The dental tourism industry is becoming increasingly popular with many Australians opting for cheaper dental treatments – but what are you risking by choosing to go abroad for medical holidays?
Many Australians have chosen to undergo dental ‘holidays’ as a cost effective way to achieve a beautiful smile. But is the cost worth the risk? The discussion around dental tourism involves concerns of; communication, accountability and your overall safety.
What the Australian Dental Association thinks about dental tourism…
The Australian Dental Association discusses the many reasons that Australians should avoid dental holidays in a report outlining issues including poor training and infection control. Some of the other concerns to consider are:
- Time and continuity of care where dental treatment is fitted in around a holiday, and should ideally be conducted over a longer period of time.
- The risk of something going wrong wherein most travel insurers will not cover medical tourism.
- Suitable avenues for complaint and discussion surround the treatment before and after.
Communication
The most popular dental holidays for Australians include; Malaysia, India, the Philippines and Thailand. While many doctors will understand and speak English, they may not be able to communicate as clearly as dental professionals here in Australia. When undergoing dental treatment – cosmetic or otherwise, communication with your dentist is imperative to ensure everyone is on the same page and understand the treatment in full.
Accountability
Doctors overseas do not hold the same accountability as our dental professionals here in Australia. Firstly, your dental holiday is limited which means you will only be in the country for a short time and therefore do not have the luxury of follow-up appointments or quick check-ups after your treatment. Essentially your dentist can complete the treatment with little to no accountability whatsoever. More often than not your insurer will not cover dental tourism under its claims which means if your treatment fails you are out of pocket.
Safety
Your overall safety is the most important and worrying concern when it comes to dental tourism. Do you know how qualified your overseas dentist is? Do you know what the dental standards are in that country? Do they even have national dental standards in that country? When you opt for Australian dental services you can feel comfortable knowing that the qualifications are high and the standard of practice is assessed regularly.
Comparing the two…
What you get at City Smiles
At City Smiles located in the Melbourne CBD you can receive the dental care you need with the comfort of staying in Australia with qualified doctors and high standards. City Smiles also uses Australian made products which means, not only are our standards much higher than our overseas counterparts but the products used are high quality. For those patients who are interested in more serious dental treatment such as the replacement of missing teeth and full arch restoration we encourage you to consider treatment within the country. These treatments require skill and are mostly done in staged processes to allow time for healing. By rushing these treatments you could be sacrificing your dental health.
