Out-of-country medical work

[MoneyGuy]

This is where my client's family member went. Medical and dental work is big business here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Algodones

[Smelly Fred]

I took a cab ride to Calgary airport recently and my cab driver was heading back to the Ukraine to get the second part of his implants done. He told me that he was getting 10 implants and with air fare, hotel, meals etc the whole thing cost him $23,000 which is 2,300/tooth but that includes all expenses. He was quoted $65,000 for the work in Calgary.
I also have a buddy who went to a dentist in Mumbai India. The dentist he went to was reccomended by an Indian friend and it worked out well for him.

Too bad there isn't a travel agency who could organise trips like this. They could set up dentists and doctors for Canadians. They would only use reccomended doctors and they would make all the arrangements for the traveller/patient. It would be a great business to start.

[Slava]

There actually are services that do just that, primarily sending people to India and SE Asia in general (Malaysia and Singapore). I've spoken with them because some people who purchase critical illness coverage look for treatment around the world in the event of a claim.

[Buzzard]

Originally Posted by Smelly Fred

I took a cab ride to Calgary airport recently and my cab driver was heading back to the Ukraine to get the second part of his implants done. He told me that he was getting 10 implants and with air fare, hotel, meals etc the whole thing cost him $23,000 which is 2,300/tooth but that includes all expenses. He was quoted $65,000 for the work in Calgary.
I also have a buddy who went to a dentist in Mumbai India. The dentist he went to was reccomended by an Indian friend and it worked out well for him.

Too bad there isn't a travel agency who could organise trips like this. They could set up dentists and doctors for Canadians. They would only use reccomended doctors and they would make all the arrangements for the traveller/patient. It would be a great business to start.

Saw this on the news not long before I left. Might be useful to anyone wanting to go this route.

www.holidaydental.ca

[speede5]

Be careful where you go in Mexico. I'm sure there are very good practitioners but there are probably a lot of shady ones.

A girl (daughter of an old co-coworker) here passed away recently. She had been sick for several years following a tummy tuck or liposuction she had done on a mexican vacation. I don't know many details, just that she was never the same after the surgery.

[Locke]

I dont have personal experience in this area, but as a tax accountant I have encountered several individuals who have had this work done in Mexico and all of them reported having a great experience and were satisfied by the end result.

As with anything however, buyer beware. If you're going to see Dr. Nick dont expect the same level of care, quality or competency as from Dr. Hibbert.

[MoneyGuy]

Since I've been checking around I've come upon a few people who have done this, including Buzzard now who I plan to talk to. I'll do my due diligence and will be thorough. It's not worth the risk for me to save a few grand so I need to be sure this is the right thing to do. So far, anecdotally I only have heard good stories from people who have done this.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Since I've been checking around I've come upon a few people who have done this, including Buzzard now who I plan to talk to. I'll do my due diligence and will be thorough. It's not worth the risk for me to save a few grand so I need to be sure this is the right thing to do. So far, anecdotally I only have heard good stories from people who have done this.

Don't worry, I am sure the ones it went poorly for are still alive to tell you about it.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Rathji

Don't worry, I am sure the ones it went poorly for are still alive to tell you about it.

You generally don't die from a toothache or some other similar mistake by a dentist. You know I'm referring to a tooth implant, right? I've now talked to a few people who have done it and have nothing but good comments back.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

You generally don't die from a toothache or some other similar mistake by a dentist. You know I'm referring to a tooth implant, right? I've now talked to a few people who have done it and have nothing but good comments back.

Yes, I am aware.

I guess the green text might have been needed.

ETA: I can actually get all my extremely major dental work done in the US - by a family member. The cost to even stay down there (Palm Springs) is large enough that I have only bothered to take advantage once though.

[troutman]

Should I Get My Teeth Fixed in Mexico?

http://kosmo.hubpages.com/hub/Should...ixed-in-Mexico

MEDICAL AND DENTAL TOURISM:
How the Q Wealth Report can help you to Save Thousands of Dollars by Going International for your Medical and Dental Services

http://www.qwealthreport.com/medical_dental_tourism.php

http://www.ahc.umn.edu/bioethics/pro...set_177830.pdf

The optimistic view of this phenomenon is that patients
are taking inexpensive “dental vacations” in exotic
locales. The skeptical view is that patients risk receiving
inferior care in regions with lower regulatory standards
and limited oversight of dental clinics. Whatever the
true significance of the rise of cross-border dental care,
dental tourism companies are proliferating, travelling for
dental care is becoming commonplace in some regions
and researchers and professional associations are paying
limited attention as dental care shifts from being a local
service and enters a competitive global marketplace of
cross-border economic transactions.

[Dentoman]

Implant surgery (and root canals for that matter) are a whole different ball game than getting crowns/bridges/fillings/cleanings. If they fail, they are much more difficult and expensive to get taken care of.

Implants (the fixture that is placed in the bone) are a tremendous restoration. If done well, in the hands of a specialist (periodontist,oral surgeon) or an experienced general dentist, they are basically a lifetime restoration. The crown placed on top may need to be replaced due to fracture or breakdown, but this is easily done.

If the implant fixture in the bone fails ..... it will be difficult, time consuming, expensive and maybe impossible to fix. You want to have an experienced practitioner placing them to limit the chances of failure of the implant itself.

I could go to a weekend course, buy the equipment and place them on Monday if I wanted to .... so just beware .... just because you can place implants, doesn't mean you should.

In Alberta, the standard of care is to place implants under full surgical draping and using infection control standards to the level of a hospital operating room .... just another thing to consider when investigating out of country implant treatment.