Risk of going overseas for Dental Implants

A holiday and a new smile with promise of cheap dental implants—sounds too good to be true? Sadly, many people don’t fully understand the risks. Yet, it is estimated around 15,000 Australians each year venture to exotic destinations such as the Philippines, Thailand and India to do their dental work procedures. Those in search of the perfect smile are lured by low price tags combined with the thought of lazy days recovering on golden sandy beaches.

Despite the Australian Dental Association continually repeating its warnings about the risks of going abroad for dental work, people are still taking their lives in their hands. Aren’t we being a little melodramatic you may ask? What’s the worst that can happen you may say? Well, you may be surprised.

With Dental Practices in Sydney’s CBD and Lane Cove, we are accustomed to picking up the pieces from dental tourism gone wrong. The cheap and fast dental work is not only dangerous, it can be expensive to fix. Not everyone has a horror dental holiday. Some people have successes with travelling to international locations for dentistry, and even lived to tell the tale, but are you really willing to take that risk?

Let us tell you the most common risk involved with overseas dental work:

1. Infection

Australia and New Zealand, there are stringent sterilisation procedures that  Professional dental practices must uphold to industry standards. In third world countries you are opening yourself to cross-contamination, new viruses and dangerous bacteria infections that normally don’t exist in Australia.

2.  Not all dentist are trained equal

Here in Australia, all dentist are required to be registered with regular upskilling as new technology comes along, but with an overseas dentists you must just assumed they have the required knowledge and experienced to carry out complex dental surgery such as implants.

3.  Complications

Not all dental surgery is straightforward. Your traveller’s insurance is unlikely to cover the extra costs incurred for extra dental work or hospitalisation. Your cheap dental implants can become a financial nightmare.

4.  Rushed treatment

Complex dental work should never be rushed, but due to time constraints, appointments are jammed into fewer weeks not allowing, your gums and teeth, the time they need to recover between procedures.

5.  Cheaper materials

Do you know exactly what’s being used in your mouth? for your information, cheaper, poor quality products are one reason, dental treatments are available at a reduced cost.

Don’t believe everything you read on overseas dental websites, promising world-class facilities and complimentary accommodation. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

At A Better Smile Dental Centre, we believe it’s in your best interest to establish an ongoing patient/doctor relationship with an oral surgeon or qualified dentist that is familiar with your background and meets the Australian industry standards.

Yes, dental work overseas may be cheaper, but is it worth the risk? A Better Smile Dental Centre provides interest free payment plans and is an authorised HICAPS provider. We’ll give you the facts in plain English and help you work out a plan that works with your budget. Don’t risk your oral health, book a consultation at our Sydney or Lane Cove clinic today.