For most of us, price matters when we are considering purchasing a product or service. Dentistry is no exception, as I can well understand. “Dental tourism” came into being when people discovered that they could save money by going abroad for their dental treatment. I completely respect an individual’s desire to seek out the best price for dentistry. However, when one starts sacrificing quality and safety in their dental treatment for a “good deal”, this is a red flag that cannot and should not be ignored. All too often in their efforts to save money on their dental work, dental tourists end up paying a huge price in the end that can include unnecessary pain, tooth loss, illness and ironically, large dental bills afterward to correct or even redo the poor quality dental work they had done out-of-country. Here are some of the problems and complications frequently associated with dental tourism.
Lower standards of accreditation
As a Brantford Dentist, I must be a member in goodstanding of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario. As such, I must abide by the very high standards set forth by the College which regulates many different facets of the practice of dentistry including but not limited to diagnosis, treatment and sterilization procedures. These standards play an extremely important role in protecting the public. Sadly, this same type of regulatory body and such standards do not exist in many other countries and if they do, they are often neither followed nor enforced. This in turn, leaves patients vulnerable to much higher levels of both financial and medical risk.
Poor quality of dentistry
Lower standards of care and a less stringent accreditation process consequently translate into:
- poorly or inadequately trained dentists or dental professionals like hygienists or assistants;
- antiquated dental equipment and tools
- compromised infection control
- patients receiving treatments they do not need
- substandard x-ray equipment
Time constraints
Many dental treatment plans require a prolonged amount of time built in for the healing process to take place. This should never be rushed. Getting dentures or an implant immediately after an extraction, for example, could be a recipe for disaster. Dental Tourism does not give patients that important healing time that is so important when it comes to doing things right.
No recourse once you arrive home
Even in the best-case scenario, sometimes dental treatments require follow-up. Certainly, the necessity for subsequent visits and post-procedure problems increases exponentially when the dental treatment was not of the highest quality in the first place. Unfortunately, you cannot easily return to have a problem fixed once your “vacation” is over, nor do patients have any legal recourse after dental treatments they received abroad go awry. Malpractice or negligence claims usually go nowhere.
Language barriers
Anyone who knows me, knows how much I value communication and how important it is for me to get to know my patients, understand their wants and needs, and offer them as many quality options for their dentistry as possible. Much of this goes out the window when a patient and dentist are of very different cultures and speak different languages.
No insurance coverage
Most, if not all insurance companies, will not cover dental treatment that is done abroad, so say goodbye to any dental benefits you might have.
Exposure to prevalent diseases in third-world countries
Invasive dental procedures done in third-world countries can leave patients at great risk of diseases including Hepatitis A, B and C; Typhoid Fever; Amebiasis, a water-borne parasite; Shigellosis, a deadly bacterial infection; and Tuberculosis.
In closing, I reflect upon an old adage that comes to mind when thinking about dental tourism. “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” Dental tourists are looking for first rate dentistry in third world countries and it just doesn’t exist. We have to ask ourselves why the dentistry there is cheaper… less training, lower standards of care, and the list goes on. I highly recommend thinking twice when considering dental tourism. Make your holiday just that, because compromising both your financial and physical wellbeing by having your dentistry done abroad is no vacation.
Steven Deskin is a Brantford Dentist in general practice.
