Questions people actually ask us.

Can Hong Kong residents get dental treatment in Shenzhen?

Yes. Hong Kong residents and Hong Kong-based expatriates can be treated at a licensed Shenzhen clinic like any other patient. You need your travel document to cross the border, and nothing else. Enough Hongkongers now travel north for dental care that it has become an ordinary journey rather than an unusual one.

What you should think about is not whether you can, but whether the treatment is planned in a way that survives the border. Care that needs several appointments, or that might need adjusting afterwards, has to be organised around the fact that you go home at the end of the day.

How long does it take to reach the clinic from Hong Kong?

The East Rail Line runs from central Hong Kong to Lo Wu in roughly 45 to 55 minutes. Immigration usually takes ten to fifteen minutes, though a Monday morning queue can be considerably longer. From the Shenzhen side you come straight out into Luohu station, and we are a short ride away in the same district.

Allow about two hours door to door and you will not be rushing. If you are coming for a first appointment, remember that we need at least an hour with you once you arrive.

Should I cross the border for dental treatment?

That depends on what you need, and we would rather you asked the question properly than assumed the answer.

Crossing for a check-up, a cleaning or a single, contained treatment is straightforward. Crossing for complex work — implants, full-mouth rehabilitation, orthodontics — means committing to a series of appointments over months, and to travelling back if something needs adjusting. That is entirely workable, but only if you decide it with open eyes rather than discovering it halfway through.

What happens if there is a problem after I go home?

Ask this question of any clinic before you agree to treatment, and be wary if the answer is vague.

Ours: message us. We will tell you honestly whether it is something that settles on its own, something a dentist in Hong Kong can deal with, or something that needs you to come back. You leave every appointment with your clinical records and radiographs, so any dentist anywhere can pick up your case without starting again.

Do you speak English?

Yes. Between the two doctors and reception we speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Mandarin. You will not need a translation app, and you will not be handed a consent form you cannot read.

Is dental treatment cheaper in Shenzhen than in Hong Kong?

Generally yes, and that is well documented — it is the main reason the northbound trend exists.

We deliberately do not publish a price list or run comparisons, for two reasons. Prices depend on what you actually need, which nobody can know before examining you. And a clinic that leads with price is telling you what it wants you to decide on. We will give you a written estimate after your first appointment, before any treatment begins, and you are free to take it away and think about it.

Do you accept my insurance?

We do not bill insurers directly. You settle with the clinic and we give you an itemised invoice and the clinical documentation your insurer needs, so you can claim reimbursement yourself.

Bring your policy details to your first visit if you want us to make sure the paperwork is in the form your insurer asks for. Most international policies reimbursed on a receipt basis handle this without difficulty, but check your own cover before you assume it.

How can I pay?

WeChat Pay, Alipay, credit card, or international bank transfer. If you are visiting from Hong Kong and have not set up a mainland payment app, card works.

Will you tell me the cost before you start?

Always. You will have a written plan and a figure before any treatment begins. If the plan changes during treatment — occasionally it does, because something is only visible once work has started — we stop and discuss it with you rather than presenting it afterwards.

What happens at a first appointment?

Allow at least an hour. We take your medical history, examine your mouth, and do the imaging on the day: X-rays, a CT scan and a 3D scan. Then we sit down and go through what we found.

You leave with an explanation you understood, a written plan, and a cost. Nothing is treated on the first visit unless you are in pain and want it dealt with.

Why does a first visit take a whole hour?

Because a ten-minute look in your mouth cannot tell you what is happening below the gum line, and a plan built on a ten-minute look is guesswork. The imaging is what turns an opinion into a diagnosis.

It also means you are not asked to make a decision in a hurry. Most of the value of that hour is the conversation at the end of it.

Do I need an appointment?

Yes. We are open every day from 09:00 to 19:00 but we do not take walk-ins. Because a first appointment takes at least an hour, there is rarely a free slot for someone arriving unannounced, and we would rather give you the full hour than rush you through.

What should I bring?

Photo identification, a list of any medication you take, and any previous X-rays or records you have. You can email records ahead of your visit and we will look at them before you arrive.

What if I am nervous about the dentist?

Tell us before we begin — when you book, or when you sit down. It is common and you do not need to explain it.

We will talk through each step before it happens, agree a signal that stops everything immediately, and go at the pace you set. We do not promise painless treatment and sedation is not suitable for everyone, but you will always know what is happening and you can stop at any point.

Do you do implants, veneers and orthodontics?

Yes. But they come after health, function and diagnosis, not before. If you arrive asking for veneers and what you actually have is untreated gum disease, we will tell you so — treating the surface of a tooth that is not stable underneath is a waste of your money and your time.

Once the foundation is sound, we will happily discuss what you want cosmetically, and be straight with you about what it can and cannot achieve.

How do I know a treatment is really necessary?

Ask the dentist to show you. A recommendation you cannot see the evidence for is a recommendation you should question, here or anywhere.

We will show you the radiograph or the scan and point at the specific thing we are worried about. We will also tell you when something can reasonably be watched rather than treated — that is often the honest answer, and it is one you will rarely hear from a clinic that sells treatment plans.

Can I get a second opinion?

Yes, and you should, particularly if you have been given a large or expensive plan somewhere else. Bring the plan and the images. We will tell you where we agree, where we do not, and why. If we think the original plan was right, we will say that too.

Do you treat children?

Yes. A child's first appointment is usually short and involves no treatment at all — it exists so that the clinic stops being an unfamiliar place. After that we build up gradually, at a pace the child sets.

Where exactly are you?

Store 102, 1008 Hong Gui Road, Luohu District, Shenzhen — 广东省深圳市罗湖区红桂路1008号102铺. Yuanling and Laojie metro stations are both a short walk away, and there is street parking outside.

Is the clinic accessible?

We are at street level, but there are steps at the entrance and no ramp. If you use a wheelchair or find steps difficult, message us before your visit and we will meet you at the door and help you in.

What do I do in a dental emergency?

Message us on WhatsApp or WeChat and say that it is urgent. We will reply as quickly as we can and fit you in. If you are in severe pain, have significant swelling or have had a facial injury, do not wait for a reply — go to a hospital emergency department.