In recent years, Mexico slowly emerged as a sought after destination for medical tourism – especially as one of its expertise is dental care. Either you need cosmetic dentistry done, a crown or a dental implant, there is always something else for everybody in Mexico. Because of Mexico’s high standard dental clinics, experienced and trained dental specialists and affordable low prices – medical tourists are abundant every year especially during peak season (December – March).
Before you hop in for a drive at Tijuana or Los Algodones, here are some things to do on your dental trip to Mexico:
Research on your doctor or clinic. While many dental clinics and dentists provide the same dental procedures, not all of them provide or perform well. To protect yourself from untoward complications, do a little sleuthing. Do background checks such as the number of times the dentist has performed the procedure, his/her patient’s satisfaction over the procedure and the success rate. Once you’re decided on a dental provider, get in touch and set an initial appointment. Also, don’t forget to look for guarantees on dental work.
Check for credentials. Once you’re in the clinic, don’t forget to check for credentials like dentist’s licenses or certifications. Make sure that the dentist you’re seeing is board certified in his country of origin. Most of the time, health professionals like doctors and dentists, post their credentials on their clinic’s walls. They already expect patients to check on them, so you won’t be hard-up in looking this up.
Read on your procedure and ask about it during your initial appointment. Before going to the appointment, make some pointers about the treatment you’re undergoing. This helps you in asking the right questions. It is also one way to assess the credibility and skill of your dentist. Here, you can also assess if you’re comfortable with the idea of him/her doing the procedure on you.
Health and Car Insurance. Before having your dental procedure, check to see if the insurance covers it. If you don’t want to pay more than you can afford, why pay when you have an insurance to back it up right? However, if it is required for you to have a Mexican Car Insurance, you should also secure your insurance is available – just to be sure!
Accommodations. The type of dental procedure determines your length of stay in Mexico. At the very least, most dental patients stay for two days. But before booking your hotel and choosing a package, compute on the total cost of dental care (consultation, surgery, medications, meals post-op care, & follow-up) including travel and hotel accommodations. Sometimes, this may make going abroad for dental care less cost-effective.
Coordinate your recovery period with your vacation plans. Your recovery plan might indicate bed rest and avoiding seafood for how many days but your travel itinerary indicates island hoping in a yacht and fish tacos for menu. This might impede your body’s healing process and much needed rest. You can always make adjustments. If your procedure is just elective, go to the beach first then your procedure. After treatment, follow the dentist’s advice if he says bed rest and 5 days in an antibiotic – do so without hesitation because it’s for your own good!
Take your dentist’s advice. As what have just said, follow your dentist’s advice. If the dentist recommend a 7 days’ recuperation in a hotel near their clinic, stick to that and don’t go home any earlier. The reason why they do this is to assess or observe for any untoward complications after treatment. Who knows? This might save you from any infection or bleeding problem.
Here are just simple tips, go ahead and research and implement your own. Remember, safety first! If you do this, not only will your treatment have a successful outcome, but you have more to smile about as you head home.
Planning a dental trip to exotic Mexico? Make sure this to-do list comes in handy. For more information about dental treatments and trips to Mexico, please do not hesitate to contact us.
