I you look into the Affordable Care Act also known as Obamaccare, you will notice one major thing missing in the plan……Dental Care. This according to those who passed the law was seen as not one of the “essential health benefits:” The medical services that are crucial to keeping Americans healthy. I think most of us would say including dentists that taking care of your teeth is a requirement to keeping you healthy.
This actually holds true in a lot of public insurance plans: Medicare barely covers much in the way of dental coverage, the AARP offers private, supplementary plans, and in Medicaid, 22 states either offer no dental coverage at all or only do so in emergency situations.
With the costs of dental care going up (A Full Mouth Restoration costing near $60,000 in the USA and Dental Implants Costing around $2000 to $3000 a tooth depending on what is required) and Obamacare being implemented as you read this, more and more people are hopping planes and driving south to get their dental procedures done. People are turning more and more to Dental Tourism to get their smiles back and not draining their bank accounts.
If you are quoted $60,000 for a full mouth restoration why would you not go to Mexico or Costa Rica and enjoy a dental vacation? You can get your dentistry done by professionally trained dentists for about $20,000, have a great vacation for $3000 or just hop a flight for less than $1000, and still have more than $35,000 left in your wallet. The savings is great for porcelain veneers and dental implants as well.
Before jumping on the next plane, the dental patient needs to understand more about dental tourism:
The key thing a dental tourist should look for is quality care.
Finding a Dentist:
- Check the dentist’s credentials.
- Check where was he/she was trained
- Check the experience on the procedure that you need
- Check what associations and other dental groups they belong to
- Check Track Records on Care – Standards of training and care are similar across the industrialized world. Most expensive dental procedures, as implants, have been performed for years everywhere and have a track record of success and safety.
- Check Fluency in English – For most patients this is very important to communicate
How the Dental Tourism Process Works:
- Let the dentist know the work that you need. Usually, the dental tourist has already been examined by a dentist in
their home country. Remember all patients can legally ask for a copy of their dental records. - The dentist may recommend less work, or find something else needs to be done
- If you are going for dental implants you will most likely need to make two trips. The first trip is for the implant surgery and the second is for the crowns to be fitted once the implants are which is normally about 6 months later.
Best Places to Go for Treatment:
Most of the biggest procedures are going to require 2 trips to the dentist so for the dental tourist the places with the least expensive flights are usually the best options.
For most Americans the best dental tourism destinations are: (all have quality dentists and are somewhat similar in fees)
- Mexico
- Costa Rica
- Panama
Other options:
- Thailand
- India
Dental tourism is truly that. You are not just going to get your cosmetic dentistry done you are going to enjoy the beaches, jungles, and other sites in these countries. If you like ecotourism and viewing exotic species, Panama and Costa Rica both will fulfill your dreams.
Dental Tourist is Not For Everyone:
Procedures To Have Done Abroad (Take advantage of saving 50% to70% on the Cost)
- Veneers
- Dental implants
- Full Mouth Restoration
- Crowns and Bridges
- Root Canals
- Non-high risk procedures
If you have a high risk case you might want to have it done at home
Dental Tourism Time Commitment:
Determine if you have time to take the short 3 hour flight to Costa Rica or Mexico or if you just do not have that allotment of time available in your schedule. Some patients argue that a flight and a few hours in the dental chair is less hassle than having to rush back to the office half-sedated. Also turning a trip to the dentist into a family vacation can help alive the stress of the pending procedures.
More and More people are packing their bags and their kids or their spouse and headed abroad to experience dental tourism. Like very decision you need to take your time and do your research before you hop on that plane to Costa Rica or another foreign country. But since insurance is not covering most procedures there is less and less of a reason to enjoy a dental vacation and saving that hard earned money you had earmarked for retirement.
There are only 1 or 2 clinics that The Costa Rican Times recommends due to personal experiences there. One is Costa Rica Dental Team which is the only American run clinic in Costa Rica with the highest standards in service and modern facilities. Saving $2500 or more on dental procedures like dental implants with a short flight to paradise is becoming more and more popular.
For a Free Quote on Dental Care from the Costa Rica Dental Team, click here.
