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Dental tourism - good or bad idea?

L

Lex

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2018
Messages
28
Location
Oregon
Hi there, I just got done with an appointment today to learn that I need 9 teeth removed (4wisdom) and will need a few implants. Has anyone done this out of Country before? I am in the US and am looking into Costa Rica, Mexico and Hungary.

Thanks for any insight.
 
Hi Lex,

There are a few problems with dental tourism that you should be aware of before making a decision:


1. In many countries, you will have little or no (legal) recourse when things go wrong.

2. It may be logistically difficult to go back to get things looked at if something isn't right. Problems may emerge not just days, but months or years down the road.

3. You won't be able to build up a personal relationship with a dentist who will be responsible for your long-term care and treatment planning. A dentist abroad may not take into account your long-term needs and you may end up with an inappropriate short-term solution. When reading reviews on the internet, bear in mind that many of them will have been written immediately after treatment, and not years down the road when problems may occur.

4. Dental implant systems used abroad may differ radically from the ones commonly used in your home country. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible to find spare parts (e.g. abutments) if something breaks and needs replacing. This is a very common problem which constantly crops up in discussion forums for dentists.

5. It may be difficult to figure out what standard of training the dentist has and how it compares to your home country.

These are some of the things you may want to consider and look into before making a final decision re. dental tourism. Obviously, cost can be a major factor when making decisions about your dental care, so do make sure that you let your dentist know if cost is a problem and they may be able to make suggestions as to how to sequence things to make them more affordable.

Wishing you all the best :grouphug:
 
Hi there, I just got done with an appointment today to learn that I need 9 teeth removed (4wisdom) and will need a few implants. Has anyone done this out of Country before? I am in the US and am looking into Costa Rica, Mexico and Hungary.

Thanks for any insight.

If it helps I am dealing with a patient trying to correct the complications of implant treatment performed in Costa Rica. The problems are severe and ultimately will cost in money, time, and a compromised result.
I have also seen a few others from there. You have no recourse should you suffer from problems in design or execution of treatment. Some problems may not surface for years.
 
Thank you both tremendously for your insight. I hadn't even considered these possible issues and I am definitely rethinking a dental vacation as an option. Thank you!
 

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