The dental industry in North Carolina is booming, with nearly 5,000 dentists statewide generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually. But as dental costs soar, and the ranks of the underinsured grow, more and more of those dollars are being spent in dental offices thousands of miles away.
The growing practice, known as dental tourism, is generating savings for patients, while raising concerns among practitioners here at home.
Kathy Jordan runs North Carolina Medical Travel, a company based in Clemmons, North Carolina. They connect patients with dentists all over the world. Costa Rica, for example, actually ranks slightly higher than the U.S. for its medical care, according to World Health Organization.
“You see that the doctor's experience and everything measures up to USA standards, but then you go down in price,” says Jordan. “[You] go down in price, but slightly up or at least equal in quality.”
Jordan says it can amount to major savings — around half the price, even after factoring in flight costs and recuperation time spent in local hotels. She adds that the clinics are clean and well organized, and many of the doctors get their training in the U.S.
But the enthusiasm for dental tourism is far from universal, especially among dentists here who provide the follow-up care for American patients treated abroad. Winston-Salem dentist Dr. Robert Wilkinson has seen what he describes as "some really scary things" during his follow-up procedures on patients who had traveled for dental care in Mexico, China and Eastern Europe to save money.
"A lot of these people have had pain, swelling, have lost more teeth, or lost implants, or things that shouldn't have [happened] if it was done correctly or with the proper follow-up and management here,” says Wilkinson.
Another concern is the paper trail. Dr. Alec Parker leads the North Carolina Dental Society. He once worked with a patient who traveled to Mexico to cut costs. He says follow-up care without proper records is like opening a Pandora's box. “I was uncomfortable not knowing what kind of materials were used; not knowing exactly what their situation was prior to having their treatment done.”
Parker says if you're considering dental tourism, look up the education credentials of the foreign dentist, ask about the materials they'll use, where the labs are located, and how they'll deal with post-op problems.
The continued rise in dental costs may prompt more patients to seek out other options. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, North Carolina is among the nation's highest in average annual growth for dental services. As a result, many patients are giving dental tourism a second look.
For Triad resident and financial planner, John Medwin, it just made sense. He says he was meticulous about researching the care for his family.
“My wife got a quote for $33 thousand from a local dentist, so we went down to Costa Rica together and got dental work done for $9 thousand, and we got two great vacations out of it,” says Medwin. "So what's not to love about that?"
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