The high cost of dental care has forced many individuals to hunt dental treatment elsewhere. This explains the growing popularity of dental tourism that’s sweeping many parts of the world today.
In a nutshell, dental tourism involves traveling to a different country for inexpensive dental care, treatment, and surgery. This is a standard practice amongst many Americas, Canadians and Europeans who’re searching for ways to get monetary savings on high-priced dental treatments which are normally expensive of their respective countries.
“While the precise statistics on dental tourism aren’t available, it’s estimated that over a million people from world wide travel to get dental treatment equivalent to cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, crowns, and root canals abroad. There are various countries equivalent to India, Thailand, Costa Rica, Hungary, Panama, South Africa, and Mexico which are marketing low price, prime quality dental services to medical tourists,” revealed Placid Way, a heath and wellness tourism company.
The popularity of dental tourism within the United States alone is as a consequence of the undeniable fact that over 108 million Americans and 25 million American kids lack dental insurance. These people could have to pay through the nose for even the best of procedures. Unfortunately, even those that are covered will find that dental insurance won’t pay for expensive dental implants or dental cosmetic procedures which are sometimes needed.
The same is true in Britain where an estimated 35,000 Britons travel abroad every year to search out dental treatment they’ll afford. Frustrated by the shortage of dentists offering reasonable dental care, consumers see dental tourism as the reply to their prayers. The considered getting a recent smile without spending much and traveling to an exotic country is difficult to withstand. Bargain deals, a dentist who will work together with your schedule, and exciting travel opportunities could make dental tourism a tempting offer indeed.
“Many Britons are traveling for purely cosmetic reasons – the nation previously indifferent to its snaggle-tooth repute has suddenly grow to be obsessive about the proper smile. Indeed, a recent survey by the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) found a staggering one in two adults approaching middle age would consider having cosmetic dental surgery,” reported Alison Smith-Squire within the Daily Mail.
But behind this silver lining is a dark cloud. As the recognition of dental tourism increases, the BDHF said it has received a major variety of calls to its helpline from individuals who have had bad experiences abroad.
Take the case of Lisa Hewer, a 38-year-old mother of 5 who traveled all of the option to Hungary to have her teeth fixed. Hewer, who lost her two front teeth in an accident 20 years ago, was at all times conscious about her smile and didn’t feel confident with dentures. She was so embarrassed about her teeth that it was 4 months after she met her husband Mark Beggs before she admitted she wore dentures.
“I used to attend until he was asleep before I removed them,” she admitted.
Beggs, 34, understood the agony that Hewer felt and surprised her someday by offering to pay for her bridge work as an early birthday present. Hewer was thrilled. Little did she know her nightmare was about to start.
“She looked into having the work done by a British dentist, but quotes ranged from £18,000 to £48,000. She then read an article in a women’s magazine about dental treatment in Hungary and decided to analyze. It was a choice she now regrets,” Smith-Squire said.
What happened to Hewer after she traveled to Hungary? Could the identical thing occur to you? Find out within the second a part of this series.