The Cost of Dental Treatments Abroad
When talking about medical tourism, it is hard to not mention dental tourism as a thing that started it all. Before there were organized trips abroad to do whatever procedure you can think of, people mostly travelled from developed countries to developing ones in order to get their teeth fixed. The reason for this was that the cost of dental treatments and procedures would rise with the development of the country, as the dentists there would start to charge increasing amounts of money as their rents and overhead costs started to rise as well.
Over time, some countries have positioned themselves on the market as having cheap dental services which are still of the highest quality. Countries such as Hungary, Armenia, India, Mexico or Thailand are leading by the number of people who visit the country each year in order to get their dental procedures done. And they mostly leave very happy with the procedures they’ve received and the amount of money they have saved.
Overview of Dentistry
Dentistry is a field which specializes in oral care in all its forms. It involves a number of different procedures and treatments which are all carried out by either a dentists or an orthodontist (if it is corrective dentistry). Depending on medical necessity, these dental procedures may be either elective or necessary, but dentistry as a whole is, generally, not covered by insurance, which is why people decide to leave their country and look for a better deal.
The main problem with dental illnesses is that they regular check-ups to ensure that the problem is located early and fixed in its beginning, before more drastic measures are required. However, most people don’t visit their dentists regularly, so when the time comes to have a procedure, it is usually the more expensive one. This also drives the costs for the patients upwards and instead of spending small amounts of money regularly, they get to spend large amounts every once in a really long while.
Dentistry Costs Worldwide
Dentistry is perhaps the field where the costs vary the most from one country to the other and where these differences in price are felt the most. The prices mostly depend on the overhead costs of the private dentists’ clinics, which include paying rent, acquiring materials (whose price also varies depending on the country) and instruments, the reputation of the dentist. Also, each dentistry patient is a story for themselves and the cost may also vary from one patient to another, depending on what they need done with their teeth.
Browsing through Placidway, you can see that globally, the average price is around $900. However, looking at the most expensive treatment available will yield the result of $54,474 for dental bridges in the UK. Undoubtedly, there are even more expensive treatments in UK and US which are not advertised on our website. On the other hand, the lowest price that can be found is just $11 for a tooth extraction in Armenia. The most expensive and the cheapest treatments are, of course, extremes to which the prices may go, so when comparing prices, you should check your local prices for the treatment you need first, so that you would have something to compare the prices abroad against.
Popular Procedures
Like we said, the procedures done depend on the needs of each individual patient, as every person’s needs are different. However, there are some procedures which seem to stand above the rest in terms of popularity, and, presumably, those are the procedures which are the most required by the patients. Those procedures are:
The Most Popular Destinations for Dental Procedures
Armenia ($11 - $1,083)
Armenia is a relative newcomer to the medical tourism game and they’ve entered it through the availability of highly skilled dentists which work with the latest technologies and practices, while still having prices which are very low compared to the Western world. The two medical industries that run well here, cosmetic surgery and dentistry, are connected to beautification of the patient and this is what Armenians do the best. The average price for a dental treatment in Armenia is $700, with the least expensive being tooth extraction at just $11, and the most expensive being maxillofacial surgery, which, in Armenia, costs only $1,083.
Mexico ($14 - $37,528)
Mexico is a popular destination in just about every medical category simply because of its closeness to the US and the medical prices in the US. That being said, it is widely known that the dentistry prices in the US probably the highest in the world. Dentists in Mexico know this, and even some US dentists decide to open their practices in Mexico, because they are able to provide much cheaper dental care with the same quality. The average price for a dental procedure in Mexico is $1,152. The most expensive listing on Placidway is for All-on-4 Dental Implants which will cost you $37,528, while the cheapest procedure that you can get is Deep Cleaning of the teeth for $14.
India ($15 - $8,198)
India is fighting for their place in the medical tourism world with high-quality services that they are able to provide at cheap rates. They are a budding nation in just about every medical field and a lot has been invested in the past decade to bring the quality levels on par with the more developed countries, and this is in line with this country’s overall movement towards modernization and improvement. In India, you can find dental procedures as cheap as $15, which is how much a dental filling costs, while those who wish to have dental bridges would have to pay a maximum of $8,198, which is the highest price listing for India on our website. The average price of dental procedures in India stands at $455.
Thailand ($17 - $13,368)
Thailand has established itself as one of the world’s top destination for cosmetic procedures and dentistry, both because of their low prices and their high skills and experience in these fields. Millions of people flock to this country every year to either have a cosmetic surgery or to enjoy a comprehensive dental procedure. With the prices as low as $17 for a dental filling and as high as $13,368 for all-on-4 dental implants, Thailand is really cost-effective for dental patients. The average price for a dental procedure in Thailand is $1,237.
Hungary ($34 - $33,647)
Hungary offers cheap dental services as most countries in the Balkans and the Eastern part of the EU do. However, Hungary is for some reason more popular than the others, probably because of their status within the EU (which is not shared by their neighbors) and the quality of service that they can guarantee. Being in the EU means that their prices are a bit higher than in the rest of the mentioned countries, but, the quality of service is still worth the money, and it is still cheaper than in most Western countries to have your teeth fixed here. Having said that, the average price for a dental procedure in Hungary is $617, which is not that high. The cheapest listing on Placidway is for a tooth extraction, which costs $34. The highest price that dental patients have to pay in Hungary is for the apex resection procedure, which costs $33,647. The rest of the prices, however, fall well below the $10,000 threshold.
Why is Dentistry so expensive in most Western countries?
Dentistry is considered to be an expensive field in almost all countries of the world. While to Westerners it might seem cheaper to go to Hungary, or Thailand, for the people living there, those procedures are still viewed as expensive. This is due to the fact that with a higher living standard also come higher prices, costs of living, overhead costs, and increased medical costs. All of these force the dentists to pay higher rents, pay more for medical equipment, and require more money to generally live. Because of this, the more West you go, the higher you will pay for a dental procedure. Since most dentists operate in private practices, they get to set the prices the way they see fit and they usually want to operate at a profit.
How to choose the right dentist
When choosing a dentist abroad to perform the procedure that you wish, you have to take a couple of factors into consideration. The price tag is not the only thing that you should be looking at, as, in some cases, a low price can mean poor quality service that is provided. The most important thing is the quality of the service that you will receive and not the amount of money that you will spend. If a dental procedure is not done properly, you will probably have to redo it at some point later in life (probably sooner than you expect). This means extra costs, which doesn’t really save you money. So, first check the quality of the dentist’s practice that seems attractive and then check out their prices. We’ve put together some guides as to what you should be looking at when choosing between multiple dental practices, as well as what questions you should be asking your dentist before a visit. We suggest that you take a look at them, as they will help you make a more informed decision about your destination.
If you have any questions about dental practices on our website, or are interested in finding out more about doctors, clinics, packages, and prices, feel free to contact us with your questions!
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