As I’m aging, my teeth are crumbling. They were never great to begin with, but now they seem much more fragile. I’d sort of like to get implants for all my molars. However, US dental insurance pays for practically nothing. I’d like to go somewhere to have whatever repairs/replacements are the most logical option. I’m 64, and would like to do this before my health starts to deteriorate.
Does anyone have experience with traveling abroad for dental procedures? How does one find a reputable clinic? Any info would be helpful. When googling, all I come across are articles from the US dental industry telling me my face will fall off if I do this, and companies who are pushing the services.
I don’t know what clinics, but I think some clinics in Mexico, Turkey or eastern europe have some good prices. But I don’t know which ones. Prices are probably 30-50% or so of prices in the US.
One thing that helps me was switching to remineralization toothpaste. Novamin, Biomin, Nano-hydroxyapatite, etc
There is top notch dentists, specialists & clinics in many countries. Dental tourism is big in Mexico, for example. One thing you need to consider is how many visits you’ll need. Travel & accommodation can become expensive. There’s possibly even minor adjustments that could be required, especially if dentures are involved, that may require more visits.
As a dentist in TX I’ve seen the results of quite a bit of dental tourism from Mexico. Most of it is very good results for a very reasonable price. As stated upthread the number of follow ups that may be needed is important to consider. For most folks except those right on the border it only makes sense for big ticket items such as dentures, bridgework and implants. Just a filling or two not usually worth it. I’ve know dentists that badmouth it as poor work but that is not been my general observation, besides I’ve seen some really poor work from U.S. dentists.
My husband has had some dental implants, and it was a lot of visits. I can’t imagine it would be worth it unless you are close to a border, or find a good dentist at a place you visit regularly for other reasons. He saw the dentist for:
Tooth Extraction
Bone graft
Putting the implant into the bone
Attaching a placeholder screw to the implant
Taking an impression (to make the crown)
Putting in the crown
Plus a bunch of check ups and “let’s see how it’s going” visits.
I’ve seen a couple pieces recently about “Molar City”, the nickname for a Mexican dental tourism town. One was in The New Yorker, one on the podcast 99% Invisible. If you Google News the name Molar City, you’ll see lots of articles about it. I got an internet quote from one of the offices mentioned.
I’ve know dentists that badmouth it as poor work but that is not been my general observation, besides I’ve seen some really poor work from U.S. dentists.
I know there may have to be some time spent on location for followup work. Is there a great deal of time between steps? Because I live in TN, nowhere near a border. I could potentially stay in place for a couple of weeks for follow ups, if I find someone to look after the animals. I could have a real vacation for once. I do have a sister who lives in Phoenix, but that doesn’t look too close to Mexico. Said sister also speaks fluent Turkish, so a trip to Turkey is a possibility.
When I had mine done, (I had lost a whole half of both arches on the left side due to a traumatic event) it seemed like nearly a year before everything was done. With a 3 month break for a nose job in the middle.
I had it done in Houston. Not Mexico. But the main dental surgeon was Hispanic. Dr. Hernandez.
I’d get some idea what you’ll need or could need by your own trusted dentist. Better to be informed when you go to another country.
@StGemain, as with most things the answer is it depends. Generally for implants the implant is placed in one visit then wait three to four months for the bone healing and integration into the implant. After healing the implant is uncovered and the portion of the implant that holds the crown, bridge or denture is screwed in place and one has the restoration done. Single crowns can be done in either one or two visits. One visit if they mill it in the office and two if it is sent to a lab. Bridges are usually sent to a lab so two visits for them. In my opinion lab made tend to look and fit better then ones done on a milling machine in office, but it varies with the lab. Dentures are much more variable, anywhere from one visit for impression and a second for insertion to multiple try in steps prior to insertion. In most dental tourism I’ve known of the dentists work closely with labs so there isn’t one to two weeks between visits as is usually the case in the U.S., the labs get things done in a day or two.
Because my husband needed to start with a bone graft, the whole process took more than a year. And after the bone graft settled in, there was a lot of time between putting the implant “root” into his bone and letting the bone heal around it. It needs to be solid before you attach a crown to it. All those other steps took time, too.
It sounds like some people need less work and it can move faster. But it can take a very long time. You should discuss it with a dentist you trust.
This could work . . .if your idea of a vacation is laying on the couch with a swollen jaw popping antibiotics & pain* meds. heh,heh.
Perhaps if you mention what it is you need done you could get better refined suggestions. As others have mentioned, if it’s somewhat extensive work you will require follow-ups that will extend well past any typical vacation period. If it’s only minor work you could make a vacation of it. But from the tone of your message it sounds like you have more in mind than a couple of fillings.
If a denture, whether fixed or not, you’ll undoubtedly find you have a nagging little area that requires further grinding to smooth out. Could be 3-4 extra visits just to have things like that sorted, unless you’re lucky. Some out of country clinics may gloss over that these small extra visits may be required.
* What you & I call pain, dentists (doctors etc.) will refer to as ‘minor discomfort’. Don’t be fooled
As I said in the OP, I’d like to get implants for my molars. They’re sort of crumbling away. They’ve been a problem my whole life - I had 5 abscessed teeth removed by the time I was 8. Hence, I have terrible dental fear. I’d need sedation for anything.
Oops sorry, indeed you did say that. You’ll need several visits over time. I had looked into having quite extensive work done in Mexico. I spoke with a clinic quite extensively and was quite happy with the direction things were going and made an appointment and travel arrangements.
I backed out at the last minute mainly due to a gut feeling. I became a little concerned over how they were going to squeeze all the work required into such a short time span. It also would have involved at least 2 more trips.
It turned out to be the right decision. I had the work done locally. It turned out to be more extensive than I’d foreseen. The Mexico clinic would have had no way of knowing this would occur until examining me in person so no fault to them. They could only base their estimate on information I’d given them, which turned out to be quite incomplete. There ended up being enough visits that traveling abroad to have it done might have been my dumbest decision ever (& that’s saying something!). Not just for the cost factor either.
Local anesthetic (freezing) was used. Full sedation was available if I’d wished, but unnecessary. Obviously once sedation wears off it isn’t all peaches & cream. No way around that. It’s a bit of a journey but worth it in the end.
