Australian dentists issue dental tourism warning
Dentists in Australia have issued a warning over the safety of dental tourism.
Deputy chair of the Australian Dental Association’s Oral Health Committee, Dr Michael Foley, said that its very common for people to choose to travel abroad for dental treatment purely as a result of cost. Saving money is the aim of the game for many travellers, but often, people who decide to go overseas for treatment don’t consider the risks and the potential for additional costs they may incur if procedures don’t go to plan.
In other countries, legislation and regulation may not be as tight as it is in Australia and as a result, the risk of things going wrong may be higher. Dentists may not have the same level of skill or experience and issues such as infection control may not be governed as rigorously. Dr Foley said that it’s wise to consider the costs involved with correcting botched treatment before making the decision to have treatment abroad. If everything doesn’t go to plan, you may end up paying a lot more than the original quote you received from a dentist based in Australia.
Dr Foley also warned about the growing trend of trying to squeeze a number of procedures into a small space of time to save making repeat trips. When you have treatment, it puts your body under pressure and having a number of treatments increases the risk of complications. It may also slow your recovery down.
Dr Foley’s advice to those who are thinking about going abroad for dental or medical treatment was to weigh up the options carefully and to avoid making decisions based on money alone.
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