Dental Tourism Market Trends in 2014 - 2015
From the International Medical Tourism Journal - And Cabo San Lucas Mexico is a Dental Tourism Trend Setter!
Dental tourism (Also know as dental holidays or dental vacations) has become a
booming industry, where every dentist fights for his reputation and wants to be
among the first options for the patient visiting his town.
But how easy is it and what
does it take to be a competitive player in such an unpredictable industry? With
increasing awareness of the potential of the dental tourism, more and more
dental clinics are trying to get into the business of attracting foreign
patients.
But unfortunately most are
relying on the same message…. “We are the best dentists, we provide the best
dental services, in the most beautiful location, and offer dental services at
X% less compared to country Y prices for the same services.”
Patient choice in dental tourism
…How can the patient choose among the sea of dentists?
…What are the criteria used in finding the best dentist?
…How far will a patient be willing to travel for a dental crown or an implant?
(Read the complete article by clicking the blue "Read More" word below)
A 2012 report to the
Congress ‘Dental Crisis in America” from Senator Bernie Sanders shows that
nearly 130 million people in the US do not have dental insurance. In the UK,
the National Health Service covers only part of the dental care costs.
In Australia even for
people with insurance, dental work can get quite expensive, especially when it
comes to dental implants, crowns and cosmetic dentistry, which are generally
not covered by insurance.
In many European countries people do not use dental
insurance, but pay full price for the dental procedures and prices can be
very high.
What are the key factors
when choosing a dentist and what are the main trends of this industry?
Price in dental
tourism
Dental tourism brings a
perception to consumers seeking dental care of significant savings if they
choose to go abroad for dental work. Based on claims made by various clinics
these could range from 50-75% savings.
For example, a dental
implant complete with crown in the US costs around $4,500, $3,500 in the
UK. Prices can go as low as $1,500 in Thailand and the Philippines,
$1,850 in Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia.
Prices for dental veneers
can reach $1,800 in the US and $870 in the UK, but drop as low as $600 in
Mexico, $350 in Thailand and the Philippines.
Teeth whitening in the US
can cost $700, but only $450 in Turkey, $350 in Mexico, $300 in Thailand, the
Philippines, Costa Rica and in India.
Patients can pay $2,000 for
a dental crown in the US and $1,000 in the UK, but only $400 in Mexico, $350 in
Venezuela and Thailand, $300 in Turkey, India and $300 in the Philippines.
People can now get the same
skills, same equipment, and same product from the same manufacturer at a much
lower cost abroad.
This is due to the fact
that the product pricing varies by country, while malpractice insurance and
related infrastructure costs such as office rents and staff salaries are lower
in these emerging dental tourism markets.
Price is the main driving
force in the expansion of the industry. Countries such as Thailand,
Mexico, the Philippines, Colombia, India, Turkey and countries in Eastern
Europe compete on price.
Competition in
dental tourism
Dental tourism has become
an extremely crowded marketplace. The tiny border town of Los
Algodones Mexico alone has more than 300 dentists, all offering affordable
dental care and Bangkok, Thailand, has an extensive network of clinics with
attractive costs. Manila
with its American English speaking board certified dentists is fast
rising in the dental tourism market. Cabo San Lucas Mexico is the most popular
Mexico dental vacation destination. – Phoenix Editor, Dental Tourism
News Co
There are many locations
where people can get discounted dental care compared with prices in their home
countries. More dentists continue to join dental tourism with slight twists in
their products and procedures but with the same underlying offering.
One driving force in
deciding where people go is how far a dental patient is prepared to travel for
dental treatment and the cost of travel offset against the treatment
savings.
Predictions for
dental tourism
In 2014 and beyond, dental
tourism demand will continue to expand as well as the number of dentists
offering the services.
Transparency
This is a growing
concern. There are instances when what is being marketed versus what is being
delivered varies significantly. For example, dentists will advertise that they
use top American brand dental implants, but while performing the procedure,
they will use lower quality knock-off implants with no reliability. They will
charge the patient for a higher-grade implant. The lack of price and procedure
transparency continues to grow and the consumer must do proper research before
arranging a treatment.
Commoditization
Dental tourism is
moving towards a commodity-type market, where there are many suppliers and the
demand for those services is common. Procedures, skills, materials and
techniques are increasingly similar in whatever country people go to.
The differentiating factors
among providers, such as costs and quality, are blurred among so many dental
service providers.
Author - Ian Youngman for the International
Medical Tourism Journal
Phoenix Editor –
The author's comments regarding transparency and switching unbranded implants
from branded units are well taken and a big problem with Mexican
border town general dentists. This is especially a problem in
developing nations where consumer protection laws are lax.
The
Board Certified Dentist Associations in Mexico and Asia try to educate the
public about the benefits of choosing a certified dentist when abroad vs. a
general dentist for their advanced dental procedures. The board
certified dentist associations offer free dental price estimates, and
referrals.
Contacts:
Languages: Spanish/American
English
Board Certified Asia Dental Association - Free
Consultations, Estimates, Referrals -
Languages: American
English, Tagalog, Thai, Mandarin
Royal Hong Kong Dental Association -
Referrals only -
Languages: Cantonese,
Mandarin, English
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