Dental Tourism Lures Patients with Vacation Promises

Last week, we started talking about dental tourism to Mexico.

We received some interesting comments from dentists on the subject, and we’re still curious to hear more about what you dentists think of Americans who head south of the border to save money on dental care.

These were some of the key points dentists raised:

• You get what you pay for. Overseas dental work might save money — or it might cost extra to fix the teeth after a hack dentist ruins them.
• The patients who choose to visit other countries for low-cost dental work are more likely to be “difficult” patients, so maybe you’re just as well to be rid of them.

This week, I’m going to examine it from a patient’s perspective. Let’s say my dentist just told me I’m going to need thousands of dollars of dental treatment. What will I find if I go online looking for lower-cost options?

Shopping for Low-Cost Dental Care Online

It doesn’t take long to find Mexican Dental Vacation. Though they’ve done an excellent job of positioning their dental website on Google, they’re far from the only game in town. But they’re an excellent example of the dental competitor you may not have known you had: Canadian owner, American dentist, Mexican location, and a slick English-language website geared to the US dental tourist.

“With Mexican Dental Vacation you can save up to 75%! Crowns, bridges, veneers, dental implants, now you can have the smile you only dreamed of, all done within your 1 to 2 week vacation, right on the beach in Mazatlan, Mexico! You will love your dental vacation!”

The website shows beautiful pictures of a waiting room overlooking the ocean sands.It’s hard to compete for dollars with the Mazatlan beach!

“We have streamlined our clinic to the point where we can do your dental implants in 1 week.”

Dental implants in one week? You know patients will think that sounds like a great idea.

What Do Patients Have to Say?

Next it was time to dig for some dirt! What did people have to say about this organization?

Most of the online reviews were positive. Patients knew they had saved a lot of money, and most felt they had gotten good care. One patient described how his extractions were unexpectedly difficult, so the dentist sent him out to a local oral surgeon.

One woman who got her teeth whitened said they were not careful applying the bleaching gel, leaving her with painful memories of her 5-day Mexico vacation. A man said that language difficulties left him getting only root canals instead of the crowns he had also been expecting.

Some patients reported that, after paying up-front, they had little recourse if not satisfied with the results; the Internet houses a number of former patients who stay they are still awaiting refunds promised to them by Nick Konev, the company’s founder.

But What Does It Cost?!?

Curious about the dental fees they charge? Well, they’ve posted their price list online.

Some patient comments suggest that the prices charged by Mexican Dental Vacations are higher than at other Mexican dentists, though of course they’re still rock-bottom by American standards.