Anthony Hook is sitting in a dentist's chair, grinning toothily into a handheld mirror.
asserted
Hook → sit → mirror
He has been asked to pose for photos showing off his new smile – and he is only too happy to oblige.
asserted
he → ask → smile
But it would be a fitting slogan as Albania moves decisively into the medical tourism business.
asserted
Albania → move → business
And once you spot the first tooth, you start seeing them everywhere.
asserted
you → spot → them
They seem to be all over the city centre.
asserted
They → seem → centre
Rest assured, these are not the physical remains from a night out that ended in a punch up.
asserted
that → rest → punch
Rather, they are the kind of larger than life-size illuminated molar that – in these parts at least – advertise that a dental clinic is not too far away.
asserted
clinic → illuminate → parts
In Tirana's metropolitan area alone, there are almost four hundred dental clinics – and most of them are in the city centre.
asserted
most → be → centre
So, it is not surprising that dozens of dentists are now targeting customers from further afield.
asserted
dozens → target → customers
They have set up websites and signage in English and Italian, as well as Albanian.
asserted
They → set → English
Dental implants in Albania are typically around €600 ($700; £516) per tooth, similar in price to what is charged in Turkey, which has long been the main overseas destination for people in western Europe who are seeking much cheaper dental work than they can get at home.
asserted
they → charge → home
The same treatment in the UK, France or German can easily cost four times as much.
asserted
treatment → cost → times
He made his first visit to Tirana to watch England's footballers play Albania last year – but then found himself intrigued by all the signs for dentists.
asserted
himself → make → dentists
That nudged him into doing something about his missing teeth.
asserted
That → nudge → teeth
He thought he'd go to Albania rather than Turkey, because he was concerned by media coverage of dental or hair transplant work in Turkey that had gone wrong.
asserted
that → think → Turkey
In fact, even the UK Foreign Office warns that it is "aware of seven British nationals having died in Turkey in 2025 following medical procedures".
asserted
nationals → warn → procedures
It adds that "some British nationals have also experienced complications [after surgery in Turkey], and needed further treatment or surgery following their procedure."
asserted
nationals → add → procedure
Hook says he wouldn't go to Turkey "because I have heard so many bad things", adding that he investigated thoroughly before taking the plunge in Tirana.
"
asserted
he → say → Tirana
I went onto the internet and looked into it properly.
asserted
I → go → it
It took me two days to research it because I'm not one for jumping into anything."
asserted
I → take → anything
Several return trips later, Anthony now has a mouthful of impressive implants – and, unsurprisingly, he is all smiles.
asserted
he → have → implants
"I'd come here once a month for a holiday if I could," he chuckles.
uncertain
he → come → holiday
It is fully licensed by the Albanian health authorities – and so are all of its 15 resident dentists.
asserted
all → license → dentists
The man who runs the place, Ardtur Dema, says he is "not in favour of damaging proper teeth for aesthetics".
asserted
he → run → aesthetics
Instead he says the priority is "changing people's lives" through restoring their ability to chew, and indeed – to smile.
asserted
priority → say → ability
Dema believes that as long as Albania remains outside the EU, prices for treatment are likely to remain low.
asserted
prices → believe → treatment
At the same time, low-cost airlines have greatly expanded their flight network to and from Tirana, meaning that he is as likely to see a patient from Turin as he is from Tirana.
asserted
he → expand → Tirana
But Dema is concerned that the explosion of tourism could lead to less scrupulous operators ruining the business for everyone.
uncertain
operators → lead → everyone
He is a member of the newly-established Albanian Medical Tourism Association – but many others are not, at least not yet.
asserted
others → establish → Association
Albania's Prime Minister, Edi Rama, tells the BBC that the government is playing catch-up after five years that have seen overall international arrivals to Albania more than double.
asserted
arrivals → tell → Albania
Some sort of official seal of approval for medical tourism facilities is a possibility – but the government has yet to sort out the details.
asserted
government → have → details
"It's a new industry that is within the tourism industry umbrella that is showing a big potential and where there are very good people," says Rama.
asserted
Rama → show → potential
He adds that the government wants to help all the reputable providers "survive", and to guard against any informal "bad competition".
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providers → add → competition
Along with dental treatments, some visitors to Albania are starting to think "hairline" as well as "coastline".
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visitors → start → hairline
Some transplant clinics are employing Turkish specialists – others are actually branches of businesses based in Turkey.
asserted
others → employ → Turkey
Sales specialist and health consultant Ayşe Mina Kasemi describes the business as a "global brand", with 15 clinics across a number of countries.
asserted
Kasemi → describe → countries
That scale, she suggests, makes it "a safe place to trust" for the international patients arriving for treatment.
uncertain
it → suggest → treatment
Besides that, Ayşe notes, Albania has its own appeal.
asserted
Albania → note → appeal
"When people decide to have a hair transplant operation here in Albania, they also want to have a holiday here, because Albania is a very beautiful place," she says, while adding a note of caution for hair transplant patients.
asserted
she → decide → patients
"For the first two or three days, they have to be careful – they are not allowed to be exposed to the sun.
asserted
they → have → sun
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
