Supporters planning to get teeth fixed between games
IRISH football fans are planning to get their teeth fixed in Poland in between watching Euro 2012 games.
Dentists in the Eastern European country have already reported a rise in enquiries from Irish fans. And they are expecting a boom in business when thousands arrive in June.
Tony Mantero, the Irish businessman who is setting up the Irish fans' village for campers in Poznan during the games, said a number of Irish people had already asked them about the possibility of having some dentistry work done.
"It's not something we were expecting but we've put them in touch with some companies here," he said.
Jorgen Petersen, who runs Medica Travel, said the majority of their customers were from Scandinavia. He works to match customers with the correct dentist -- or cosmetic surgeon.
He said his Irish customer base was less than 5pc but he expected this to expand.
The medical tourism industry is also being helped by a new initiative by the Polish government to subsidise advertising as they seek to woo customers to Poland instead of nearby Hungary.
"The standard (of treatment) is much higher than 10 years ago," said Mr Petersen.
"There is strong regulation and we fly customers back if there are any complications with their treatment."
Those who undergo treatment can also claim 20pc of the cost of their treatment back from the Irish Government by lodging the Med 1 form.
Mr Petersen said customers also travelled to Poland for breast augmentation, facelifts and tummy tucks.
Szymon Trabala, whose company MedicalTravelCenter.pl is based in Gdynia, said treatment in Poland was about five times cheaper than Ireland.
A porcelain veneer costs less than €300 in Poland while a root canal treatment costs no more then €100. Dental implants are also half the cost in Ireland at around €700.
- Edel Kennedy
Irish Independent
