Mexico is a popular destination for dental tourism among patients looking to save some money while also going on vacation. On paper this might seem like a good idea to get treatments like dental implants in Mexico, but upon even the slightest scrutiny it falls apart. The issues with dental tourism can be boiled down to quality, continuing care, and safety.
Quality of Dental Work Abroad
The first issue with dental tourism in Mexico that needs to be addressed is the quality of work. While there is no doubt that there are many fine dentists in Mexico, there is no replacing a local cosmetic dentist that has been recommended by a friend or your general dentist. Additionally, there’s just no getting around the fact that patients consistently run into complication with dental work done abroad. Some of these complications will take far more to fix than what was saved getting the dental work done in another country. This makes one wonder if the dentists advertising their services specifically to dental tourists are the best dentists a country has to offer.
Safety Concerns in Dental Tourism
The US State Department urges travelers to either not travel or reconsider travel to 40% of Mexican states due to safety concerns, with kidnapping for ransom being a significant issue in some states. In addition to criminal activity there are also health concerns, with the CDC advising against medical tourism due to the risk of infection with antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Access to Continuing Dental Care
Complex dental procedures such as dental implants require follow up appointments to make sure the dental implant is integrating into the bone. A follow up appointment to place the dental restoration on it is also needed. A patient will need to travel to the dentist abroad for every follow up appointment or find a local dentist that’s willing to work on dental implants they weren’t involved in the placement of.
Long-Term Dental Relationships and Accountability
Your local dentist is in it for the long haul. They are there to build a relationship with you and look out for your dental needs. With a dentist you have an established relationship with you can count on the buck stopping with them. They take full accountability for your dental health and do what it takes to get you on the right track. With dentists abroad there is no such relationship or accountability since they are not the dentist you will be seeing on a regular basis.
If you live near Colchester and are thinking of getting cosmetic dentistry abroad, we urge you to first talk to your one of our dentists. Dental work does not have to be prohibitively expensive and communicating your needs to a dentist you may find that safe, high quality cosmetic dental care is within your reach.
