Written by Dr. Jose Emmanuel
All of us love an attractive smile.
All of us like to have an attractive smile too.
And we know that protruded or crooked teeth can spoil a smile and make it unattractive, as in the picture.
There are many persons above 50, who do not get their protruded front teeth corrected, expecting – “it is too expensive” or “it can take too much time.”
For those above 50, it is usually not practical to wear braces or to do treatment that take a year or more, due to various reasons.
How will it be if protruded or bad looking front teeth can be corrected in a week*, that too in an affordable manner, in a hygienic clinic, with superior materials, by experienced doctors ?
Here is where Dental Tourism comes in.
A large number of people in countries like the USA, Australia, UK, Japan, etc, travel abroad every year for dental work, to see places and mostly to save big on the treatment cost. Our clinic in Kochi, India too get a share of these patients, mostly for making their smiles beautiful and for Dental Implant work.
Most persons considering to travelling abroad for dental work have many doubts – like,
- Is the saving real, how much can be saved ?
- Why are the costs so low, Is something compromised to reduce the cost ?
- Are high quality materials used ?
- Are the doctors aware of international standards ?
- Is it possible for a clinic in India to maintain high standards in sterilization, hygiene ?
- Are there well experienced doctors in India ?
- Are there clinics and hospitals in India for doing advanced procedures ?
- Is it really possible to make the front teeth beautiful in one week ?
- How many times will I have to travel – once or more than once ?
- Is the airport safe ?
- Will I be able to find a safe, comfortable place to stay, near the clinic ?
- Is continental/ Chinese food available ?
- Will I be able to communicate with the doctors- if I do not know English ?
- How will I travel locally ?
- Will it be possible to do local sightseeing in between the treatment ?
- Should I be worried about robbery on the streets ? Is the locality safe ?
- Will I be able to consult online, before deciding to travel ?
- I am over 60, can my front teeth be made beautiful ?
- What about Covid 19- the pandemic ?
We will look at each of these points today.
1. Is the saving real, how much can be saved ?
Yes, the saving is real. The fees for dental procedures are 80 to 90 % less here, compared to countries like the USA, UK, Australia, Japan, etc. For example, a smile correction involving 12 front teeth cost around ¥ 22,00,000 ($20,000) whereas it costs only ¥ 1,80,000 to ¥ 3,14,000 here. ($1,600 to $ 2,300)
Even after considering airfare and stay, there is a saving of ¥ 16,00,000 approximately. ($15,000)
If there is more dental work, the saving too is more.
2. Why are the costs so low ? Is something compromised to reduce the cost ?
Nothing is compromised to reduce the cost. Cost is less because ALL fees are lower in India, like the fees for doctors, engineers, IT professionals, all are comparatively lower. The fees for dental procedures too are comparatively lower.
3. Are high quality materials used ?
Yes. Most materials used in dentistry here is imported from reputed companies in the USA, UK, Australia etc. We use materials from Japanese companies too, like Shofu, Noritake, Tokuyama etc.
4. Are the doctors aware of international standards ?
Yes, there are doctors are trained abroad, and who travel the world keeping in touch with the latest developments.
5. Is the standards in sterilization, hygiene high ?
Yes, it is. The standards of sterilization and hygiene is very high, since many surgeries are done routinely .
6. Are there well experienced doctors in India ?
As in all countries, there are doctors with different levels of experience in India too.
The doctor who is writing this has 26 years experience in cosmetic dentistry and dental implants.
7. Are there clinics and hospitals in India for doing advanced procedures ?
Yes, there are many hospitals in India where procedures like heart transplants, Kidney transplants etc are done routinely, very successfully. There are dental clinics too where advanced procedures are done .
8. Is it really possible to make the front teeth beautiful in one week ?
Yes, it is possible to make protruded or crooked teeth better in one week, for those above 50.
Please check the https://smile1.in/perfect-smile for more details.
When teeth are missing the treatment plan may be different.
9. How many times will I have to travel – once or more than once ?
For smile correction, it is enough to travel only once.*
(When a lot of teeth are missing, the plan may be different)
10. Is the airport safe ?
Cochin International Airport is very clean and safe. It is the first airport in the whole world to run fully on solar energy !!
11. Will I be able to find a safe, comfortable place to stay ?
Yes. There are many good hotels .
12. Is continental/ Chinese food available ?
Most good hotels have continental / Chinese food too, along with local cuisine.
13. Will I be able to communicate with the doctors- if I do not know English ?
A lot of patients are not well versed in English. Some do not know English at all. Enough time is taken to communicate with them through translators or via Google translate- to know exactly what they want, and to clear all doubts. Sufficient time is kept aside while finishing the work also, to meet the patient’s requirements.
It is enough if you can write any major language.
14. How will I travel locally ?
Uber, taxis, and tuktuk are available for local travel. Local travel agents can assist with sightseeing.
15. Will it be possible to do local sightseeing in between the treatment ?
Yes, most patients do some sightseeing or procedures like eye check up etc.in between appointments.
16. Should I be worried about robbery on the streets ? Is the locality safe ?
Robbery in the streets in extremely rare in our small town of Ernakulam. The locality is on the main road and safe.
17. Will I be able to consult online, before deciding to travel ?
Yes, all patients from abroad are encourages to have an an initial free online consultation- to know the basic details and to have a rough idea about the treatment involved.
18. I am over 60, can my front teeth be made beautiful ?
Yes, your teeth can be made beautiful whether you are 60, 80 or more.
19. What about Covid 19- the pandemic ?
Now is the right time for the free online consultation , to know about the treatment options , details etc, so that travelling can be planned once the pandemic is over.
It is true that a beautiful smile can make us more attractive.
Most patients say they smile more after their front teeeth have been made better.
And that they have become more confident and outgoing too- that they go to functions and parties more, and like to “show off” their good-looking front teeth.
You can get more details at https://smile1.in/perfect-smile
Any doubts can be cleared at clinic.smile@yahoo.com
The author, Dr Jose Emmanuel is an artist and dentist. He has been in private dental practice for 31 years,in Ernakulam, India, with emphasis on smile corrections and Dental implants for the last 26 years.
* When teeth are present
Footnote – This article is written to create awareness about the treatment facilities, fees and conditions available abroad, for those who find it difficult to afford treatment- so that they can make informed choices.
(The fees mentioned in the USA and Japan have been collected from the internet and other sources.)