11 TIPS FOR A PERFECT DENTAL VACATION - And how to avoid a dental tourism disaster

It's been called a Dental Vacation, Dental Holidays, Dental Travel and Dental Tourism..  But call it what you will, it can be a great way to save money while taking a vacation, or it can be your worst nightmare in a dentist chair  

By David de Los Angeles

Here's how to avoid starring in your own dental vacation horror show:

 1.  Get estimates from Board Certified Dentists who are certified for your procedures. They cost the same as less trained general dentists who would love to learn advanced dentistry at your expense. 

2.  Choose dentists who speak your language.  So you won't need to know how to say “Take it easy doc!”  in  Spanish, Thai or Mandarin. Most foreign board certified dentists speak English fairly well.

3.  Avoid commercial dental broker agencies like WhatEver Dentist, Flacid Way, Dentist-A-GoGo etc. They list any dentists who pay their fees including non-certified general dentists with fake credentials angling for big treatment patients. 

DID THE AZTECS INVENT COSMETIC DENTISTRY? National Geographic

National Geographic - Mexico City:

Some dentists today cater to fashionistas by inlaying real diamonds on the surface of front teeth. The ancient Mexicans were inlaying turquoise and other semi-precious stones 1,000's of years ago. Today 1,000's of American and Canadian dental tourists visit Mexican cosmetic dentists annually for dental makeovers, crowns, veneers and other treatment they might not be able to afford back home.

Archaeologists recently reported finding a 4,900-year-old burial site in Mexico that had one of the oldest known examples of dental work in the Americas.

The upper front teeth of the remains had been ground down so they could be mounted with animal teeth, possibly wolf or panther teeth, for ceremonial purposes, according to researchers led by Tricia Gabany-Guerrero of the University of Connecticut.

“It’s like he was using the mouth of some other animal in his mouth,” explained James Chatters, an archaeologist and paleontologist with AMEC Earth and Environmental Inc. in Seattle, Wash., and a member of the research team.

Such modifications, typically using beasts of prey, became more common centuries later in the Maya culture, Chatters said in a telephone interview, but this is the earliest example that has been found.

DENTAL TOURISM REPORT 2014 - Latest Stats, Trends, Dental Tourism Prices,

Oct. 26, 2014

INTERNATIONAL DENTAL TOURISM REPORT 2014

Latest Dental Tourism Market Trends Show Continuing Growth

From IMTJ 

Summary: This study covers the growth in the dental tourism market, dental tourism prices, the increase in both demand and supply and how providers will need to differentiate their offering to remain competitive.

Dental tourism has become a booming industry, where every dentist fights for his reputation and wants to be among the first options for the travelling patient.

But how easy is it and what does it take to be a competitive player in such an unpredictable industry? With increasing awareness of the potential of the dental tourism, more and more dental clinics are trying to get into the business of attracting foreign patients.

But unfortunately most are relying on the same message…. “We are the best dentists, we provide the best dental services, in the most beautiful location, and offer dental services at X% less compared to country Y prices for the same services.”

Patient choice in dental tourism

…How can the patient choose among the sea of dentists?

…What are the criteria used in finding the best dentist?

…How far will a patient be willing to travel for a dental crown or an implant?


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