I want to get some dental implants. There are dentists in my state who do place them, but they don’t have the best reputation. I want to go somewhere that the dentists have lots of experience and success in placing them. I have several options. My sister’s area has one and an old college friend just had one done from a great dentist. Both are just a state away but in opposite directions. I’ve heard dental tourism is bad, but I think this is different. However, are there some tips to giving this the best chance?
Candy L.
Dear Candy,
It’s great that you’re not doing dental tourism. That’s when you go to another country to get your work done because it’s “cheaper”. Often it ends up a disaster because standards are lower in that country and patients end up with infections. Then, to top that off, they have no recourse.
What you’re doing is different. I’ll list out ways to make this travel treatment more likely to succeed for you. Some of this you’ve already done, but I’ll write it out for the benefit of those who may not know to take these precautions.
If You’re Traveling for Dental Implants
Carefully research the dentist
You want to know what type of dental implant training they have, how many dental implant procedures they’ve done, and what percentage of them are successful. You’ll also want to consider their chairside interactions by checking their reviews. Are patients pleased with how they’re treated or did they feel ignored? Was he gentle or rough? You will also want to look at their cosmetic results. Do their crowns blend naturally with their other teeth?
Find out their emergency protocol ahead of time
If you experience an issue while in your home state, will he want you to come to his office or does he suggest a phone or skype consultation first?
Schedule a consultation before starting
Make sure the dentist knows you’re traveling to have this done. This may not change how they do the procedure, but they’ll be aware the different stages are a travel for you and plan accordingly.
Budget Carefully
You have the added expense of being away from home as well as getting back and forth. Just to give you some idea of how many visits you’re talking about, I’ll list some of them out.
- Surgery
- Post-op checks
- Healing checks
- Impression appointments
- Placement appointments
You’re looking at a minimum of six appointments. You want to make sure you’re able to make all of them. The last thing you want is to get partway through the procedure and run out of travel money. You’ll likely end up with failed procedures.
Another thing I’m going to suggest is that you stay with your sister or friend after the surgery until you’re back to normal. You’ll want someone to take care of you and not travel in pain, especially if you’re taking strong pain medications.
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