There’s an adage that warns us, ‘if it seems too good to be true, it probably is, and yet so many people don’t heed this very sensible advice when it comes to dental implants in Bali.
Dental Procedures In Foreign Countries
It’s true that the brochure is extremely appealing: an ostensible five-star beachside getaway as well as your much-needed implants, often for the same price as just the dental procedure alone in Australia.
But it comes with a caveat: that what you do cross-border is entirely at your own risk. And, if you don’t understand the risk, it’s very easy to disregard it. Consider scheduling a consultation at your local dental clinic to make an informed decision before travelling abroad.
Know Your Risks
The truth is that we are very lucky when it comes to dental implants in Australia. Our dental industry is heavily regulated and various bodies across the country work tirelessly to ensure that your rights as patients are upheld and respected.
Other bodies lobby in favour of high standards and ensure that our dental practitioners are well educated and that they maintain their educations through ongoing professional training. Because these processes work so well, it’s easy for the public to forget about them.
Often what a patient sees in place of an 18-month treatment plan and an investment in long term dental health is a price tag. And like so many other purchases in life it seems logical to price shop against that price tag, in order to get a better price.
Our powerful currency means there are plenty of places we can go to get more value for our hard-earned dollars but when you’re outside of the country definitions of value change.
Dental Implant Procedures Don’t Always Go In A Straight Line
The dental implant procedure is a fairly lengthy series of smaller procedures that take place over an extended period of time – sometimes as long as 18 months. During that period you will make various visits to your dental practitioner so that he or she can check on the status of your progress. It isn’t a case of having a surgical procedure and then heading home to recover.
You may need to sit in the chair two, three, four times before you have completed your treatment plan. And, in between each stage it is critical that you achieve the correct level of healing before you can move forward. This needs to be checked by your dental practitioner. So finding a dentist that offers consultation prior to any surgery is important to allow you understand how the procedure goes.
It Can Be Intimidating When You Don’t Understand The Language
Any medical or dental procedure can be intimidating when you’re not really sure what’s going on. Being in a foreign practice, clinic or hospital and not being able to understand the staff or read the signs around you can make patients feel anxious.
At Dental 266 we ensure that our patients are comfortable and relaxed at all times.
Implants Require A Collaborative Effort
Dental implant procedures are also often collaborative efforts between different professionals. The complexity of your case may require that two or three different professionals should work together in your best interests. Having your procedure done in another country makes it difficult for this process to follow the right sequence.
Standards And Expectations Are Not Always The Same
It’s highly likely that the brand of implant your Australian dentist specified in your treatment plan will not be placed by a dentist in Bali. What if you do all the work and arrive in Bali, only to be disappointed with the work that is on offer?
And that begs another important question: what if you want to change your mind? When you have booked flights you have to follow a fairly strict schedule, and you need to make decisions fairly quickly. If you feel pressured into making a decision because of your travel schedule, you may not make the best decision for your dental health.
Post-Treatment Care Across The Oceans
Let’s just say you did go ahead with your implant surgery in Bali and something did go wrong. Let’s also assume it isn’t practical for you to jet back to Bali to see the same physician and you needed to get a consultation at your local dental clinic for immediate help. It would also be very difficult for your local dentist to communicate with a dentist in Bali if he or she had to pick up from where the foreign dentist left off.
When Things Do Go Wrong
In the event that something does go wrong with your dental implant procedure in Bali and you develop an infection or need to be admitted to hospital, then what happens? Suddenly, what should have been a quirky getaway becomes a very risky (and more expensive) experience.
It is unlikely that travel insurances will cover these types of events and if you do need to lodge a complaint, the channels of communication are very murky.
If you’d like to find out more about dental implants and the risks of having them placed in Bali, please call our practice to speak to a professional: 02 9051 0600.