Are you looking to cut the cost of dental implants treatment? If so, then travelling abroad could be the answer. A dental implant in Vietnam, for instance, can be had for around half the price of the equivalent treatment back here in Australia. It’s no wonder then that around 15 thousand Australians travel abroad for medical and dental treatment each year.
While it’s easy to focus on the cost-saving, there are also several associated risks when undertaking a dental implant procedure in places like Vietnam, that you wouldn’t necessarily expect, or have back here in Australia. So what are those risks?
Let’s take a closer look…
Differing regulations/standards
Although dentists in Vietnam are on the whole well-educated and highly trained, they adhere to different regulations and standards which aren’t necessarily as strict as the regulations and standards set here by the Australian Dental Association (ADA).
The ADA ensures that all Australian dentists are highly qualified and kept up to date with the latest regulations and practices through continued professional development. Also, dentists are also obliged to adhere to strict guidelines for infection control and patient care at all times.
What this means for any Australian national undergoing dental implants in Vietnam is that results may not always meet your high expectations.
Non-coverage of Insurance
According to the latest reports it’s estimated that 44% of the population have some type of private medical insurance. So while a patient can feel safe in the knowledge that many dental treatments are covered back here in Australia, the same can’t be said when you travel abroad to undergo treatments like the dental implant procedure.
Unfortunately, most insurance companies won’t cover you for dental treatments overseas so you won’t be able to reclaim costs from your provider.
More importantly, should you need to seek recourse after getting a dental implant in Vietnam, you’re left with no avenue for complaint or compensation if the dental implant procedure is not what’s expected, or you suffer an injury as a result.
Timing problems
Those people opting for dental implants procedures in countries like Vietnam will typically do so because they require multiple corrections or added treatments – treatments that would otherwise cost tens of thousands of dollars back here in Australia.
For best results, it’s important to allow vital healing/recovery time between treatments as failure to do so may compromise not only the success of a dental implant procedure but also a patient’s health.
So while allowing sufficient healing/recovery time isn’t necessarily a problem when undergoing complex dental treatment back home, it can be problematic when a patient is travelling abroad and only has a limited timeframe to get all their treatments done. Inevitably this leaves dentists with the dilemma of having to cram in multiple dental implants treatments when it isn’t always the ideal option to do so.
Risks of exposure to disease
While getting any form of illness on vacation isn’t nice, it becomes even more unpleasant if you contract it while trying to recover from a recent dental implants procedure.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest risks to people looking to undergo dental implant treatment in Vietnam isn’t the surgery itself but the exposure to disease that you might not be immune to. Diseases like Chikungunya, Dengue Fever or Japanese Encephalitis are relatively common throughout South East Asia and can increase the risk of serious illness. Even contracting something as common as a stomach bug can be pretty miserable when you’re in your post-surgical recovery phase. This is certainly something to bear in mind before you travel.
Reducing the costs of dental implants back home
Although the dental implants procedure in Vietnam is cheap by Australian standards, dental tourism, in general, exposes patients to a range of associated risks that could cost them a lot more than a few extra bucks.
So if you do want to avoid travelling abroad to places like Vietnam for dental implants treatment and would prefer to have your dental care carried out by a local dentist back home, how can you keep the cost down?
Here are some pointers…
Check out your medical health cover
We’ve already mentioned that approximately 11 million Australians currently have private medical insurance. The good news is that some insurance companies will cover a part of the cost of dental implants if it’s deemed medically necessary, so it’s well worth checking out the small print on your policy just in case.
Subsidised dental health care
Some patients may also be eligible for subsidised dental health care via government-funded schemes. With this in mind, it might be worth talking to your local federal assistance office or Medicare to see if you are eligible for assistance.
Take advantage of payment plans or dental loans
Even when you do decide to cut costs and travel abroad for a dental implants procedure, you will be required to settle your bill in full at the end of the treatment.
Back here in Australia, patients may be able to take advantage of flexible payment plans or dental loans to help spread the cost of undergoing dental implants treatment. Typically these services allow you to pay off the cost of treatment over several months or years with very little (if any) interest.
So there you have it…
If you like the thought of undergoing a dental implant treatment in Vietnam but don’t like the idea of being exposed to one or more of the many risks associated with dental tourism, then come and talk to the team at No Gaps Dental.
With 15 contemporary and fully-equipped locations spread throughout the Sydney Metro area, we make the cost of a dental implants procedure affordable and convenient, without compromising on the quality of materials, service or patient care.
Realise your goal of getting the dental implants you need by contacting us at a No Gaps dental practice of your choice today! Call us now on (02) 8806 0227.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.