the analysis of the medical tourism market in Russia. Prices for such services in Turkish cities are not much different from those in Moscow, however, together with rest and quality guarantees, a dental tour helps to combine business with pleasure when you do not want to spend your vacation going to the doctors.
— We only work with trusted clinics, each of which provides guarantees for their work, depending on the type of service. On average, this is a year. The tour includes accommodation in the selected hotel and the cost of the booked medical services," said Ivan Bublyaev, Sales Director of the OneTouch&Travel tour operator.
The cost of a five-day tour with the installation of 24 zirconium crowns and a full range of services, including flights, insurance and hotel accommodation with meals, will average about 450 thousand rubles.
Asian countries can also offer an extensive package of dental services at reasonable prices. In recent months, Vietnam has become a real "magnet" for zoomers after videos about cheap dental treatment in local clinics started circulating on social media. In one of them, the girl said that the treatment of caries of one tooth, including anesthesia, an X-ray and the filling itself, allegedly cost her about 900 rubles.
The average cost of a dental tour to Vietnam for Russians in 2025 varies from 100,000 to 250,000 rubles. The duration of the tour is usually from five to 14 days.
China is another popular destination for dental tourism. According to Evgeny Chernyshev, president of the Association of Medical and Academic Tourism, Chinese border cities have launched "dental" bus tours aimed at medical tourists from the regions of the Far East. Travel agents from Primorye, Khabarovsk Krai, Sakhalin and Kamchatka are mainly engaged in the sale of vouchers in Heilongjiang, Hunchun and Suifenhe provinces. A seven-day package with accommodation in a four-star hotel will cost an average of 16 thousand rubles. Dental services are paid separately.
— Savings from the prices of Far Eastern dentists — one and a half times. However, the high volatility of the ruble against the yuan does not play in favor of price stability, which is why the Far East is increasingly considering China as an interesting option for dental treatment," the expert emphasized.
Savings compared to Moscow prices can reach 50%. However, according to Zalim Kudaev, low prices in most cases hide the corresponding quality.
— In our practice, patients are more often dissatisfied with the quality of services from China. We often have to redo the work. Vietnam can also be considered a discounter in the field of dental services, but similarly to China, patients receive a lot of complaints about quality," the expert noted.
Popular destinations of domestic dental tourism
Domestic dental tourism in Russia also remains relevant, especially among Muscovites. The main reason is still the same — significant savings. Patients can save hundreds of thousands of rubles on dental implants, and pay twice as much for caries treatment as in the capital.
Among the main destinations that residents of megacities choose for dental tours, experts single out the Ryazan, Vladimir, Tver, Tula and Yaroslavl regions, as well as the Krasnodar Territory, Siberia and some Ural regions. Prices for services there are on average 30-50% lower than in Moscow. This is due to lower rent and salary costs, as well as high competition among clinics.
— If we talk about "home" tourism, the largest number of requests is related to Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Tomsk and Yekaterinburg. More and more residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg prefer to have prosthetics or implants outside the metropolis - prices are lower in the regions, and the quality of work with the right choice of specialist is not inferior to the capital, — orthopedic dentist, implantologist Konstantin Prokopenko told Izvestia.
— About 15 years ago, by the efforts of the business community, Ryazan began to turn into the capital of medical tourism for residents of Moscow. If five or seven years ago the savings on dental care could have been twofold, today it is about 35%, - said Evgeny Chernyshev.
Further information: market development prospects
Over the past 10 years, the number of Russians traveling abroad for dental treatment has increased by about 2-3 times. If in 2015 the number of such tourists was estimated at about 100-150 thousand people, by 2022 this figure has increased to 300-400 thousand people. According to experts, the industry's popularity will continue to grow in the next few years.
According to Ivan Bublyaev, the demand for dental tours to Turkey in 2025 increased by about 10% compared to last year. At the same time, the number of offers is growing.
— Several applications or two dozen may be received per month. In 2024, we have significantly expanded the number of clinics where we offer dental services. If earlier it was only Antalya, now it's almost all the major cities in Turkey,— Ivan Bublyaev shared OneTouch&Travel statistics.
According to experts, by 2030, the volume of the medical tourism market in Russia may reach $7.6 billion. The demand can significantly strengthen due to the expansion of the range of dental tours and government support for the development of domestic tourism, experts say.
From false veneers to soda: which popular trends are killing teeth
On the Internet and social networks today, you can find many even more budget-friendly ways to create a dream smile. The caveat is that all of them are extremely dangerous to health. For example, you can find videos of manicurists "building up" their teeth with gel polish. The material is applied to the enamel, and then illuminated with an ultraviolet lamp so that the mixture freezes.
— Gel polish releases toxins that can lead to chemical damage to the oral mucosa and poisoning of the body as a whole. In fact, you simply "seal" the microbes that will bloom and multiply under a shell of gel polish," explained Albert Arakelyan, an orthopedist and head of the Dynasty of Doctors Orthopedic Dentistry Department.
In addition, such "fillings" are non-anatomic, and any closure disorders lead to tooth overload, enamel abrasion, and problems with the maxillary joint, explained dental surgeon Anton Khmarenko, founder of the AXdent clinic.
Another trend is related to home teeth whitening with improvised means — soda, hydrogen peroxide or activated carbon.
— The problem is that without the supervision of a specialist, it is easy to damage the enamel, burn the mucous membrane or provoke increased sensitivity of the teeth. Often after such procedures, patients turn to professionals with serious complications that require long—term and expensive treatment," said Maria Samatova, owner of the Smile Room teeth whitening clinic.
Fake braces have become unexpectedly popular among teenagers, although even 10 years ago classmates could tease for such a design in their mouths. Today, zoomers buy fashionable dental accessories on marketplaces and glue them themselves at home.
— False braces are not subject to medical certification, so you cannot be sure of their safety. The braces can fall off at any time and get, for example, into the respiratory tract or esophagus. It is also not uncommon for the structure to injure soft tissues, cause allergies and irritation of mucous membranes," explained Anton Khmarenko.
It is also dangerous to glue fake braces because they put pressure on the teeth. If there is no understanding of where this pressure is directed, you can not only displace the dentition, but also provoke the loss of molars, Albert Arakelyan added.
You can also freely purchase various aligners, false veneers and mouth guards on marketplaces, supposedly designed for dental correction. According to Sofia Bagirova, an orthodontist at the Institute of Plastic Surgery and Cosmetology, in addition to the toxic effects on the body, these gadgets can lead to incorrect tooth movement, injury, overload of the TMJ (temporomandibular joint) and the appearance of chronic pain.
In addition, the use of dental materials that are not certified in Russia may be illegal.
— The responsibility for the consequences of self-treatment performed using such materials lies entirely with the buyer. If complications arise, it will not be possible to prove the seller's guilt on the marketplace. The law on consumer protection will not be on the buyer's side," warned Vyacheslav Glukhov, chief physician of the Lucidus Dental Clinic in Taganka.
The economics of a smile: how to choose a safe and effective treatment abroad
Despite the attractive cost, dental treatment abroad can turn into serious problems in the future. Many doctors are skeptical about tours that offer to solve all dental problems in a few days at once.
— Dental tourism may seem like a convenient and cost-effective solution: vacation, sunshine and a new smile. But professionally speaking, it is impossible to perform high-quality dentistry in the format of a one-week trip. Especially when it comes to serious interventions such as implantation, prosthetics, and comprehensive rehabilitation. This is a multi—stage process that can last from several months to several years," explained Lyudmila Alexandrova, orthopedic dentist, Chief Dentist at AG-Smile.
One of the most common problems is the lack of medical supervision after treatment. People return from abroad, but after two or three weeks they may have complications: inflammation, unrecognized implants, bite problems, and incorrectly installed veneers. You have to go to the district doctor with this.
In addition, dental tourism to the southern countries looks questionable, since heat and an airplane are contraindicated during implantation.: The active sun provokes swelling and inflammation, and flights cause pressure drops, the doctor noted.
Do not forget that after a forced referral to a district doctor, a clinic in another country may refuse to guarantee.
— Warranty documents often lose their validity if it is not possible to return to this clinic for revision. There are many differences in legislation and responsibility to the patient abroad," Konstantin Prokopenko emphasized.
Given the existing risks, you should choose clinics with international certificates for treatment abroad and pay attention to reviews. In addition, it is important to request and carefully review the detailed treatment plan, specify who will carry out the procedure, as well as discuss in advance the payment system and medical support after the manipulation, Sofya Bagirova added. The better the client is informed, the more risks can be avoided during treatment abroad, the expert concluded.
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