In recent years, many Americans have been opting for a new method of getting the dental services they want or need. This means traveling abroad. However, according to your implant dentist in Cambridge, you’ll want to reconsider. While it may be enticing to hear people getting dental treatments for less overseas, you only put yourself at greater risk. Not only may you not save any money in the process, but it could cost you more by the time you get back.
In today’s post, we’ll be discussing the “dental tourism” phenomenon and explain why you’re better off getting your needed dental work done locally instead.
What is Dental Tourism?
Also referred to as medical tourism, dental tourism is the practice of traveling out of the country to receive dental treatment, usually for more expensive treatments like dental implants. One of the most popular countries people visit is Costa Rica, which the communications manager from the group Patients Beyond Borders claims to be a top 10 destination for treatments. This is mainly because medical treatments can cost between 40 and 65 percent less than what they would in the U.S.
With savings like these, it makes sense that many people are jumping on the bandwagon to save money on dental costs. However, as is expected, the consequences of dental tourism largely outweigh the benefits.
Dental Tourism May Only Cost You More
While it’s possible to save money, there are no guarantees, especially when you account for all the additional expenditures that accompany dental tourism. You’ll need to total the cost of flying to a third-world country and the cost of staying in a hotel or similar homestead for the length of your treatment time, which can be several days to multiple weeks depending on your treatment.
Furthermore, if the dentist overseas does a botched job, you’ll need to spend more money fixing the issue once you return to the States. You also won’t have any way to pursue the overseas dental legally should complications arise, and the last treatment you want complications for is a dental implant.
An Overseas Dentist is Not Ideal
There are many reasons why dental tourism should be avoided when pursing dental implants:
- The oversea dentist is not as familiar with your medical history and therefore less qualified to provide input for dental implants. They may consider you eligible when you otherwise wouldn’t be by you implant dentist in Cambridge.
- Follow-up visits can become extremely inconvenient. It also makes it more difficult to keep track of all the additional costs. If you have questions, negative side effects, or an emergency arises after treatment, you won’t be able to see your overseas dentist effectively.
- Regulations designed to protect patients don’t operate or even exist in the same way as the U.S. That means your overseas dentist doesn’t have to abide by them when providing treatment.
No amount of money is worth saving for a botched job. Instead, contact your implant dentist in Cambridge to receive proper and safe dental implants.
About the Author
Dr. Jeff Lee attended The Ohio State University College of Dentistry to earn his dental degree and completed a four-year residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He also obtained his Master of Science degree in dental implants. To learn more about his practice, contact him at (740) 236-9392 or visit his website.