Travelling abroad to have cut-price dental implants overseas may seem a little crazy when you can drive 5-10 minutes to your local dentist and have the same treatment done. Yet strangely enough, dental vacation packages are big business. Of course, this may be down to some pretty amazing dental implant deals that countries like Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand offer, with some tempting customers with cut price implants advertised for 70% less than those back home! Add to this a tropical climate and endless hours of sunshine and it’s easy to see why many people seek the cheapest dental implants abroad! However, while the decision to become a dental tourist is primarily down to saving money, this can be a risky strategy that can end up costing patients much more than the vacation itself. With this in mind, here are some other important factors that should also be considered, before a person decides that getting an overseas dental implant is the way to go!
Timescale
Due to the very nature of dental opportunities abroad, dentists offering cheap dental implants overseas will usually look to conduct several treatments within a short space of time. This may mean that there just isn’t enough time for a patient to fully recover from one dental treatment before performing the next. This exacerbates the chance of dental implant complications in some cases.
Quality of standards
It would be wrong to suggest that all overseas dentists simply don’t offer the same high-quality standards as an Australian dentist. However, what is true is that the levels of training, plus the quality of treatment and standards, are often far stricter here in Australia than they are for other countries. Ultimately, the risk of complications including infections when undergoing dental implants overseas may be greater if you choose the wrong dentist abroad.
Language barriers
Another problem that people seeking an overseas dental implant may fail to realise is the language barrier. While it’s easy to convey any fears, concerns or questions you have about your dental implant treatment to a dentist who speaks your language, it can create more chances of instructions, advice and answers becoming misconstrued when dealing with a dentist abroad.
Limited recourse
Finally, what about if complications do arise? After all, even in the most capable of hands, dental implants fail in 2-5% of all cases. If you are unfortunate and experience this problem after undergoing a dental implant overseas, you’ll probably need to take more time off work, fly back to the clinic in whatever country it may be and hopefully, get the problem fixed. Clearly this isn’t an ideal situation. On the contrary, when you seek a local dental implant dentist they’ll insist on regular check-ups to ensure that your treatment stays on track. This way, any problems or issues that might occur can be dealt with quickly, saving you both time and money.
The key takeaway…
If you are considering overseas dental implants then we would suggest that you look further than a cash saving. Weigh up the pros and cons carefully, do your homework and make a decision based on all these factors. Remember, don’t risk the cheapest dental implants abroad only to incur an expensive health bill upon you return. If you are considering dental implants, we strongly recommend talking to the team at Evergreen Dental in Chatswood today (02) 8074 3849 .
