Dental Tourism Risks and Why Seeking Care Abroad May Not Always Be the Cheapest

Have you or someone you know ever considered dental tourism? It’s when you travel abroad for your dental treatment—sometimes as part of a vacation—instead of seeking care with your provider at home. It’s a trend that has existed for a while but has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years due to growing medical and living costs. But is dental tourism really safe and cost-effective?

While it may seem like a great idea at first (who wouldn’t want to tack on a fun adventure to some low-cost dental care?), there are huge risks associated with it that people don’t often think about, and the consequences should something go wrong are costly—both physically and financially.

Let’s talk about the risks you face when getting dental treatments overseas, the benefits of seeking care from a provider at home, and why you should value your teeth just as much as any other part of your body.

The Risks and Hidden Costs of Dental Tourism

As a fellow dental patient (I spent the majority of my childhood in a dental chair!) and a lover of travel, I understand the appeal of dental tourism. Endodontic procedures like root canals can come with a hefty price tag, and insurance plans don’t exactly shoulder the burden. If there’s a low-cost alternative, especially one that includes a vacation to a cool new destination, who wouldn’t be on-board? Post-treatment stroll through a beautiful market? Sign me up!

But the price of your procedure isn’t the only thing to consider when choosing where to get your dental care. In fact, it’s only a small part of the equation. There are other hidden risks and costs of dental tourism that most people don’t think about that can make overseas dental treatment far more costly for your wallet and your body.

To show you what I mean, let me share the stories of two of my patients who, despite opting for the “cheaper” option of seeking care abroad, landed right back in my dental chair.

Patient #1: A Failed Root Canal Abroad

The first patient had received a root canal and crown on tooth #8 abroad. Instead of getting the low-cost root canal they had been hoping for, they ended up in my office a little while later with tenderness and pain in their already-treated tooth.

Looking at their tooth, I was really concerned about the crown. It was ill-fitted, which meant that it was probably leaking and allowing all sorts of bacteria to get into the tooth. When this happens, the tooth can end up reinfected, leading to potential bone loss and even extraction if left untreated.

I also wasn’t a big fan of how the procedure was done (one of the potential risks of dental tourism). It seemed that not all of the canal of the tooth had been cleaned out, which is essential for a successful root canal. It was just another reason to suspect that both old (original bugs prior to the root canal) and new bacteria (getting in from the open margins of the crown) were hanging out in the tooth.

When I saw the patient’s radiographs, my fears were confirmed. Do you see that dark shadow above the tooth? It’s evidence of an infection, and the tooth has what we call a periapical lesion, too. To make matters worse, there’s also some notable bone loss.

In a situation like this, the only thing I could do for the patient was redo their entire treatment, including a new root canal and crown. So much for taking the cheaper route!

Patient #2: A Dental Disaster

The second patient also came to me with a previously treated root canal, this time in tooth #6. They, too, were experiencing tenderness and pain, and I could see from the radiograph that they were starting to develop a periapical radiolucency—a sure sign that bacteria were getting into the tooth.

But that’s not where the story ends!

As it turned out, this patient had sought care à la dental tourism despite the risks for their front teeth (both top and bottom) because they were loose and infected. There had been so much periodontal (gum) disease around the teeth that the dentist overseas had extracted them and replaced them with a bridge, which is a prosthesis that fits over your natural teeth to fill the empty space.

What’s worse, the treatment hadn’t gone according to plan. By the time they got to my office, their gums were extremely swollen because they couldn’t clean their teeth under the bridge. This had created a very unhygienic environment, making their condition even worse. Plus, the bridge was so unstable that I thought it might fall off, creating a breeding ground for more bacteria. It was a shit show, to be honest, and I felt so bad for this patient.

As I dug even further into my evaluation of the patient, I realized that they had actually had lots of root canals and two different bridges—a maxillary and mandibular bridge. Fearing the worst, I decided to take a panorex image of her mouth to see what else might be happening. Sure enough, I saw that the teeth that were anchoring both of her bridges were all infected. This poor, poor, patient!

Two major things concerned me about this patient. First, I was worried that the span of the two bridges was too long, which would stress the teeth that were anchoring them and could lead to future tooth fractures of the remaining teeth. Just like a real-life bridge over water, you need adequate support to keep it in place. But this oral bridge was just floating there, with a high chance of breaking.

I also couldn’t understand why all of those teeth were root canalled in the first place—I mean was this whole thing really cheaper? Now, they were likely still infected and would need retreatment. 

The Benefits of Seeking Care at Home

I share these stories with you not to scare you, but to raise the question “Is dental tourism safe?” and to impress on you the risks you take when going the route of seeking treatment abroad. Instead of saving on costs, these patients ended up in prolonged pain and needed to get all of their work redone, resulting in a far greater financial loss than if they had just seen their provider in the US.

And to be honest, these patients were fortunate to find a provider in their community who would dare try to undo what had been done to their teeth—especially the second patient! There was so much going on there that even I struggled to piece everything together and decide on a proper treatment plan. Should you decide to seek treatment abroad, understand that you may not be so lucky and could end up with prolonged and unnecessary suffering.

I also want to let you know that the risks of dental tourism aren’t the only thing to consider when deciding where to have your dental treatment. There are benefits of seeking care “in-house” that should factor into your decision, too.

Standard of Care

In the United States, dentists are required by law to adhere to specific regulations that ensure a certain standard of care for patients. These include rules related to sterilization procedures, the quality of materials used, and even the level of qualifications and continuous training that dentists must undergo to continue practicing. 

Now, that’s not to say that other countries automatically provide inferior care—there are some seriously fantastic dentists everywhere in the world! But it does help guarantee that no matter which provider you see while within the US, you’re much more likely to receive the treatment you need and deserve than if you were to get a procedure where dental care may not be as closely regulated.

Trust in Your Provider

Even with standard of care being equal, it’s still to your advantage to stick with a provider you know and trust. Not only do they know your dental history and understand your specific needs, but they can also be easily reached should you have questions or require follow-up care (like the patients I introduced you to)—which is just as important as the initial treatment itself!

At the end of the day, a good provider still isn’t your provider, and that should play an important role in deciding whether seeking treatment abroad is the best choice for you.

Is Dental Tourism Safe Enough to Risk the Health of Your Teeth? 

Look—I understand the draw of dental tourism. The price tag on dental care is a valid concern! That’s actually a huge reason why I started a local program to give people in my community low-cost root canals by pairing them with dentists who need endodontic training.

But the problem is that cost isn’t the only factor, and it ends up overshadowing the thing that should really be at the heart of your decision: the value of your teeth!

Your teeth are absolutely crucial to your overall health and well-being. In fact, research shows strong links between poor oral health and a number of serious health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, respiratory infections like pneumonia and COPD, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, osteoporosis, kidney disease, and cancer.

Yet most of my patients give far less consideration to their teeth than they would other parts of their bodies. They’d go to any lengths to save, let’s say, a finger, and yet in the same week refuse treatment for a tooth after hearing about the cost of the procedure. Make it make sense, y’all!

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this discussion, it’s this:

Your teeth are worth fighting for!

Every one has its own story and deserves your care and attention. So, the next time you, a friend, or a family member needs dental care, weigh your decision about where to seek treatment against the true value of your teeth. When you do, I think you’ll find the choice a lot easier to make!

Ready to become a more informed and empowered patient? My e-book Tooth Wisdom: The Empowered Patient’s Guide to Saving Your Smile is an easily-accessible resource that can aid you in gaining a better understanding of your dental health so you can give your teeth a fighting chance!

– Sonia