Care Tourism

10 Reasons Why you Should not Travel Abroad for Dental Treatment

With medical and dental tourism in the news so often, and the amazing amounts of money that can be saved by travelling for treatment, some people are just rushing into the process without considering all the implications involved. Here are ten reasons why you shouldn’t travel for dental treatment abroad.

You want Accelerated Treatment – Your local dentist has told you that the work you want done will take four months! You have heard that Dentists in other countries will be able to do the work over a week. The first thing here is to understand why. Why is it going to take four months with your local dentist? It could simply be that he is busy and can’t fit you in, or there could be delays with the manufacturing lab. However, normally it’s because you are looking for a lot of work to be done and your dentist wants each piece of work to settle in before starting on the next piece of work. There are different opinions on how long should be left between particular dental treatments, but if you have been previously advised that your treatment should be spread over 6 months it is inadvisable to try and get a dentist abroad to provide the same complicated work in what might be too short a time period.

You need Orthodontics / Braces – Normally orthodontics require regular adjustments, sometimes as often as every two weeks. This is when your dentist will tighten/loosen the braces according to the movement of your teeth and is how they ensure that your teeth end up where you want them to be, so it is incredibly important. Some dental tourism clinics will offer this service locally in your home country (see RevaHealth.com to find out which), however most will not. For this reason orthodontics are normally unsuitable for the aspiring dental tourist.

You are Afraid – You are afraid of your dentist. The question that you have to ask yourself is – are your afraid of your dentist or are you afraid of all dentists? If you are only afraid of your own dentist then it is far easier to just find another one locally. Ask your friends and family for a recommendation. Travelling abroad to escape your local dentist is ridiculous. If you are afraid of all dentists then you will likely be just as afraid of the dentist overseas. Then there is a good chance that you won’t complete the treatment you need, which will leave you in a far worse position than when you started.

Small Savings – Travelling to a different country for dentistry, unless it is only a short drive away, simply isn’t worth it if all you are going to save is €500. You have to think of the travel costs, accommodation, etc. You also have to value your time, be it time off work or holiday time. On the other hand though, minor dental treatments, such as teeth whitening, can be easily combined with a holiday or business trip. The savings can then offset some of the cost of the trip.

You don’t want ‘unnecessary’ treatments – Your local dentist wants to do extensive preparatory work before starting on the work that you want done. It is expensive, and likely to be painful. While it can be tempting to think that by travelling overseas you will be able to get a dentist that will only do the work that you want done, this is normally inadvisable. If you do end up travelling the dentist overseas will more than likely agree with your local dentist and refuse to continue without the preparatory work. The best advice here is to seek a second opinion locally or consult one of the reputable dental tourism clinics fully by providing them with a panoramic x-ray before travelling.

Your local dentist refuses to treat you – Your local dentist has said that you are not suitable for a particular treatment: for example, gum disease may make dental implants inadvisable. You don’t know if he is trying to dismiss you because he simply doesn’t want the hassle or he doesn’t have the expertise/equipment to do the procedure successfully. You think that if you travel abroad you will be able to pressure the dentist into doing the treatment because of time constraints. This is always a bad idea. The best advice here is as above. Seek a second opinion locally or consult a reputable dental tourism clinic fully by providing them with a panoramic x-ray before travelling.

You don’t like travelling – For a lot of people travel is a bonus and the exposure to a foreign culture is its own reward. However, for some people it is simply harrowing, and the home sickness, communication problems and unfamiliarity make it an altogether unpleasant experience. If you don’t enjoy travelling then the additional stress will make you a poor patient, and you are probably better off staying at home, even if it ends up costing you more.

You don’t like responsibility – Dental Tourism can offer terrific savings, as much as 75%. However it simply isn’t suitable for people who are not prepared to take some responsibility for themselves. You have to spend considerable time researching your options, reading about other patients’ experiences and then also be prepared to return to the destination if follow up work is required. Choosing the wrong clinic or the wrong treatment because of your own lack of effort or knowledge could leave you in a worse position than when you started. Likewise if you don’t bother to complete your specified treatment plan.

You want a holiday – While it is perfectly feasible to combine minor dental work with a holiday, in general dentistry isn’t a lot of fun. If you are looking to have significant work done then it fairly unlikely that you will be in the mood to go out night-clubbing afterwards. This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy yourself; it just means that you will probably have to take it easy to give yourself the best chance of a problem free recovery period.

You haven’t done your research – It is absolutely vital that you research your dental tourism questions thoroughly before you travel. Make sure you know exactly who your dentist is going to be, where and when they qualified, how many times they have preformed the treatment you will be having, and what their success rate is. Ensure you know how much everything is going to cost and what requirements there are for follow up work.