Dental tourism refers to traveling abroad in an effort to reduce costs spent on dental care in one’s home country. This practice emerged as prices of dental care became increasingly prohibitive, in several Western countries such as Canada, the US, and much of Europe. While there are, of course, some risks associated with the practice of traveling in search of better teeth, there are a host of benefits too.
What Are the Main Benefits to Heading Out of the Country for Dental Work?
Naturally, the main driver for the rise of dental tourism is the fact that it is so much cheaper than what tourists are used to paying for services such as crowns, implants or other major cosmetic undertakings. Should you need a bunch of crowns done, for example, booking a trip to Mexico, Costa Rica or India, Thailand or Hungary may actually shorten the wait time of getting the care you need. Just take a look at this cost breakdown of dental implants by country, which almost stands alone in proving the benefits of dental tourism.
Additionally, consumers may be more satisfied with the level of service they receive. Many dental vacations come with a number of benefits like free airfare or discounted hotel rates. Plus, providers need to compete for business and may offer a higher end experience to those paying for work.
How Has Dental Tourism Helped People Needing Dental Services?
Well, taking care of one’s teeth is key in maintaining long term health. And as a result, lowering the cost barrier to dental services enables people to stave off things like risk of heart attack or stroke, or in the case of rheumatoid arthritis patients, lessens further joint pain caused by oral bacteria. According to a number of studies, the state of your oral health may be linked to certain diseases.
Additionally, many people need work done if say, a tooth gets knocked out or needs to be extracted. Missing or disfigured teeth can have a major impact on how people are treated, especially in a society that places such a high emphasis on looks. Places like All on 4 Dentures in Costa Rica includes airfare along with the cost of permanent dentures, and still saves prospective patients a considerable amount of money.
Is It Safe?
Long story short, it really depends on the dentist you find. There’s no across the board answer for ensuring a foreign dentist is safe or not, but keep in mind, that’s the case in the US, the UK or other Western cultures, too. The main thing is, you’ll need to do some research before booking your trip, and if possible ask for recommendations.
Ask your prospective dentist questions like, whether the water used on-site is filtered, what kind of metal are used in the fillings, and is there any risk of metal poisoning should something go wrong? What happens in the event something goes wrong while the dentist administers local anesthesia?
The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be. So ask away, and enjoy that vacation.
My husband needs so much dental work we really should consider this. I should encourage him to look into it.
I would consider this only if I was going to travel to a country like Mexico in any case. Otherwise the cost of the trip would offset the lower expense of the dentist.i also would have to do a lot of research into the dentist.
This may grow in popularity as the future of health care unfolds. With dental care, you often have to go back for several months, at least I did, and I can’t see how staying that long in a foreign country can save money in the long run if it’s a long, drawn-out procedure. This is very interesting for me to read though–thanks!
I found this really interesting. I knew people have been going to Mexico for many years for medical dental and medicines. It was always kind of out of reach of course unless you lived close by. I also think too, it is cost prohibitive if you dont have the cash.
I read a number of the links. I am impressed they are offering it. Some are higher than others,, some in iffy places but it is an alternative.