Are you considering dental implants in Singapore? If so then you’re certainly not alone. Approximately 15,000 Australians travel abroad to places like Singapore, Thailand, Bali and Malaysia every single year for medical and dental treatment. Fuelled by a boom in medical and dental tourism and cheaper daily flights to Far East destinations, it’s understandable why people are seeking options for their dental implant treatment abroad.
But before you start scanning the internet to book your dental treatment overseas, there are some important factors that you really should take into consideration. Let’s take a closer look…
Factor 1 – Cheap prices and hidden treatment costs
When it comes to getting dental implants in Singapore it’s well documented that this happens to be is one of the most expensive places to live in the world. It stands to reason that with higher prices comes a higher cost of living. Therefore, you should expect treatments for missing teeth such as dental implants to be on a par with, or higher than, those back here in Australia.
So when you see an advert for a dental implant in Singapore for as little as $700, you really need to ask the question why?
As with all things in life, there is always a valid reason. Typically, these prices will be reserved for mini dental implants and are inexpensive because they are meant for simple dental implant surgery cases.
The point here is that…
mini-implants are not substitutes for traditional dental implants.
Conventional implants are far stronger and provide a greater surface area to enable bone fusion to take place. The latter are usually more expensive and can be used to replace a single tooth or multiple missing teeth.
Alternatively, you may see another advert that says something like…
“Get a dental implant for as little as $1000”.
While you may, of course, be tempted, there’s a very strong chance that these costs are usually for the dental implant surgery alone and won’t include any other necessary or required fees such as:
- Consultations and dental examinations
- Dental X-rays and 3D scanning
- Bone grafting (if required)
- Sinus lifting (if required)
- IV sedation (if required)
- Dental implant and components (including the dental crown)
- Aftercare medication
- Post-op reviews
While a reputable dentist offering quality dental implants in Singapore will be transparent and give you a full breakdown on pricing, other clinics may use this as a trick to lure you in, so it’s well worth bearing this in mind.
As a top tip – Take cheap prices with a very big pinch of salt.
Just as a rough guide, the average cost of replacing missing teeth with dental implants per tooth in Singapore is somewhere around the $2500 – $4800 mark. This is on par with dental implant treatment back home – give or take a few dollars. So if it’s considerably less, you should be questioning why.
Factor 2 – Treatment timing
The vast majority of people who travel overseas for dental treatment don’t visit far-flung destinations for a simple treatment that they can have back home – like a dental check-up or a scale and polish. On the contrary, they require complex dental work like multiple missing teeth restorations or specialist treatment like teeth extraction and replacement using full-mouth dental implants. Either way, these will be treatments that involve adequate time.
In an ideal world, a dentist embarking on complex dental techniques will always look to get the basic foundation work done and any existing problems sorted out before fixing teeth properly. With this in mind, complex dental procedures aren’t the type of treatments that should be slotted into a 2-3 week holiday time frame.
Inevitably, there are going to be plenty of Singapore dentists who realise this but are also confined to the time restraints of a patient’s travel plans. As a result, they may take risks with you that they might not ordinarily take for a local patient.
As a top tip – If you are looking to replace missing teeth with dental implants in Singapore, allow yourself adequate time to get the treatment done properly. This may mean booking an open-ended ticket where necessary.
Factor 3 – Follow-up care
Although dental implants are proven restorations that work, they aren’t full-proof. Despite the fact that on average, implant-based procedures are around 95% successful, there are a whole host of reasons that may cause the implant to fail.
Back home in Australia, a failed dental implant wouldn’t be so much of a problem because all dentists are bound by law to investigate and correct any dental implant problems or issues that are proven to have occurred as a direct result of the surgical process.
If you can’t for whatever reason come to an agreement with the dentist, there are specific organisations that you can speak to with a view to seeking recompense.
Unfortunately, the same can’t always be said when your dental implant dentist is an 8-hour flight away in Singapore. There is no guarantee, for example, that they’re bound by the same guidelines. Even if they were, it will inevitably involve the cost of another return flight and accommodation; plus taking more time out to resolve the problem. If the implant is particularly problematic, you may not even feel like travelling in the first place.
If you are looking to replace missing teeth with dental implants and are considering going abroad to get dental implants in say, Singapore, then do take note of these 3 key factors. They will stand you in good stead.
If on the other hand, you feel that undergoing dental treatment back home is the best, safest and cost-effective option, then come and talk to No Gaps Dental. Because we’re a multi-location dental group, we can afford to offer patients unbeatable prices on treatments like dental implants without compromising on quality.
To find out more, book an appointment at a convenient No Gaps Dental clinic near you or call us at (02) 8007 6727
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks.