Getting a tooth extracted or having a root canal during your vacation might not sound like a good idea, but plenty of Americans travel abroad each year for more affordable dental treatment.
Most people who do it are looking for a level of dental care they cannot afford at home. Treatment abroad can cut dental costs sharply. Some American dental plans also offer a degree of coverage for procedures carried out overseas.
Dental Tourism
Dental tourism means traveling to another country to get dental treatment. It is a subset of medical tourism, and it is common enough now that some clinics abroad are built around it.
Oral care in the United States and Canada is expensive, which is why some people travel to a less developed country instead. There are several reasons treatment costs less there.
The main one is the lower cost of real estate, which feeds through into lower overheads for a practice. Dentists in the United States also carry expensive malpractice insurance, which is mandatory here but not in Mexico. Other factors include less regulation, lower fixed costs, and cheaper labor.
The most popular destinations for dental tourism include the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Costa Rica and Mexico. The treatments people usually travel for include:
- Dental veneer, the thin layer attached to the front of a tooth for an aesthetic fix
- Root canal, where the infected part of the tooth is removed, cleaned and sealed
- Dental bridge, which fills the gap left by a missing tooth and holds the replacement in place
- Dental crown, a cap that covers a tooth after a filling or a root canal
Other procedures are carried out too, depending on the case.
Things to Consider
If you are thinking about dental tourism, work through the following.
Sufficient time – if you are going on vacation or a business trip and hoping to fit treatment in between, make sure you have the time for it. Rushed treatment abroad tends to become a problem once you are home again.
Second opinion – have you been able to ask questions about the treatment? Has the dentist you have chosen answered them properly? It is worth getting a second opinion before you commit.
Credentials – check the qualifications and experience of the dentist before you book the trip. Read the reviews and testimonials left by former patients.
Discussing all options – go through every stage of the treatment, the X-rays, the cost of each exam, and anything else you are unsure about. Ask which materials the dentist will use. In some countries those materials may not be FDA approved.
Hygiene – make sure the procedures are carried out in sterile conditions. Tell the dentist if you have had recent major surgery or have an ongoing illness, so they can take the right precautions.
Budgeting – many people forget to allow for recovery time and follow-up care. Add in visas, lodging, food and air travel to get to a real figure. Make sure you have enough time to recover from the procedure, and think about whether it will need follow-up work. If it does, traveling overseas can end up costing more than treatment at home.
You also have to allow for the possibility that the procedure does not work out and you need to see the dentist again. Would it be easy for you to make multiple visits? If the procedure is complex, would you be better off with a local dentist?
Advantages and Disadvantages of Dental Tourism
The decision to travel abroad for dental work should not be taken on the spur of the moment. Do the research before you decide whether it beats treatment at home, and weigh the advantages against the disadvantages.
Some benefits of dental tourism:
- Lower cost for the same care you could get locally
- More choice, given the number of countries you can travel to
- The trip itself
- Clinics that are set up for foreign patients and want the repeat business
Some drawbacks of dental tourism:
- Standards of dental care may be different than you are used to
- Quality can be harder to judge from a distance
- Continuing care is difficult once you are home
Dental tourism has real advantages, but in some cases it works out more expensive than treatment at home. Do the research and work out what suits you and your budget.
Some plans cover international dental treatment. You may not get full coverage, but part of the cost may be met. Check your own American dental plan policy to see whether overseas care is included and up to what limit.
If you are looking to bring down the cost of dental care at home, compare the discount dental plans available in your area. You get 10% off when you sign up online.
