If you’re looking to replace one or several missing teeth then dental implants are the closest you’ll get to having your real teeth back again. Each year, more Australians are considering having dental implants in Korea to save money on their treatment.
While it may seem the best way to get expensive restorations at a fraction of the cost we would urge caution if you are considering going overseas for dental implants.
Dental implants in Korea – What could go wrong?
Qualifications and experience
Placing a dental implant is one of the most complex dental procedures and requires a high level of expertise. As dental degrees don’t cover dental implants, it’s necessary for dentists wishing to offer dental implant treatment to undergo additional training to be qualified. At home, it’s a relatively easy task to check that not only has your dentist completed additional training but that they also have adequate experience in providing successful implant surgeries but how can you be sure this is the case in Korea?
Although we’re sure there are many highly educated and experienced dentists in south Korea they may adhere to different standards and regulations which may not be as stringent as those enforced by the Australian Dental Association (ADA).
Infection control measures
While Coronavirus revealed the importance of infection control in all healthcare facilities, it is particularly important in dental clinics and should be a priority when oral surgery is taking place.
As a patient, you want to feel safe and confident that visiting a dentist for a dental implant won’t put your health at risk. Ultimately it’s the clinic’s responsibility to do all it can to help prevent the transmission of disease and infection.
Dentists back home are obliged to adhere to strict protocols for infection control and patient care at all times.
Here at No Gaps Dental, effective hand hygiene is essential for reducing the transmission of infection such as Covid-19. This is why we enforce the use of hand sanitiser throughout our clinics upon entering and leaving. We also make sure that hand sanitiser dispensers are clearly positioned in working areas for staff, dentists and patients and that all our staff are trained and use best practice in hand hygiene. Not every hand sanitiser is the same, which is why we only use those approved by the TGA to help keep everyone safe within our dental clinics. Other measures in place include social distancing, patient screening, and more frequent and thorough cleaning of shared spaces.
How can you be sure that your potential dental clinic is taking infection control as seriously? You could be putting yourself at risk of picking up a harmful bacterial infection particularly in a back-street Korean dental clinic.
While there may be plenty of cutting-edge dental clinics in the city of Seoul, these are unlikely to be the ones advertising cut-price dental implants in Korea.
You may be pressed for time
Have you ever stopped to consider what would happen if your dental implant treatment took longer than planned?
For the best results, it’s important to allow sufficient recovery/healing time between each stage of the dental implant procedure. Failing to do so, not only compromises the success of a dental implant but the health of a patient too.
While allowing time for healing when getting complex dental implants treatment at home isn’t a problem that’s not always the case when a person is travelling abroad and has a limited timeframe. Inevitably, your Korean dentist may have little option but to cram in several implant treatments when it isn’t the best thing to do.
Latest technology
Dental technologies and equipment are advancing all the time and clinics that invest in the ‘latest and best’ can offer comfort, safety, and improved results to their patients. If you’re travelling to Korea for dental implants it’s worth asking whether the dentist who will place your dental implants uses advanced 3D imaging systems and surgical guides that allow for more precise treatment planning. You should also enquire as to the type of dental implants they will be using and whether they’re known brands that have been backed up by years of clinical research.
You could end up spending more than you had bargained for
If something goes wrong or you’re disappointed with the outcome of your dental implant treatment in Korea you may have to pay to have it redone. As a result, you’re likely to end up paying the price you were hoping to avoid in addition to the thousands of dollars you’ve already wasted on dental implants in Korea.
Reducing the costs of dental implants back home
Although the cost of dental implants in Korea is relatively inexpensive by Australian standards, in general, dental tourism can expose patients to risks that they wouldn’t face when having treatment back home.
And this could cost them a lot more than a few extra bucks.
So, how could you lower the cost of dental implants back home? Well, for starters you could check out your private medical insurance. A few companies are starting to include dental implants in the ‘major dental’ category under the ‘higher extras cover’ of their policy.
At No Gaps Dental, in addition to our competitive treatment prices, we also provide various payment methods and finance plans to help make a dental implant affordable for everyone.
So if you think that getting dental implants in Korea is your only option, you may be surprised to learn that implants are more affordable back home than you initially thought.
Why not schedule a no-obligation dental implant consultation with No Gaps Dental and find out more. Call us now on (02) 8806 0227.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.
