Many people are arriving in Syria these days for “dental medical tourism” — seeking affordable dental treatments. Jews who left Syria during the years of civil war and are now returning for visits are also choosing to combine dental care with their trips. Dental tourism in Syria is not new, but the patients have changed along with the country’s transformation over the years. During the rule of Bashar Assad, many Shiites, Iranians and Iraqis arrived for treatment. Now, in the “new Syria” under President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, they are no longer welcome. Syria’s dental tourism industry is looking toward a different future and new clients.
Rita Badran, a fifth-year dental student in Syria and a tour guide in the country, told ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth that Syrian doctors, not only in dentistry, have enjoyed a strong reputation going back decades. They have established hospitals around the world and treated patients from various countries. “Families want to raise their children to become doctors or engineers,” she said.
Gallery
Rita Badran, a fifth-year dental student in Syria and a tour guide in the country
(Photo: Personal album)
According to Badran, the medical sector deteriorated during former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s rule and was completely neglected during the civil war. The war, she said, disconnected Syria from the rest of the world. Many doctors who had money and the ability to do so left to work abroad. Others, who were unable to leave for various reasons, remained in the country and continued practicing, maintaining strong skills and training while charging low prices. She said that during the Assad regime, waves of Shiites, Iranians and Iraqis arrived in Syria for dental treatments.
“They were everywhere. The Sayyida Zeinab area in Damascus was full of Iranian and Iraqi Shiites. They came in huge numbers because it was very cheap. You can get a Hollywood smile for less than $1,000 (about 3,000 shekels). They came to get perfect smiles and undergo all the procedures here. Many also married Syrian women so they could continue returning. Assad’s regime made it easier for them because they were his allies. Russians could also gain access,” she said.
'You can get a Hollywood smile for less than $1,000'
(Photo: Personal album)
Regarding the civil war years, she added: “During the war, everything was extremely neglected. There were no supplies for performing surgeries. But I believe that the greater the challenge, the greater the experience gained. Doctors received hundreds upon hundreds of wounded people from attacks during the war. They treated them, closed their wounds and did everything with extremely limited supplies. That is how they gained more and more experience.”
'Better without them'
According to Badran, after the war and Assad’s fall, many clinics closed, partly because the Iraqi and Iranian Shiite patients stopped coming — but that was preferable. “There isn’t much work for dentists or doctors here in Syria because salaries are low. It is not a crisis, but Syria is still not open to the world and people are afraid to come. Syrians do come here, those who have family in Syria or who know the quality of Syrian dentists. I sometimes post pictures of my work on my story, and people are surprised and ask if they can come and whether I can fix their teeth,” she said.
'The country is recovering'. President Ahmed al-Sharaa
(Photo: AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
She added: “The country is recovering. It will improve in the right direction. Patients from around the world should receive treatment in Syria because it is affordable and of good quality. The Iranians or Iraqi Shiites could enter Syria and receive the best treatment, but people died because of them. Now, even if dentists and doctors do not have enough foreign patients, at least there are no longer militias from Iran inside Syria.”
In her free time, Badran also provides free dental treatments to patients in need. “Unfortunately, there are many people in Syria who cannot afford a dentist,” she said.
'Unfortunately, there are many people in Syria who cannot afford a dentist'
(Photo: Personal album)
Among the dental patients currently visiting Syria are members of the Jewish community who no longer live in the country but return occasionally for visits. This was told to ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth by Bachor Simantov, one of the last remaining members of Damascus’ Jewish community.
According to him, most Jewish community members come to Syria for “implants and dental repairs, tourism and memories.” He added: “Syria is cheaper than anywhere else in the world when it comes to dental implants and dentistry.”
He also described other sites Jewish visitors go to during their trips: “They go to the Semiramis Hotel, which opened part of its kitchen to prepare kosher meat so they can eat. They go to the Jewish Quarter to remember the past and pray at the synagogue, and they visit the cemetery to pay respects to those who passed away. They also renew their passports and of course I accompany them.”