Medical & Dental Tourism in Romania: Everything You Need to Know

Romania has some of the lowest prices in the European Union, from cost of living to medical expenses. As a result, medical tourism and especially dental tourism is flourishing here – and I will tell you everything you need to know about it.

The best part is that the medical staff is very well trained and most places that are visited by medical tourists in the country have state of the art equipment, but prices that are half or even much lower than what you would be expected to pay in the US or other EU countries.

Yes, it is true that workers in the health industry are moving at alarming rates to other countries in Europe for better salaries and an improved quality of life, but fortunately there are still enough left to offer great services – from regular state hospitals to private ones.

Even more so, there were some recent increases of the salaries in the country, including those of the health industry professionals. As a result, fewer doctors and nurses are tempted to leave the country as soon as they can.

Either way, there are definitely ready and capable to solve problems, big or small. Combine this with the really low prices and you can easily understand why medical tourism is starting to flourish in Romania.

Now, let’s get a bit more in depth with both general medical tourism in Romania, as well as dental tourism in the country and learn the costs you should expect.

What are the costs of private medical services in Romania?

Medical Tourism in Romania - Costs

While prices will vary a lot depending on the problems you need solved and the type of clinic you choose, I can say that costs are really low in the health department, even when it comes to private clinics and hospitals.

For example, visiting a specialist doctor in a private clinic for a complete exam will cost around 50 Euros. We’re talking here about experienced doctors, with studies and even published books in their field.

Blood work is also very cheap – it starts at around €25 for some basic tests and goes up from here, but prices remain low.

An ultrasound will be around €50, for example. The entire process of giving birth here is very cheap, too: you can read my full article about giving birth at a private clinic in Romania where I share my wife’s experience.

It seems that the country is extremely popular among those looking to enhance their appearance one way or another.

Cosmetic surgeries are getting more and more popular in Romania due to their really low prices and high quality.

For example, ladies (or gentlemen) who want bigger lips will only pay around 200 Euros for a Botox treatment, while breast augmentation costs as low as 3,000 Euros.

All the prices shared above are for private clinics. I would always recommend such clinics to foreigners.

But basically, any type of intervention or investigation costs a lot less than it would in Western Europe or the US.

This is why most Romanians from abroad still come back home for medical investigations and treatment. And now other nationals are starting to take advantage of this, with medical or health tourism flourishing these days.

If you do a little bit of research online, before choosing your private clinic, you will surely find a highly skilled doctor there and you will be extremely satisfied. But do a bit of research, don’t just choose the first clinic that pops up on a Google search.

Generally, it’s safe to say that choosing a big name private clinic in one of the country’s largest cities should be the way to go (more on this a bit later).

But until then, let’s talk about one of the most popular types of medical tourism in Romania, which deserves its own chapter.

Dental tourism in Romania

Dental tourism is the most popular type of medical tourism in the country, closely followed by that for cosmetic reasons.

Prices in private Dental practices are extremely low and the quality of the procedures is usually high. As a result, dentists are extremely popular for people coming from abroad.

Even in the small city that I live in – Drobeta Turnu Severin – I know Romanians coming back just to get their teeth done.

I have friends living in Germany, the UK or France and they’re all coming here whenever they need some dental work done. Why pay 2-3 times more when you can get the same level of quality?

Dental work & implants in Romania – What are the prices?

My wife has recently had a few teeth replaced at a private clinic in Constanta. The price was 200 Euros (1,000 Lei) for two teeth.

So expect to pay anything between 100 – 500 Euros per implant, depending on the clinic you choose and the materials used.

My wife actually went to the nearest clinic to our apartment and was still extremely satisfied. So chances of having a bad experience are low, especially if you choose one of the country’s larger cities.

Other prices for those interested in dental tourism in Romania are:

  • tooth extractions: €10 – €30
  • Scaling / deep cleaning: around €45
  • Fixing a cavity / filling: around €50 per tooth

I also had some teeth replaced, several years ago, in my small home city of Drobeta Turnu Severin. It cost me 500 lei (around €100) per tooth back then and the job was done professionally. It’s been 5 years since and I have no problems with the job done.

These prices surely beat the competition in other countries and, as I have already said, the quality of the procedures is really high! Sure, prices can vary from a place to another, but not by a lot.

One of my friends from the US was joking that it would be cheaper for him to come to Romania, get all his teeth replaced (found a clinic where it would cost around €7,000 for the job), stay at a 5-star hotel for 7 nights and still end up paying A LOT less than he would in the US.

If you’re interesting of trying something like this, I have a list of the best Bucharest hotels close to the city center – this way, you can also explore the city a bit while here.

Another potential benefit for those looking to get their teeth done while in Romania is that generally, doctors here will only use local anesthetics when doing their job, so you won’t be groggy after a visit.

Best cities for medical tourism in Romania

Private hospital room

Even though every city has its fair share of skilled specialists, it’s safer and better in my opinion to stick to the larger cities that already have some sort of history with medical tourism.

Bucharest is by far the best option as it can easily be reached by plane from anywhere in the world, and being Romania’s capital has the most to offer both in terms of quality, as well as quantity.

But other large cities offer similar services as well.

Cluj Napoca, Brasov, Timisoara or Constanta can be very good destinations for those looking for getting back in shape or in tip top health without paying a fortune.

These three cities might also be a bit cheaper than Bucharest is, while the quality of the services offered will be similar if not identical.

With most of the medical tourists in the country coming from Germany, the UK and other Western European countries, we can safely say that Romania is way cheaper than most of Europe also.

During my research on this matter, I found out that similar practices (medical tourism) are happening in nearby countries as well, which are more popular simply because they are more touristy than Romania.

Hungary and Croatia seem to be Romania’s main competitors in Europe in terms of medical tourism, but they are also more expensive.

And I am tempted to think that the quality of the services provided is similar. Just a personal opinion, of course.

Conclusion

In the end, for somebody looking to get their health back in shape for a lower price than back home, it’s good to know that there are options available.

Medical tourism is a thing in Romania, and no matter if you come to get some dental work done, for cosmetic reasons or other healthcare problems, private clinics here will be cheap and offer high quality in return.

Tens of thousands of people have done it over the past few years and they had no reasons to complain afterward.

Calin
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11 thoughts on “Medical & Dental Tourism in Romania: Everything You Need to Know”

  1. Hi Calin:
    I suspected this was the case.
    Facelift and dental implants, here I come–ha, ha!
    Maybe the influx will help bring back younger medicos, too.
    Hope all is well with wife and son Romanian!
    ~Teil (USA)

    Reply
  2. Yes, my Google News aggregator recently featured the article”This Philly couple traveled to Romania for cheaper dental work. Should you, too?” The couple had so much work dental work done, they rented an apartment for a whole month and still came in far lower in total cost than they would have paid in the USA. They raved about their experience, the quality of the dentists, the modern equipment and how much they saved. The Romanian dentist claimed they used top quality dental implants from Switzerland which could be maintained by any dentist anywhere in the world. It was such a glowing article, I smelled an “infomercial” (a sales commercial disguised as information), but I think the Philadelphia Inquirer is too serious a newspaper for that. The risk, of course, is that something might go wrong at some later point, and perhaps your American dentist will demand to redo everything. I am a little surprised that Germans, U.K. citizens and other West Europeans, who must all have national health care, would come to Romania just to save money. But it would be great if medical tourism could keep some of those doctors and dentists in Romania. I saw a documentary on retirement homes for West Europeans who were being placed in Polish assisted living facilities. Come to think of it, I saw a show about young people who couldn’t get into German medical schools and were going to a medical school in Hungary where all the classes were taught in German. Those are two more areas for Romania to branch out in!

    Reply
    • Yes, there are always risks associated to doing this, especially when dental work is involved. I remember that back when we traveled to Turkey, our guide told us that it’s possible to make “minor” arrangements with doctors there to get some minor cosmetic surgery done – they would then file the procedure in such a way that it would be the insurance company that would pay for it. I’m not sure if that can be done in Romania or if that’s still the case in Turkey, but there will always be ways to game the system. So surely the German and Western European citizens who do this kind of work in Romania have something to gain out of this.

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  3. Stuart, the couple in that story (the wife at least) has been an online friend for a few years and it is a solidly true story. I totally cracked up when l read it as l was nodding. I had contemplated doing the same on our visit to Bucharest recently. We peeked in at a few dental offices and were impressed. My brother got several implants a couple of years ago after his stomach surgery and l was going to get dental work done too. Even if something goes wrong, it would still be cheaper to fly back than to do it in the U.S. I have friends who regularly go to Prague for their dental work and checkups too. When l still lived in the U.S and worked as a pharmacist, we had quite a few of insured patients whose insurance companies paid for their overseas surgeries and recovery which was still less than if done in the U.S. The dental work needed is 30 euro per cavity in Spain and that’s without insurance so we will be doing it there, otherwise we would gladly do a return trip to Bucharest since we really liked it :-).

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    • Well, with an endorsement like that I just can’t go wrong in Romania! Thanks for the advice. I can’t wait to need some dental work…

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  4. Not a dental tourist, but I have a relatable story:

    Recently, I had dental bridge work back in the US. Even with insurance, the total was well in excess of $3,000. Right after arriving in Brasov, however, I lost a crown on another tooth. Not knowing what to do, I literally crossed the street from my apartment to visit the dental office I had seen there. No recommendations regarding his prices or workmanship. Ends up, he’s been fantastic for both my wife and me. Honestly, he’s an artist… and speaks English! He sent me to a specialist for a high-tech x-ray/scan of all my teeth. This service cost me the equivalent of $10. It seems that the reason that I lost the crown was because the tooth under it had developed a pretty bad cavity and I came close to losing it. The dentist was sure, however, that he could save the tooth by performing a pretty extensive root canal, and did! Next to this tooth I had a gap where I lost a baby tooth only a few years ago. We decided it was appropriate to correct this with a bridge. Although he did offer a less extensive option, I chose having it done the best way for the long run. He prepped the tooth with the root canal and another tooth from which to suspend the bridge. He then made a cast, formed a temporary crown for the good tooth, and then sent away for the permanent bridge. I’ll be receiving this tomorrow. The cost for all of this is about $400. I’m ecstatic with both price and quality so far. BTW… did I mention he’s painless!!!

    Reply
    • Happy to hear that the good experiences are still coming in here in Romania. You were a bit lucky to find such a good dentist without asking around, but I am happy you did. It proves that we still have some really qualified people here in Romania.

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    • Could you tell me the name/adress of this dentist in Brasov? I need to go there and I need some dental work to be done

      Tank you

      Daniëlla

      Reply
  5. I visited a Dentist in Bucharest. The office was nice with modern equipment. The Dentist and attendant were English speakers. I actually had a good time which is rare at the Dentist for me. Interestingly enough it was called the German dentist probably to attract some of those German dental tourists

    Reply
    • Many people in Romania consider anything related to / made in Germany very high quality, so that could be another explanation. Either way, I am happy to hear that you had a pleasant experience there.

      Reply

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