Dental Tourism - Is it Right for You? Part II

If you are considering traveling for dental care, it will include two separate components. 1) You are traveling to a specific country that offers dental care and you choose to complete necessary dental care while traveling. 2) You determine your dental needs exceed the cost threshold of approximately $5,000 USD (as in the case of implants, dentures, dental bridges and cosmetic restoration including crown

s and/or veneers), and the benefit to seek dental care in another country including travel exceeds the estimated expenses you have been quoted by your dentist. If either of these examples is the case you may be considering, the questions you should ask the out of region dental clinic would be the same – and this includes both domestic and foreign travel. Whichever choice you make, ensure you have a comprehensive understanding of your dental needs in terms of cost and required time for proposed treatment. If you haven’t considered either of these possibilities until reading this article, start your research online for dental clinic options. Choose clinics that have been established for a significant period of time, have a qualified representative who can answer your questions and the clinicians perform an adequate number of procedures that qualifies them for the dental work they are advertising. When you start your research, assemble your questions to inquire the same of every clinic to make a qualified comparison. Dental expenses must be specific, transparent and detailed fee schedules should be available rather than just a quote. Projected costs may change after a dental exam is conducted. The majority of dental travelers seek dental care out of the country based on cost; however the final selection is based on quality. So how do you asses this important aspect of care? Question the education, regulation and certification of foreign dentists; ask the frequency, volume of the procedures you are interested in and what are the qualifications of the dentists who will be performing these procedures; are proper infection control procedures implemented and ask they explain how; is there any type of quality certification, what is it and who completed the review? Are any services outsourced, for example, where is the dental lab, what are their qualifications, and what types of composite and/or metal are they utilizing. Is there any type of guarantee on the work performed? If you require an adjustment that can be conducted by your personal home dentist, is that reimbursed? The decision to pursue dental care away from your home can be rewarded with significant cost savings and high quality care utilizing the latest technology. Know before you go.