Pensioner makes 2,000 mile trip for dentistry (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Pensioner makes 2,000 mile trip for dentistry

9:32am Friday 19th October 2007 in

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A pensioner travelled more than 2,000 miles on a round trip across Europe to get his teeth fixed, after his dentist went private.

Colin Foster headed from Bardsea to Budapest after discovering his dental work would cost less than half what it would at home.

Armed with the results of a national survey, which found six per cent of English patients had resorted to home dentistry, campaigners in the Lake District are urging health bosses to plough money into NHS surgeries, to prevent the area's dental drought from worsening.

Retired Mr Foster, 69, became one of an increasing number that head abroad for oral work after his NHS dentist went private and he was quoted thousands of pounds for work on a single tooth.

He has just returned from his third trip to Hungary, with nearly £2,000 of dental work to show for his travels, including an implant, two replacement crowns and two new crowns.

For full story see the October 19 edition of The Westmorland Gazette.