How do I find a dentist when I move to Dubai?
When you move to Dubai, bring copies of your recent dental X-rays and treatment notes, check what dental cover your employer's health insurance includes, and confirm any dentist you consider is licensed in the Dubai Health Authority directory. Book a check-up in your first few months rather than waiting for a problem. At Creative Arts in Jumeirah, a first visit includes an examination, X-rays where needed and a written plan before any treatment.
Who treats you here Dr. Duaa Ameen General Dentist · Dr. Khalid Saeed Co-founder & Dentist · Dr. Marina Antoniuk Dentist
Every dentist’s licence can be checked on the DHA Sheryan medical directory.
What should you bring from your dentist at home?
The most useful thing you can carry to Dubai is your dental history. A new dentist who can compare today's X-rays with ones taken two years ago can tell whether a shadow is new decay or an old, stable finding, which often decides between monitoring a tooth and treating it. Without that comparison, the safe choice is sometimes more treatment than you need.
Ask your current dentist for copies before you leave, ideally as digital files rather than prints. Most clinics can email them. If you have had major work, ask specifically for the details that are hard to recover later, such as the make and size of any dental implant, which a future dentist needs to source matching parts, and the material of your crowns or veneers.
Which dental records matter most, and why?
A checklist to send to your current dentist before you move. Not everyone will have every item.
| Record | Why your new dentist needs it |
|---|---|
| Recent X-rays (digital files) | Shows whether decay, bone levels or root-canal-treated teeth have changed over time |
| Treatment notes for the last few years | Explains what was done to which tooth, and anything planned but not started |
| Implant card or implant details | The manufacturer, system and size are needed to repair or replace an implant crown later |
| Orthodontic records and retainer | Your final position and retainer plan; a replacement retainer is far easier with scans or models |
| Gum (periodontal) charts | Pocket depths over time show whether gum disease is stable or progressing |
| Medical history, medicines and allergies | Some medicines and conditions change how dental treatment is planned |
| Children's records | Fluoride, sealants and any orthodontic monitoring already under way |
If your records are in another language, bring them anyway. X-rays need no translation, and the dentist will tell you if anything else is needed.
How does dental insurance work for new residents in Dubai?
Health insurance is compulsory in Dubai. Under the emirate's health insurance law, employers must enrol their employees and cover the cost, and sponsors must insure the family members they sponsor. What the law sets is a minimum basic package; employers can add more, and dental benefits vary widely between plans. Some include routine check-ups and fillings, some cover only emergency dental care, and many exclude cosmetic treatment and implants.
When your insurance card arrives, read the dental section of the table of benefits before booking: the annual dental limit, any co-payment, whether pre-approval is needed and which clinics are in the network. Our guide to dental insurance in Dubai explains these terms. Ask the clinic when you book whether your plan can be used there, and whether you will be billed directly or claim the cost back yourself.
How can you check that a dentist in Dubai is licensed?
Dentists in Dubai must hold a licence from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), or from the separate regulator if they work in the Dubai Healthcare City free zone. The DHA publishes a searchable directory of licensed professionals and facilities. The licence category also matters: a general dentist and a specialist, such as an orthodontist, are licensed for different scopes of practice.
Our step-by-step guide on how to check a dentist's DHA licence walks through the search. For the wider question of what to compare between clinics, such as written plans, who makes your crowns and how cases are explained, see how to choose a dental clinic in Dubai.
What if you move to Dubai in the middle of dental treatment?
Treatment that is half-finished is the most common problem new arrivals bring to a first appointment. What helps depends on the stage you are at.
| Treatment under way | What to do before you move | What to expect in Dubai |
|---|---|---|
| Braces or clear aligners | Ask your orthodontist for records, the treatment plan, current wire or aligner number and an estimate of the remaining time | A specialist orthodontist reviews the case; the plan may be continued, adjusted or, if the system differs, restarted |
| Dental implant placed, crown not yet fitted | Ask for the implant details and the date it was placed | The dentist checks healing with an X-ray, then plans the crown with matching components |
| Root canal started but not finished | Finish it before moving if possible; if not, ask what was done and which temporary filling was placed | Complete the treatment soon; a temporary filling is not designed to last for months |
| Temporary crown or veneers | Avoid moving with temporaries in place if you can | The case may need a new impression or scan, because the original lab work cannot always be transferred |
| Gum treatment | Ask for your latest gum charts | A new baseline is recorded and maintenance continues on a set interval |
Each clinic and laboratory works differently, so a plan started elsewhere is reassessed rather than copied unchanged.
Make a dental emergency plan in your first week
Save your dentist's phone and WhatsApp numbers, opening hours and address before you need them. Creative Arts is open every day from 10:00 to 20:00 and is not a 24-hour clinic. In the UAE the ambulance number is 998. Facial swelling with fever, difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading towards the eye or neck, bleeding that will not stop, or a head or face injury needs a hospital emergency department, not a dental clinic.
How do you choose where your family will see a dentist?
Most families end up choosing a clinic they can reach easily from home or work, because a care plan only works if you keep the appointments. Beyond that, a few questions are specific to people who have just arrived:
- Languages. Ask which dentists speak your language, especially for children or anxious family members. Creative Arts serves patients in English and Arabic; ask when booking if you need another language.
- Children. Check that the clinic sees children and how it introduces young patients to treatment. Our children's dentistry page explains our approach.
- Opening hours. The working week and school hours may differ from what you are used to. Weekend and evening availability matters if you cannot take time off.
- Who does what. Ask whether specialist care, such as orthodontics, is available in the same clinic or by referral.
- How costs are explained. A written, itemised plan before treatment lets you compare and claim from insurance.
What will your first check-up in Dubai involve?
Treat the first appointment as a baseline rather than a quick look. The dentist reviews the records you brought, examines teeth, gums and bite, and takes new X-rays only where your existing ones are missing or out of date. You should leave knowing what is healthy, what needs watching and what, if anything, needs treatment, with the reasons. Our guide to your first dental visit explains each step.
A new climate and routine can change things. Many people drink more sweetened coffee, juices or energy drinks in the first months, and small changes like that show up as new decay at the next check-up. Mention any changes in diet or habits, and ask how often your recall visits should be; the interval should depend on your own risk, not a fixed rule.
Recently moved to Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim or nearby? See what our clinic at 614 Jumeira St offers new patients, from check-ups and children's care to specialist orthodontics.
Our Jumeirah clinicWhat should you be cautious about as a newcomer?
New arrivals are a natural audience for advertising, and Dubai has many dental offers. Be wary of a large treatment plan presented at a first visit to someone who has had no problems, of pressure to decide on the day, and of prices quoted before anyone has examined you. None of these is proof of a problem, but each is a reason to slow down. If a plan surprises you, our guide to getting a second opinion explains how to compare advice fairly.
Equally, do not let the move become a reason to postpone care that was already due. Small problems in a new country tend to surface at inconvenient moments, and the first months are often the easiest time to deal with them.