Costa Rica Health News – Medical tourism in Thailand has increased rapidly in recent years. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the industry generated 1.5 to 1.7 billion dollars in 2008, and that sum is predicted to rise to 3.6 billion in 2012.
A substantial share of these numbers can be attributed to dental tourism and analysts think these growing trends to endure at such high rates in the coming years.
Why Has Thailand’s Dental Tourism Industry Increased So Significantly?
Dental tourism in Thailand has increased because foreign patients know they can trust dentists there to provide excellent dental work. Additionally, as more and more people fly to Thailand for dental procedures, the class of care only improves, which means more contented customers.
Patients can be certain that dental clinics in Thailand that cater to foreigners are stocked with classy technologies such as they would discover at home.
Many dentists and dental staff have received international teaching and can deliver a class of service on par with that in Western lands. Many also speak brilliant English, which means the language barrier does not get in the way of superb dental care.
The low cost of dental care in Thailand also plays a role in this mushrooming trade. Crowns, veneers, and dental implants in Thailand can be 50 to 80% discounted than in developed countries. This, as many patients learn each year, does not mean that one must sacrifice excellence for a good deal.
However, do the math and you’ll see that for most Americans the whole Thai experience is far inferior to a dental tourist vacation to Costa Rica. Why?
First, the flight to Thailand can be up to 18 hours depending on where you are based in the US. Even if you don’t live next to LAX you’re going to have to fly many more hours than those you’d need to get to Costa Rica. Are you ready for a days worth of air travel, when you could have already had your Costa Rican dental implants done and be laying on the beach.
Second, the flight will cost as much if not more than your cosmetic dentistry or other dental procedure. Flights to Thailand are on average twice as expensive as the equivalent economy class journey to Costa Rica.
Third, the language of the dentists is often unintelligible. How do you convey to them what you really want? This adds fear to the whole equation. Costa Rica’s dentists have a more entrenched industry with many more years’ experience dealing with Americans. They also have better levels of English.
Fourth, Costa Rica needs no more than half a day to get over the flight. Going into a dental operation a day after arriving with jet lag might mean you get really sick as your immune system will be down. So you have to stay a week at least – this adds up in hotel bills.
And finally, Costa Rica’s dentists are on a par with US standards. If you need a blood transfusion you know what you are getting. Risk an HIV infection? Go to Thailand!
There are only 1 or 2 clinics that The Costa Rican Times recommends due to personal experiences there. One is The Costa Rican 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 CR Dental Team, click here.
1 comment
My husband works as an agent for several international hospitals in Thailand. He tells me that most of his clients come for kidney or spinal treatments and operations. Medical tourism in Thailand continues to thrive despite other Asian countries improving their medical tourism industry. There are many reasons why Thailand is such a popular destination. If I had to guess a few reasons, I’d say that 1. Thailand is a very tourist-friendly country. A lot of time and effort is put into their hospitality industry; 2. Thailand has laws set up to protect the interests of medical tourists and many Thailand lawyers specialize in visa law and medical malpractice law; 3. Thailand, especially Bangkok, has very impressive international hospitals, which are nicer than many of the hospitals that foreigners have in their home countries. For these reasons, and many more, I think that Thailand will keep its reputation sound.