Best Countries for Dental Tourism

With ever increasing life span, thanks to the entire medical fraternity, people live longer; however, the dental awareness is still lagging by a few decades. Resultant: Healthier Geriatric population left without natural teeth and in need of a full mouth rehabilitation.

Oh well, good luck if you need a full mouth rehabilitation involving implants and implant supported prosthesis. They are needed to restore the most basic function, but most private dental insurances do not cover them as they feel is not essential and related to aesthetics alone and not function. To have access to more complex but essential work, you need a top-of-the-line plan, and that comes with a hefty price, quite literally!!

Making the decision to fly out and get your pearly whites in order

If this hefty price for the dental work in your own country is not within your budget, you are left with the only option to fly to a different country where you could get the dental work done within your budget. And when you look for the best country for dental tourism, you must consider the option for its SAFETY, QUALITY and AFFORDABILITY.

Safety is a no brainer. A safe destination, a renowned office, ideally some personal references, medical clearance from the physician or a complete systemic evaluation before an extensive dental procedure, is right on top, guiding your decision. It is also advisable to get a virtual consult with the dental office before dropping a pin on the globe.

Quality of any dental work, unless it is blatantly bad, is dependent on several variables, success of the procedure being the most obviously popular one. However, often a clinician may do everything right, go by the book customise based on the patient need and case requirements, the patient might still not be content with the result, or the result might not be a success. But for the most parts quality is easy to uphold and gives predictable outcomes. It is best to do a thorough follow-up on patient testimonials once you have decided the destination and the office.

Affordable, after the first two have been checked off the list, this is the one that will seal the deal. It is important to bear in mind that just because it is reasonable or even cheap in comparison to what the same procedure is priced at in your country it does not mean it is substandard. If anything, a lot of countries recognised the high costs of dental procedures, the dental insurance glitches and moved in to fill the gaps, whilst completely understanding that it is imperative to adhere to international standards and protocols.

And now to specifically answer the question - Which country is best for dental tourism, let's take a look at the top 8 dental destinations worldwide.

1. Costa Rica: This temperate coastal paradise overtook its northern counterpart, Mexico, and emerged as the most favoured destination for a lot of US citizens and Canadians for affordable dental work. Costa Rica is a popular country for a lot of retirees from the true North and United States of America. As a result, the dental fraternity moved fast to meet the growing demand by setting up a state-of-the-art dental office accredited by American Dental Association and Canadian Dental Association. A lot of Costa Ricans dentists are either trained and accredited by renowned international bodies. On an average, dental treatment cost in Costa Rica is almost 30-35% less than what is offered in USA or Canada. Although it is not cheapest countries for dental work, Costa Rica the overall cost is less owing to the proximity and thus influx from the two large North American nations.
2. Mexico: Is believed to be the pioneer of “Dentacation”. You cruise over the border, get your dental work done, rest, rejuvenate and drive back. Costs in Mexico are almost 35-40% of that in USA or Canada. Mexico, at one point was the most popular destination and it even has a town called the Molar city. It is still a preferred destination for a lot of southern states considering Americans can drive across the border, making it easier to schedule follow-up visits. Most dental practitioners are very well trained some even trained in the USA. Most of the renowned offices are in larger cities and people are well-versed in English making it easier to communicate with the Americans and medical tourists at large.
3. Panama: If you are craving a tropical paradise to kick back in a hammock as you practice dazzling that smile again. Panama is your answer. Their official currency is US dollars so that circumvents the messy exchanges. Although the costs are marginally higher than in Costa Rica and Mexico, Panama has emerged as the undisputed king for Dental tourism in the Americas. Furthermore, Panama ‘s Punta Pacifica is the only institute in Central America Affiliated with John's Hopkins.
4. Hungary: Moving across the Atlantic, Hungary is a popular Dental destination for many Europeans. With one of the highest number of Dentists per capita in the world. Hungary bagged the' Dental tourist Paradise' by the Medical Tourism Association Index. The prices here are almost a third of that in UK, Germany and France and half of that in North America, offering some stunning views and locations and well-priced accommodations. However, what Hungary offers in terms of core dental cost savings it makes up for the travel costs for traveller from the Americas.
5. Romania: This post-card perfect country emerged fast from being the center of gypsy folklore to a strong contender to Hungary by offering a whole array of Dental services at 20% cheaper.
6. Turkey: Turkey has held the mantle for the champion of all aesthetic procedures for long enough to have metamorphosized into perfectly synchronise center that identifies the needs of all those seeking treatment and customise their offers. There are world renowned centers in Istanbul and Izmir, and Turkey welcomes medical and dental tourists from all over the world.

   The doctors and the staff not only well-versed in English, but they have interpreters for every known language. Though not the cheapest countries for dental work, costs for extensive Dental procedures in Turkey are incredibly affordable, giving all the destinations a serious run for their buck. The only downside to Turkey is because it is such a popular destination for Dental and Medical Aesthetics, there is often a considerable waiting time.

7. Thailand: Although a surprise entry but not entirely. Dental tourism in Thailand emerged secondary to the huge influx of classic old-school tourism as we know it. Thailand now offers a wide range of dental procedures based on the patient need, from as low to very high end dental services. Although the flight costs, travel time and stay, add up, that expense is offset by the overall savings, that amount to a whopping 70-80% less. This is particularly helpful if you need extensive dental work like full mouth rehabilitation, all on four, ridge augmentation and sinus lift. Thailand primarily caters to Europe and Australia but has recently drawn attention from Americans and Canadians.
8. India: Compared to Thailand, you get a bigger bang for your buck. It is no surprise that India produces one of the highest numbers of trained medical, nursing, and dental professionals. India presents a triage of US trained professionals; some of the world's leading dental laboratories are in India thus reducing the laboratory costs and cutting-edge technology employed in the dental offices. Dentists practising and offering Dental services to tourists and foreign nationals, understand and implement the same international standards in their practice.

   Now you are not going to hop on a 10+ hour long flight, fly across an ocean (or seas depending on where you are based) to get a few root canals and crowns, OF COURSE not!!!! So why choose India??

   Because even with the tickets and travel and stay in the grand scheme of thing you are essentially paying about 10-20% of the original cost without compromising on the standards of care!!

   There are companies that hire and work in conjunction with trained professionals to better understand the need of every patient, and redirect them to the appropriate care. Pretty simple, India offers a wide array of Dental, Medical and Aesthetic service at very reasonable prices usually teamed together with the travel, stay and transport. This is made possible by virtual consultations to assess the needs and requirements carefully planning each step of the visit. In short, each step that you think and you should worry research and plan is already delegated to team of seasoned professionals. All you must do is decide and show up. After you land you are whisked away to either a hotel or a resort, based on the selection you have made, your in-person consult is scheduled and you can kick back, relax, get the top-of-the-line treatment, recuperate against the milieu of the tropical paradise, and then discover one of the most culturally rich and geographically diverse countries in the world.

   IndiCure Health Tours associates only with a select few best Dental Clinics in India that check on all the boxes of Safety, Quality and Affordability to offer the Best Packages for Dental Tourism in India.