Dental Tourism Trends in 2016
By the International Medical Tourism Journal ~
Dental tourism (Also know as dental holidays or dental vacations) has become a booming industry, where every dentist fights for his reputation and wants to be among the first options for the travelling patient.
But how easy is it and what does it take to be a competitive player in such an unpredictable industry? With increasing awareness of the potential of the dental tourism, more and more dental clinics are trying to get into the business of attracting foreign patients.
But unfortunately most are relying on the same message…. “We are the best dentists, we provide the best dental services, in the most beautiful location, and offer dental services at X% less compared to country Y prices for the same services.”
…How can the patient choose among the sea of dentists?
…What are the criteria used in finding the best dentist?
…How far will a patient be willing to travel for a dental crown or an implant?
(Read the complete article by clicking "Read More "
A 2012 report to the Congress ‘Dental Crisis in America” from Senator Bernie Sanders shows that nearly 130 million people in the US do not have dental insurance. In the UK, the National Health Service covers only part of the dental care costs.
In Australia even for people with insurance, dental work can get quite expensive, especially when it comes to dental implants, crowns and cosmetic dentistry, which are generally not covered by insurance. In many European countries people do not use dental insurance, but pay full price for the dental procedures and prices can be really high.
What are the key factors when choosing a dentist and what are the main trends of this industry?
Price in dental tourism
Dental tourism brings a perception to consumers seeking dental care of significant savings if they choose to go abroad for dental work. Based on claims made by various clinics these could range from 50-75% savings.
For example, a dental implant complete with crown in the US costs around $4,500, $3,500 in the UK. Prices can go as low as $1,500 in Thailand and the Philippines, $1,850 in Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia.
Prices for dental veneers can reach $1,800 in the US and $870 in the UK, but drop as low as $600 in Mexico, $350 in Thailand and the Philippines.
Teeth whitening in the US can cost $700, but only $450 in Turkey, $350 in Mexico, $300 in Thailand, the Philippines, Costa Rica and in India.
Patients can pay $2,000 for a dental crown in the US and $1,000 in the UK, but only $400 in Mexico, $350 in Venezuela and Thailand, $300 in Turkey, India and $300 in the Philippines.
People can now get the same skills, same equipment, and same product from the same manufacturer at a much lower cost abroad.
This is due to the fact that the product pricing varies by country, while malpractice insurance and related infrastructure costs such as office rents and staff salaries are lower in these emerging dental tourism markets.
Price is the main driving force in the expansion of the industry. Countries such as Thailand, Mexico, the Philippines, Colombia, India, Turkey and countries in Eastern Europe compete on price.
Competition in dental tourism
Dental tourism has become an extremely crowded marketplace. The tiny border town of Los Algodones Mexico alone has more than 300 dentists, all offering affordable dental care and Bangkok, Thailand, has an extensive network of clinics. Manila with its American English speaking certified dentists is fast rising in the dental tourism marketplace.
Cabo San Lucas Mexico is the most popular Mexico dental vacation destination. –Phoenix Editor, Dental Tourism News Co. but Tijuana dentists enjoy more dental travel patients day-tripping across the border from Southern California. Indeed, Tijuana has been a dental travel destination for tens of thousands for over 60 years.
There are many locations where people can get discounted dental care compared with prices in their home countries. More dentists continue to join dental tourism with slight twists in their products and procedures but with the same underlying offering.
One driving force in deciding where people go is how far a dental patient is prepared to travel for dental treatment and the cost of travel offset against the treatment savings.
Predictions for dental tourism
In 2014 and beyond, dental tourism demand will continue to expand as well as the number of dentists offering the services.
Transparency
This is a growing concern. There are instances when what is being marketed versus what is being delivered varies significantly. For example, dentists will advertise that they use top American brand dental implants, but while performing the procedure, they will use lower quality knock-off implants with no reliability. They will charge the patient for a higher-grade implant. The lack of price and procedure transparency continues to grow and the consumer must do proper research before arranging a treatment.
Commoditization
Dental tourism is moving towards a commodity-type market, where there are many suppliers and the demand for those services is common. Procedures, skills, materials and techniques are increasingly similar in whatever country people go to.
The differentiating factors among providers, such as costs and quality, are blurred among so many dental service providers.
Author - Ian Youngman
Phoenix Editor – The author's comments regarding transparency and switching unbranded implants from branded units are well taken and a big problem with Mexican border town general dentists. This is especially a problem in developing nations where consumer protection laws are lax. Board board certified dentist associations listed below offer free dental price estimates, and referrals.
Contacts:
BOARD CERTIFIED MEXICO DENTAL ORG - Free Consultations, Estimates, Referrals -
Languages: Spanish/American English
MEXICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION - Associacion Dental Mexicana
MEXICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION - Associacion Dental Mexicana
BOARD CERTIFIED ASIA DENTAL ASSN - Free Consultations, Estimates, Referrals -
Languages: American English, Tagalog, Thai, Mandarin
ROYAL HONG KONG DENTAL ASSOCIATION - Referrals only -
Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English
tags: mexico dental tourism, dental holidays, dental travel, dental tourism trends report 2014, dental tourism news co, cabo free press, NY times,CNN news, dental travel news, los cabos dentist, los cabos dental vacation, cabo dentist, los algodones dentist, Guadalajara dentist, cabo cosmetic dentist, Puerto Vallarta dentist, asia dental tourism news, mexico dental tourism news, dental tourism prices, dental implants prices, best dental tourism places, best dental tourism countries, dental implants, dental tourism,nbc,npr,cosmetic dentistry, veneers, los cabos dentist, Tijuana dentist, puerto Vallarta dental vacation, tijuana dental vacation, los algodones dental vacation, los algodones dentist, cabo san lucas dentist, cabo dental, pv dentist, dentist in pv, mexico dental vacation, Philippines dental vacation, manila dental implant, Bangkok dental implant,los angeles dentst,los angeles cosmetic dentist,los angeles dental implant,san diego dental implant,tijuana dental implant
