Anthony Hook is sitting in a dentist's chair, grinning toothily into a handheld mirror. He has been asked to pose for photos showing off his new smile – and he is only too happy to oblige. The 58-year-old window cleaner from Bolton, in Greater Manchester, is the proud owner of a sparkling new set of "Tirana teeth".
That is not a brand name – at least, not yet. But it would be a fitting slogan as Albania moves decisively into the medical tourism business. Tirana, its capital city, is the focus of operations.
And once you spot the first tooth, you start seeing them everywhere. They seem to be all over the city centre. Rest assured, these are not the physical remains from a night out that ended in a punch up.
Rather, they are the kind of larger than life-size illuminated molar that – in these parts at least – advertise that a dental clinic is not too far away. In Tirana's metropolitan area alone, there are almost four hundred dental clinics – and most of them are in the city centre. That's more than enough for a population of around 600,000 people.
So, it is not surprising that dozens of dentists are now targeting customers from further afield. They have set up websites and signage in English and Italian, as well as Albanian. Dental implants in Albania are typically around €600 ($700; £516) per tooth, similar in price to what is charged in Turkey, which has long been the main overseas destination for people in western Europe who are seeking much cheaper dental work than they can get at home.
The same treatment in the UK, France or German can easily cost four times as much. For Hook the appeal was irresistible. He made his first visit to Tirana to watch England's footballers play Albania last year – but then found himself intrigued by all the signs for dentists.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
