Independent Australian research
Two treatments. Both expensive, both irreversible, neither covered by Medicare. We publish what they actually cost in Australia, what they cost in Vietnam, and — for your case specifically — whether the difference is worth travelling for.
The short answer: a single implant rarely justifies the trip — two visits months apart consume most of the saving. Full-arch implant work and veneer cases usually do, and veneers finish in one trip. See where the line falls ↓
Start here
Everything on this site sits under one of these two. Pick the one you’re facing and we’ll take you through cost, clinical suitability, timing and where to have it done.
A titanium fixture placed in the jaw, topped with a crown or a full-arch bridge. The most durable way to replace missing teeth — and the most involved.
Thin porcelain or composite facings bonded to the front of your teeth to change colour, shape and proportion. Fast, transformative — and it permanently alters healthy enamel.
The numbers
Australian dentistry is expensive for structural reasons — no Medicare cover for adults, deregulated fees, and small specialist cohorts. That gap is real. Whether it’s worth anything to you depends on what you need done.
| Treatment | Australia | Vietnam | Gap | Trips |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental implants | ||||
| Single tooth implant | $4,500–$6,500 | $1,200–$2,500 | 60–75% | 2 |
| Multiple teeth (2–6) | $9,000–$20,000 | $2,800–$7,000 | 60–70% | 2 |
| All-on-4, one arch | $23,000–$38,000 | $7,000–$14,000 | 60–70% | 2 |
| Full mouth, both arches | $45,000–$120,000 | $13,000–$32,000 | 65–75% | 2 |
| Smile makeovers | ||||
| Composite veneer, per tooth | $400–$900 | $80–$250 | ~75% | 1 |
| Porcelain veneer, per tooth | $1,400–$2,500 | $250–$600 | 70–80% | 1 |
| Smile makeover, 8–10 units | $12,000–$30,000 | $2,500–$8,000 | 70–80% | 1 |
| Full makeover, 16–20 units | $28,000–$50,000 | $6,000–$13,000 | 70–80% | 1 |
Ranges reflect quoted prices, not a single average, and vary with implant system, prosthesis material, provider type and whether extractions, grafting or sedation are included. Always check what a quote excludes. How we compile these figures · Model your own all-in cost
The part nobody else publishes
A clinic’s answer is always yes. Your dentist’s answer is always no. Here is what happens when you count flights, accommodation, a second trip, time off work, and the cost of fixing a failure at Australian rates.
Implants need two trips separated by three to six months of healing. Two return airfares and roughly twelve days away absorb almost the whole saving on a single tooth. Have it done at home.
The gap on a full arch is large enough that two trips barely dent it. On both arches the difference typically runs past $25,000 even after every travel cost is counted.
Veneers complete in a single trip of one to two weeks — no osseointegration wait, no return flight. From about four units the economics work comfortably.
Break-even shifts with where you fly from. Perth and Darwin reach Vietnam cheaply; Hobart and regional Australia less so. Run the numbers for your own city.
Wherever you land
Most people arrive here deciding between them. Sending you down one path and abandoning the other would make this site useless to half its readers.
Where to have it done near you, what it should cost, and how to pay for it.
Six cities, verified clinics, and an honest account of what can go wrong.
How we assess a case
Price is the last of them, not the first. A cheap plan that fails these checks is not cheap — it is a deposit on a revision you will pay Australian rates for.
Implants need bone and healthy gums. Veneers need enough enamel — and if your teeth are crowded, orthodontics should come first. The wrong treatment done well is still the wrong treatment.
An implant is a fixture, an abutment and a crown. Plenty of quotes cover only the first. We itemise what belongs in a complete quote so you can see what’s missing from yours.
Implant systems not listed on the ARTG can be difficult to service here. That surfaces in year five, not week five. We publish which systems are listed and which aren’t.
Flights, accommodation, a second trip, days of leave, and the probability of revision priced at Australian rates. Only then is the comparison real.
Go deeper
Against our own interest
We earn nothing when you decide not to proceed. We publish these anyway, because a site that only ever says yes isn’t worth reading.
Common questions
The implant fixture has to fuse with the jawbone — osseointegration — before it can carry a permanent crown. That takes three to six months for most patients and cannot be shortened. A clinic offering a complete implant with a permanent crown inside one short trip is either fitting a temporary restoration, which is legitimate but must be disclosed, or loading the implant before it is ready, which is not.
Porcelain veneers usually require removing 0.3–0.7mm of enamel, and enamel does not grow back. Once prepared, the tooth needs a restoration permanently. Done conservatively that is a reasonable trade for a durable result. Done aggressively — usually to force a bigger change in shape or alignment than veneers can deliver — it can compromise the pulp and lead to root canal treatment on teeth that were healthy. Ask how many millimetres are coming off before you consent.
Partly, for implants, if you hold major dental cover — but annual limits are commonly $800–$2,500, well below the cost of a single implant, and waiting periods for major dental are typically twelve months. Veneers are usually excluded outright as cosmetic. Where treatment can be staged across two membership years, using two annual limits instead of one is often worth several thousand dollars.
Australian regulators have no jurisdiction over overseas providers, and Australian Consumer Law generally doesn’t extend to services delivered abroad. Travel insurance almost universally excludes planned dental treatment. Australian dentists will treat acute pain and infection, but many decline to take over management of complex overseas work, and they’re entitled to. A well-chosen provider reduces this risk substantially; nothing eliminates it. Price the revision in before you decide.
When a reader requests a quote, we hand that enquiry to SmileJet’s verified clinic network. That’s our commercial relationship and we disclose it on every page carrying a quote button. Editorially we stay on the patient’s side: we publish failure rates, revision costs, and the cases where travelling is the wrong call — including the one directly above this section.
Every page making a clinical claim is reviewed by an AHPRA-registered dental practitioner before publication, and re-reviewed annually.
Figures come from quoted prices, published as ranges with the date attached — never a single number presented as the price. Methodology
We don’t rate or rank individual practitioners or clinics. Advertising rules for regulated health services prohibit it, and it would make us worse at this anyway.
Found something wrong? Tell us and we’ll fix it, dated and noted. [email protected]
Disclosure: clinic data and quote comparisons are powered by SmileJet’s verified clinic network, which pays us when a reader requests a quote. General information only — not a diagnosis, not personal clinical advice, and no treatment outcome is guaranteed. Speak with a registered dental practitioner about your own case.
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