Dental Tourism

Lack of affordable dental care is a problem for many in the affluent west. This problem of the financially sound people has given birth to a lucrative tourism industry in the form of dental tourism, boosting medical tourism in less advanced countries. People today go from continent to continent seeking inexpensive cosmetic and non-cosmetic dental care.

Want for Dental Tourism

People in certain professions have dental insurance. And a lucky few may be rich enough to pay a dentist from their own pocket. For the rest, an aching tooth might be expensive enough to land them in a debt that will take few years to repay. On the other hand, developing countries provide high quality dental care for cheaper rates. So, people from countries like America, where dental treatment costs are exorbitantly high, may go all the way to another country to get a dental procedure done.

Crossing of national boundaries to take care of their teeth is no nascent phenomenon. Americans have often gone to Mexico, Panama, or Costa Rica for root canal treatment, for cosmetic dentistry, or for getting the services of a good orthodontist. In USA, the main reason for people turning dental treatment into ‘tooth tourism’ is the unbearable cost of dental care.

Unavailability of timely medical help might also lead to people touring the world to get their dental problems treated. In fact in some European countries, and in Canada, it is the time delay for getting a dentist’s appointment that makes people to seek help outside the country. Cost in itself is not much of a problem in those countries as most people are covered under the national health care system.

Benefits of Dental Tourism

• Low Cost
  Dental tourism is a great money saver. That is the biggest attraction for most to go abroad for dental treatment. The economy of all developing countries is such that all amenities like food and shelter and education and treatment charges are low there.
• High Quality
  The fact that it is cheap does not make these dental services inferior. The doctors in developing countries are well trained and often many of them have studied and trained in western countries. Apart from this, they also possess modern equipments and state-of-the-art technology.
• Immediate Service
  Avoidance in time delay is another attraction. Most agencies understand the importance of the problem and they are very quick in their service.
• Great Convenience
  Comprehensive packages by agencies make sure that they take care of all aspects of an overseas dental appointment. Their comprehensive package ensures that the patient gets the necessary information and contacts immediately.
• Travel Opportunities

  As the name dental tourism implies, those traveling abroad for dental care are combining the pleasures of a vacation with dental treatment. In most of the developing countries that dental appointments are made, boarding and lodging and traveling also come cheap. So it would be most ideal to combine dental treatment with a pleasure trip. Most of the dental care seekers turn medical care into a holiday by opting to get appointments on weekends and taking along family or friends with them.

When should dental tourism be considered and for which dental treatments?

Dental tourism has its attractions, but it has its downsides as well. Though you can save on medical bills, the benefit might get nullified because of the expenses involved in traveling. And the nature of dental treatments is such that it often demands more than one sitting. That means extended stay at the place of treatment, which again, is a money losing scenario. And certain services, like that of the orthodontist, require the patient to visit the doctor quite frequently to get the braces adjusted. In such cases dental tourism is not viable at all.

People who have already planned a holiday to another country can perhaps incorporate dental care also into the holiday schedule. Other than that, crossing the seas for getting a dental crown does not make any sense at all.

Further, it all depends upon how much dental care one needs. If you need a complete mouth reconstruction, it may be viable to go even to a far away country like India. Even after leaving a margin for traveling expenses, it will work out much cheaper than getting it done in USA. And if another member of the family also needs something like a root canal or dental bonding, you can definitely go there and see the Taj Mahal and other tourist attractions. However, for minor dental problems, it may not make any sense going even up to Mexico.

Dental tourism destinations

The more coveted and popular dental tourism destinations for people of USA and Canada are Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama. These are cheap and closer to home. People of European countries mostly choose Hungary or Turkey since those countries are closer to them. Other countries which are ideal for everyone, because of the expertise of the doctors and best dental treatment technologies, are India, Thailand, and Singapore.