Your Thailand Dental Holiday!

The math makes sense, you will save thousands of dollars by traveling to Thailand to get your high cost procedure done for pennies on the dollar. The procedure will cost nearly $6,000 back home. However, you have found a highly recommended clinic that will do it for under $1,000. Life is good, but you still are on a budget and want some tips to save even more money.

I’ve lived in Thailand for two years and traveled throughout the whole country. So wherever you go, I know from experience these tips will save you money.

Airline Tickets:
Depending where you are traveling from, I stay away from local travel agencies and go online to buy my ticket. I use EVA Air, Travelocity and Orbitz. When you find a flight you like, cross reference it with the actual airline’s website to save a little more money.

Hotels:
Many use websites like Hotels.com and Agoda.com. However these websites only save money to inexperienced travelers. Look at some blogs and post questions asking for recommendations on places to stay within your budget. Thaivisa.com is a good place to start.

Taxi:
Stick with the normal taxi. If you are not Thai, and don’t speak the language, they will try to overcharge by charging per trip. Some may even break out a map and try to show you how far it is. If they try this, walk down the street and find a taxi that will use a taxi meter. This is what the local Thai people use. In Bangkok taxi meters have a surcharge of 35 baht, this is standard for everyone.

Food:
Thai food taste great and is inexpensive. Try the little outdoor restaurants located on the street. You will find this everywhere and you will have more than a few to choose from within walking distance from your hotel.

Shopping:
Shopping is great in Thailand. You can find whatever you want at a very good price. However, outside of the major malls and chain stores, Thailand still negotiates. If you are at a tourist area like MBK (a major mall) or Khao San Road, the rule of thumb is half. For example if they want to charge you 500 baht for a t-shirt, a fair price will be about 250 baht.

Follow these proven tips and you will save even more money on your Thai Dental Holiday.

The primary question that nearly every person considering travelling overseas for dental care or other medical care is that of “is it safe?” You may have heard of the phenomena through a friend and you are a bit sceptical. This is of course natural as it is a big concern and something that only through self education will you develop the confidence in the idea of travelling overseas for dental care.

Generally, overseas dental care is incredibly safe. Most dental centres obtain high levels of domestic and international accreditation to acknowledge their commitment to personal safety, hygiene and so on. As a dental care traveller, you should only go to dental centres that have the highest levels of accreditation, such as JCI accreditation (discussed in later chapters).

There no doubt will be instances where certain patients receive sub-standard levels of care whilst overseas, and also may be subject to malpractice or negligence on the dentist’s behalf. Events such as these are very rare as the industry is highly competitive, and as such, word of mouth within developed countries can spread very quickly if sub-standard service is provided.
The modern dental care traveller should ensure that their dental centre of choice has high levels of accreditation including ISO accreditation (discussed in later chapters), as well as internal systems in place to ensure safe practices are carried out.

Overall, overseas dental and medical care is largely regarded as very safe. It is recognised by many travellers as an option to obtain cheaper care than in your own country, without compromising on quality.

Now I hate to come across as just trying to sell a product online (I am genuinely passionate about sharing as much information online about Thailand Dental Holidays, hence this Blog and all my free online articles) but this e-book is the result of hundreds of hours of research, interviews and practical experience. It really is worth checking out. It can be found at www.YourThailandDentalHoliday.com.

It comes with lots of free chapters, that are essential for planning and having a safe overseas dental experience.

Im sure you will find it more then useful!

A few years ago my friend needed dental work done. At the time their job offered health and dental care which they took advantage of. Seeing the hundreds of dollars deducted from their pay check every month kind of hurt, but they figured it would pay off when something happened.

Well, something did happen and wow did it happen! I was blown away by the cost figure of $6,000. This is the amount to be paid AFTER insurance.

They looked up and said, “I can’t afford that”. The nurse gave a half hearted pity look, handed paperwork over and rushed my friend out of the office.

It was at that point that my friend knew having them as a client meant nothing to the clinic, just a number to the dental office.

To make a long story short, I spoke with a friend who was currently living in Asia and he convinced me that traveling to Thailand to get dental work done was a very good idea. The cost would be under $2,000. Not bad, a much needed vacation and much needed dental work done at once. I saw the light and hopefully you will too.

The flight ticket to Bangkok was $815 roundtrip including taxes. The dental work done was about $500. The hotel and standard traveling expenses were $600.

Coming back relaxed from a great vacation and saving over $3,000 dollars in dental care was a great feeling.

It wasn’t just the money, nor was it the experience, but it was the feeling of being a real person to the Thai dental office, not just a number.

They always smile when they see you. They remember your name and add the respectful prefix of “Coon”. If you need anything or had a question, they were more than happy to assist.

They actually make you feel respected and wanted. They give you great care and save you thousands of dollars in the process. Outside of normal routine cleanings which are mostly covered by insurance plans, my friend will never have dental work done back home.

Oh and by the way, it’s been over four years now and there have been no problems with the work done in Thailand.

My dentist wanted to charge me $5,000 for my teeth work. I had it done in Bangkok Thailand for $2,000. I saved over $3,000.

My dentist wanted to charge me $8,000 for tooth replacements. I went to Thailand where I had all the work done and an extra week holiday for $2,700.

My dentist said my dental work is not covered by insurance because it is considered cosmetic. One month later I had it done in Phuket Thailand and sipped Mai Tais on the beach for a few extra days soaking up the sun.

These are all true stories. I first discovered the idea a dental holiday a few years ago and will never go the traditional route again. The idea of getting work done and having a vacation all in one is a win-win for me. Any chance to travel and experience a new culture with great food is a plus too.

If you are new to this idea and want to find out more, simply Google the words, “Thailand Dental Holiday” and you’ll find results ranging from well priced ebooks, blogs, and websites to provide you with more information.

You may be asking, can you really save that much with Thailand Dental Holidays? You absolutely can!

Let us say for your teeth replacement your dentist wants to charge you $5,000, which is a realistic number without insurance covering it. You can fly to Thailand for around $800 round trip. Get the job done for $1,000 – $1,400. Maybe you’ll pay $500 for the hotel and other accommodations. You have just saved a lot of money.

On top of that you have the benefits that money doesn’t take into account. You get to see a new country and travel the world a bit more. You get to take a vacation which will relax you. You get to experience a new culture.

If the dental work was needed, you didn’t just save money, you actually made $3,000 by taking a Thai Dental Holiday.

The idea of a dental holiday was new to me four years ago. I recall asking my friends if they have ever heard of a dental holiday. No one in my immediate social circle had any idea what this was. The best guess was a dentist going on a vacation.

I still remember one week before sitting and talking with my family dentist that I’ve being visiting for over 30 years now. He was explaining to me why my insurance refused for the second time to cover my much needed dental work.

Little need to say, I was upset and asked my dentist if there are any other options available to me. He knew my financial situation and told me I could either put it on my credit card or travel abroad to have the work done. He called it a dental holiday.

Never even leaving the country, the latter of the two seemed unrealistic for me. But a week later I realized that something needed to be done and putting it on my nearly maxed out credit card was out of the question. So I started my research on dental holidays.

Simply stated, a dental holiday is where an individual travels to another country and gets their dental work done. This is mostly done to save money. However, another major benefit is taking a vacation at the same time.

The combination of the two is very convincing. Especially in America where most people go on one holiday every few years, a vacation is much needed.

This gives those people an important motivator to stop putting off that holiday and finally take action towards it.

Dental Tourism is the practice of international travel by one to obtain health care. It has become quite popular over the last few years, and it is a booming industry for many countries across the world. Travel agencies and the media have also coined terms such as “medical travel”, “health tourism” and “global healthcare” to refer to Dental Tourism. Over 50 countries across the globe have identified medical tourism as a national industry within their country.

It is rapidly becoming one of Asia’s fasting growing industries. Annually, more than 1.5 million tourists a year, predominately from developed western countries travel to key destinations such as Thailand for affordable dental care.