What precisely is dental tourism, and why do so many patients do it?

Dental tourism is the tradition of seeking dental treatment outside of one’s home nation. For example, a U.S. resident may travel to Mexico to perform dental implant surgery.

If you will see, the majority of “dental tourists” come from countries where the cost of dental treatment is high. In exchange, the destinations are countries noted for their low-cost facilities and the people from developed countries travel to these destinations to save money.

Why should you avoid going abroad for dental implants?

The most appealing aspect of dental tourism is its low cost. However, the initial treatment expense is the sole justification for traveling overseas for dental implant treatment. Although several patients have had positive encounters with dental tourism, more have had problems and fees exceeding the expense of the treatment in the United States. Following are the reasons to avoid dental tourism for dental implants.

1)   Liability Issues: Surgeons practicing in the United States are automatically liable under U.S. medical malpractice rules, whereas surgeons practicing outside the US are not subjected to this.  If you think the out-of-country physician has behaved irresponsibly, you might not have legal recourse.

2)   Regulatory Issues: In the United States, OSHA oversees sterilization standards, and the FDA governs material safety. Rules and guidelines of this kind are common in some nations. However, in developing countries, these regulations are not enforced. To appeal to patients needing less expensive treatments, facilities can import materials from manufacturers with less regulation.

Moreover, if sterilization requirements are not strictly enforced, facilities would be less inclined to follow best practices. If you are handled in an unregulated hospital, you could be at a higher risk of infections, serious illnesses like Hepatitis B, or failure of implants.

3)   Failure to Have Follow-Up Treatment: Follow-up care is required during the first six months of implant placement. When teeth are removed, the form and shape of the gum and the underlying jaw-bone will change. Consequently, prosthetic teeth inserted on the day of operation would almost never have a proper alignment with the gums during the recovery process.

Replacement of missing teeth with dental implants is an advanced procedure and needs close monitoring. You can find yourself in a difficult position if you do not have access to a dental specialist to monitor you during the recovery process.

4)   Common Complications: Due to liability issues, most dental specialists in the United States may not treat patients that have had implants placed by other surgeons. If you have issues such as infection, implant rejection, or prosthetic injuries, you have to return to the physician who inserted the implants.

5)   Safety Concerns: The crime rates in developing countries is remarkably higher than the developed countries. For instance, Mexico’s crime rate in 2019 smashed the 1997 mark for the most crimes committed in a single year.

Although no nation is completely clean, stable, or crime-free, being a foreigner might make you a more attractive target. There is also the difficulty of language and cultural barriers in a foreign world.