Emergency SupportWhat Happens If Something Goes Wrong, In India or Back Home

The governing principle

You are more than 7,400 kilometres from home. Something does not go according to plan, whether that is a clinical complication at the implant site, a non-dental medical issue, a flight disruption, a stolen passport, or anything else. The question you ask yourself is: *« À qui j'appelle ? Qu'est-ce qui se passe maintenant ? Est-ce que je suis seul ? »*

This page answers all three. It is written for French patients because the protocols, the escalation pathways, and the insurance interfaces are specific to the French context. If you are a French patient and you read nothing else, read this page. If you are a family member of a French patient who is currently in Hyderabad, bookmark this page and keep the numbers on the fridge.

The three phases of emergency support

Our emergency protocols break into three phases corresponding to where you are geographically:

Each phase has its own procedures. We go through them in order.

Phase 1: Emergency support before travel

Pre-travel dental emergency

If you develop an acute dental issue (fractured tooth, acute infection, severe pain) after you have booked your Stunning Dentistry treatment but before you travel, call your French home dentist first (for immediate stabilisation) and your SD coordinator second (to adjust the treatment plan and timeline if needed). We can almost always accommodate a pre-travel clinical event; your treatment plan may shift by a few weeks and we handle the paperwork.

Pre-travel non-dental emergency

If you have a medical issue unrelated to dentistry that requires postponement (a scheduled surgery, a new diagnosis, an acute event in a family member), your SD coordinator handles:

• Rebooking your travel (flights, hotel).
• Re-issuing your India e-Medical Visa with updated dates (the Bureau of Immigration accommodates date changes on e-MED visas up to six months out from original date).
• Holding your treatment slot for up to 9 months without re-quoting.
• Updating the clinical team so the plan remains current.

No penalty is charged.

Cancellation

If you decide not to proceed, the 10% deposit is refundable in full up to 60 days before your first travel date. After 60 days, 50% is refundable up to 30 days before travel. Within 30 days, the deposit is non-refundable but is credited against any future treatment for up to 3 years.

Phase 2: Emergency support during treatment in Hyderabad

The 24/7 emergency line

The coordinator for your case gives you three phone numbers on day one of your first visit:

1. The direct coordinator mobile, answered within 4 rings during waking hours, within 15 minutes overnight.

2. The clinic emergency line, answered by the on-call clinician 24/7.

3. The Stunning Dentistry operations director mobile, used if both of the above are unreachable for any reason (this has happened once, due to a local mobile network outage).

All three numbers are printed on a plastic wallet card that we give you at hotel check-in. Keep it in your wallet.

Four categories of Hyderabad emergency

Category A: Dental clinical emergency

• Post-operative bleeding that does not stop with 20 minutes of pressure
• Severe post-operative pain not controlled by prescribed analgesia
• Rapid swelling of face or neck
• High fever (>38.9°C) after dental surgery
• Loss of a provisional bridge
• Loss of an implant within 48 hours of placement (rare)

Response: call the clinic emergency line. A clinician is at the hotel within 45 minutes during the night, within 30 minutes during the day, or you are collected and taken to the clinic if that is clinically preferable. No charge for after-hours call-out.

Category B: Non-treatment dental issue

• A tooth on the unoperated side becomes painful
• A routine post-operative concern (swelling, stitching question)
• A medication side-effect question

Response: call the coordinator. Triaged within 30 minutes; clinician contact within 2 hours.

Category C: Non-dental medical emergency

Chest pain, stroke symptoms, severe asthma, anaphylaxis, unexplained severe pain, any acute medical issue unrelated to dental treatment.

Response: call the coordinator OR dial 108 (India emergency number for ambulance). Do not drive yourself. We have pre-existing patient-reception agreements with three Hyderabad hospitals:

• AIG Hospitals, Gachibowli, gastroentérologie, cardiologie, médecine générale; our primary medical partner.
• Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, full multi-specialty; 24/7 emergency department; 15 minutes from all partner hotels.
• KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad, cardiologie et neurologie specialty; 25 minutes from partner hotels.

All three accept international health insurance including French assurance voyage policies with international travel riders. You do not need to pay upfront; your SD coordinator meets you at the hospital, handles admission, liaises with your French travel insurance provider, and translates any clinical communication where needed.

Category D: Non-medical emergency

Lost passport, stolen wallet, stolen phone, family emergency back home, a natural or civil disruption that requires urgent evacuation.

Response: call the coordinator. We have direct contacts at:

• Ambassade de France en Inde, New Delhi, 2/50-E Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021; +91 11 4319 6100; urgence consulaire 24/7 +91 98711 39300.
• Consulat Général de France à Bombay (Mumbai), Wockhardt Towers, East Wing, 5th Floor, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai 400051; +91 22 6669 4000. (Hyderabad falls under the Bombay consular district for most services.)
• Consulat Général de France à Bangalore, Prestige Nebula, 1st Floor, 8-14 Cubbon Road, Bangalore 560001; +91 80 6170 0750. (Closer to Hyderabad than Mumbai; useful for some document services.)
• Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires Étrangères, Centre de Crise et de Soutien, +33 1 53 59 11 10 (24/7 from anywhere in the world).
• Fil d'Ariane (registre des voyageurs MEAE), we recommend all French patients register before travel: pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fildariane.
• A travel replacement assistance network for emergency funds, emergency flight rebooking, hotel rebooking, and logistics.

For a lost passport, emergency replacement is typically issued within 2–3 working days via the Mumbai or Bangalore consulate (for passport emergencies, Bangalore is often closer in practice). We escort you to the consulate and translate as needed. A laissez-passer (emergency travel document) can be issued in 24 hours for urgent cases.

French travel insurance: what we recommend

We do not sell travel insurance and we receive no referral fees from any insurer. What we recommend to French patients is:

• A travel insurance policy with medical evacuation coverage (minimum €200,000 evacuation; we suggest €500,000+ for patients aged 65+).
• Coverage that explicitly includes the country of India and dental treatment specifically.
• A policy length covering both your India trip and the first 14 days post-return.

Providers French patients commonly use include: Chapka Assurances, April International, AVI International, Europ Assistance, ACS Assurance Voyage, Mondial Assistance, AXA Assistance, Allianz Travel, Mutuaide, ADAR Voyage, Mondial Assistance.

What to check before you buy:

• Is rapatriement sanitaire included and what is the limit?
• Is there a plafond on per-incident outpatient medical expenses?
• Does the policy cover affections préexistantes (important for patients with managed chronic conditions)? Most French insurers require a declaration and may charge a modest premium adjustment.
• Does the policy cover you for the dental treatment specifically, or only for non-dental emergencies during the trip?
• Does the policy cover a travelling companion (couple, famille)?
• What is the franchise (excess)?

We have processed insurance claims with most major French travel insurers. In our experience, Chapka and April International have been the most efficient on post-return claim reimbursements; both typically close out a claim within 20 French business days of submission.

A note on reciprocal healthcare agreements: France does not have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with India. The Carte Européenne d'Assurance Maladie (CEAM) does not cover you in India. A travel insurance policy is essential, not optional.

What we will never do in an emergency

• Tell you to handle it yourself because it is outside our scope.
• Charge for after-hours clinical response during your Hyderabad stay.
• Transfer you to a generic call centre queue.
• Refuse to speak to a family member in France who is worried about you.
• Make you wait until the next French business day for something that is time-critical.

The 24/7 emergency line is staffed by real people, with real authority to dispatch a clinician to your hotel, send a driver to the airport, or call an ambulance on your behalf.

Sources: Ambassade de France en Inde and Centre de Crise et de Soutien MEAE contact details April 2026; pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr Fil d'Ariane registration guidance; French travel insurance market review April 2026 (Chapka, April International, AVI International, Europ Assistance, ACS, Mondial Assistance, AXA Assistance, Allianz Travel, Mutuaide, ADAR Voyage); Stunning Dentistry 24/7 emergency line audit Q1 2026; Stunning Dentistry French patient emergency case records 2021–2026 (6 events across 47 completed cases).