Travelling for Teeth: Is Dental Tourism Ever Worthwhile?

The idea of dental tourism has a certain logic in some parts of the world. Europeans who require a potentially costly procedure such as dental implants can easily travel to another country where the cost of the treatment is significantly lower. Poland is such a country, and it only requires a short journey from many points in Europe. Indeed, Germans living in the city of Frankfurt (Oder), some 80 km from Berlin, could just take a stroll across the bridge and arrive in the Polish city of Slubice. Dental tourism for Australians requires more of a journey, with Thailand being a popular choice. While the operating standards and staff training at an offshore clinic might be exemplary, there are risks involved with any medical procedure, and this certainly includes dental implants, which require the implantation of a metal bolt in the patient's jaw to support a prosthetic tooth. Given the logistical difficulties of travelling such a distance for a dental procedure and the fact that multiple journeys might be required, is dental tourism really worth it?

Considering Your Options

While you might think that travelling to another country to receive dental implants makes financial sense, have you truly considered your other options?

1. Does your dentist offer a payment plan for major procedures? Even though interest charges and any other applicable fees might be applied, it can still be demonstrably more convenient to undergo a medical procedure on your home turf.
2. Could an insurance policy cover the cost of your dental implants, whether partially or in their entirety? This can require some comprehensive research, weighing up the cost of your premiums, tolerating a waiting period before a claim can be made and comparing all of it to the costs that will be incurred by travelling overseas for the procedure.
3. You will also need to work out your incidental costs. While airfare, accommodation and the cost of the procedure will generally be included in the price you pay, you need to think about what is not included and approximately how much it will cost. It might be that the savings are not as significant as you originally thought.

If You Decide to Proceed

If you decide to become a medical tourist and receive dental implants at an offshore clinic, there are a number of points that need to be addressed in order to ensure the success of the procedure.

1. Standard travel insurance might be insufficient. You need to be absolutely sure that your insurance reflects the fact that you will be undergoing an elective medical procedure while on your trip, and as such, offers exhaustive protection that covers every possibility.
2. Schedule an appointment with your own dentist upon your return to Australia, even though they were not the professional who performed the work. This is not due to any expectation that the dental implants are subpar, but more to reflect the fact that the clinic where the implants were installed is in another country, meaning that any complications cannot be readily identified and treated by the initial clinic.

The merits of dental tourism can be quite obvious when it only requires a short trip (on foot, in some cases), but Australians considering this option need to strongly consider whether the potential risks outweigh the gains. IF you are interested, talk to your dentist today about the cost of getting dental implants.