SINGAPORE : The perfect smile - that's what increasingly more tourists are looking for in Singapore.

The Singapore Dental Association says dental clinics here are seeing more overseas patients than before.

At a clinic at the Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, 20% of its overseas patients come specifically for dental work.

This trend started in the 1980s with many wealthy Indonesians seeking dental care in Singapore.

Now, the clinic is also getting calls from other parts of Asia and beyond.

"Increasingly we're seeing patients from Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Cambodia and as far away as North America. Just this morning, I had a patient from Vancouver," says Dr Neo Tee Khin, a dental surgeon at Henry Lee Dental Surgery.

And these patients are not just looking for a quick clean up or checkup, they are here for the whole shebang, like full mouth reconstructive work, which can cost up to S$90,000 (US$60,000).

"In terms of prices, more or less, it's the same. Some additional costs like value added taxes are higher in Europe. But I'm referring only to Western Europe. Switzerland, Germany and Austria, more or less, in terms of prices, it's the same like in Singapore," says a patient from Austria.

So what's making Singapore dentists so popular?

"Our dentists do a lot of overseas teaching. For example, we are involved in overseas conferences. And we are also represented in different organisations, like in cosmetics... And for implants, we represent Singapore in the world stage for demonstrations. So this makes the profile of dentists here higher," explains Dr Keng Mun Wong, dental surgeon ay T32 Dental Clinic.

And with the World Dental Congress meetings set to take place in Singapore in 2009, the profile of the Singapore dentist is set to rise. - CNA /ls