Dr. Lorenzana is well known in El Salvador. There are also other great dentists like Dr. Fernando Basagoitia (find out more about him at: http://odontobas.com/).
Most of our renowned dentists have completed their studies abroad (United States, Europe, etc.).
As a patient, I can assure you that dentists like Dr. Basagoitia are simply great at what they do. Many salvadorans who live in the States travel back and forth to get their teeth fixed here in San Salvador. Give it a shot! I highly recommend them!

You can read more about our lovely El Salvador at: http://www.turismo.com.sv/

Just goes to show you how awful the American system really is. Good for Doug!

There is a lot of info missing here. You really need to know the difference in treatment plans to compare them appropriately in terms of cost. I’m sure the dentist in the US could give a treatment plan less then the initial quote. If you don’t want the ideal treatment plan you need to make this known. There is a big cost difference between full mouth crown/bridge/implants vs extractions/partials. Just make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into and you can always get a different opinion in the US. Good luck. I hope things work out and you get a great result.

That is awesome!! My mom got some dental work done from a dentist in Guatemala (that is where she is from) and she is just delighted! I am glad he got an awesome experince and that people out there are getting word about other alternatives when money here is just not enough to get us what we need. Congrats Doug & Lori!!!

I have insurance but my dental implants are not covered. If I have to do it here, it costs around $24,000. After all the research, I found http://www.healthbase.com/, who arranged for me in Mexico. Healthbase staff helped me everything from booking appointment to pickup/drop. I had a great experience and saved over $14,000. I went multiple times (implants, abutment and crowns). Since it is in Mexico, it worked out well. Best Wishes.

My friend got dental work at one dentist in Mexico and it was great… but the next one they went to didn’t understand the english word for “PAIN!” and the fillings fell out the next day.
I have had some really bad experiences in the US at dentists so I can’t say I would never try it.. but be cautious.

My wife had complete dental reconstruction surgery done in Albania where she is from. Just getting crowns was costing us almost $1,000 per tooth and a couple of the crowns had recurring problems. She traveled to Albania for one month and had all of her teeth done at a total cost of about $6,000 including airfare. She has been happy and pain free for several months now.

Dear Lori,

I am thrilled to hear that you and your husband had a wonderful experience abroad. Thank you for the kind words! I have linked your story to the press and testimonial sections of our website.

Take care of yourself!!!

Jamie Austin

PlanetHospital

I’ve had friends got to Mexico for dental care as well. Why hasn’t there been price control on dental care here in the US? I’m not for socialism but jeez….it’s bad that even with dental insurance a lot of people still can’t afford to get basic dental repairs made?

I’ve been medical student in 4 countries….
Things to remember – and applies to USA also:
1. Quality differs wildly from country to country, and doctor to doctor. Getting unbiased opinions of your doc from former patients and other providers may be difficult when doing med-tourism than at home. Note that is much harder to get an MRI done on a patient in England (where radiologists are much more likely to challenge a doc’s reasons for ordering the test) than in the USA.

2. Many amenities that Americans take for granted — like a private or semiprivate room in a hospital — are sometimes rare overseas, even in Europe! The multibed ward is still common in England.

3. Cost variations, both regional and doctor-to-doctor are common — it is possible that a service bid for $60,000 in New York might cost less than half that with some docs in Colorado. You can possibly save money by shopping around even in the USA! Remember that the fancier the office in the higher rent area, the higher the overhead, and somebody has to pay for all that!

4. Doctors and dentists are human, and as such may have differing views of services needed once they get a chance to examine you and view your full record. Hence, treatment plans may differ – even among providers in the same city. Get second opinions whenever hit with proposed expensive work!

5. If something goes wrong and you need extra, extended treatment or unexpected hospitalization — many countries do not cover foreigners under their national health service programs so you may end up paying much extra for that in some places.

6. Legal systems vary wildly. If the worst happens and you want to sue for malpractice, you may or may not be able to do so depending where you go.

A few years ago I had a crown replaced here in the States for $1150. About six months later the crown on the same tooth, opposite side, came out. I went to Juarez, Mexico, and had it replaced for $150. The procedure was, step by step, exactly the same and the final replacement crown was actually made in across the border in El Paso, Texas. As an aside, the original crowns had been in almost 20 years. My wife recently received an estimate of $12,000 for dental work here in the States, but went to the same dentist I had gone to in Juarez and had it done for $1,600. We are both extremely satisfied. We heard about our Mexican dentist from other Americans and talked to four of his patients before going to see him. Oh, he speaks English which is a definite plus. I have also heard that one can get very good dental care in Hungary for a fraction of the cost here in the U.S. As an aside, there are supposedly more dentists per capita in Juarez than in any other city of similar size in the world. I am sure there are both bad and good, so get references first. Tijuana and Nogales also have a lot of dentists.
If interested, Google “dentist OR dentists” and “Juarez.”

If you would like to have a European vacation, BEST dental work at rates that are unbelievable, dental work that is completed in an expendant amount of time, I would like to recommend Dr. Kannman in Mosonmagyarovar, Hungary. His web site is Happy-Dent and his e-mail is info@happy-dent.net. He speaks English, professional and his dental work is remarkable. I got a six tooth bridge three years ago and it has been like my real teeth. The cost was one thousand Euros–the appartment that the clinic arranged for me (5 days) was 100 Euros and I am still amazed. This area of Hungary is near Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia. The clinic arranged for someone to pick me up at the airport and the receptionist (speaks English) checked on me often and would have arranged trips to tour if I had choosen to do that. The first time I can say that I have good memories of dental time.

I would suggest becoming a patient at a dental school if available locally. It will take time as the students must have the treatment plan approved and the procedures OK’d by the clinical faculty as they are done. Work done by graduate residents, depending on the procedure will take less time. Depending on the school, you pay approximately half of that at a private dentist.

You can review dental tourism quotes at http://www.meditourz.org

I have have had both dental and medical care in Thailand and Kuwait. Both places the doctors and dentists were excellent and at a fraction of the cost. A CT Scan, ultrasound, and 4 visits and all medication was less then $1000. The CT Scan alone would have cost me that. The root canal and crown I had in Kuwait was great and my regular dentist in the US commented on the excellent work I had received.

I had a similar experience about a year ago but instead of my teeth, it was a hernia. I don’t have insurance primarily because I’ve always worked for myself and the cost was prohibitive unless you can be part of a group. My hernia was found in a routine test about ten years before when I needed a tetanus shot because of a cut on the leg while cleaning up storm debris but it was only about the size of a dime then. The doctor said it was not big enough to do anything then but to watch it and if there was any sudden change to come in immediately. There never was any sudden change but after about 10 years it had increased in size to about the size of a 50 cent piece and he said it was time to do something about it. Being family MD, he referred me to a surgeon. The surgeon examined me and sent me to his office to schedule the surgery and the financial arrangements. The lady who managed that told me the surgeons fee would be $3,000 and the hospital would charge me $12,000 for day surgery plus $2,000 for the anesthesiologist. I told her I just did not have the money and would have to live with the hernia. She told me that she could get the doctor to do the surgery for $400 (which was the Medicare price) and there was a private day surgery that would be a lot cheaper but I’d have to make my own arrangements there. She gave me the name of the lady who handled the business office there and I called her when I got home. She quoted me $3,000 there, which included the anesthesiologist. In the meantime I searched the internet for places to have the surgery done. A clinic in London which only did hernias quoted me $3,400 for the same surgery, plus my airline ticket and a weeks stay in a Holiday Inn in London. Another clinic in India quoted me $3,200 which included my airline ticket and five days in a private suite in a hospital there. I had made up my mind to go to London since I’d always wanted to see it but my mother (who’s 82) was worried about the quality of care so I finally consented to have it done locally for the $3,400 quoted me instead of getting a weeks vacation and the trip to London for the same price. My point is that any medical procedure price can be negotiated if you simply try. I got the same surgery, by the same surgeon, and ended up paying $3,400 instead of $17,000 which is probably about the same as the out of pocket costs if I’d had insurance.

I am having problems with a dental bridge that wasn’t put in right by my previous dentist and need a root canal and a new bridge. This after paying thousands of dollars in less than two years and no recourse but to have a do over. It is literally a crime that you can’t hold dentists responsible for their shoddy work. I am considering going to another state or country to get the work done that I need as I can’t afford to have the work corrected.

Why dont you come to India? I can Assure you of GOOd quality treatment at my dental office in Mumbai.

Check out Dr. Lorenzana’s website for more information http://www.doctorlorenzana.com

[...] What To Do About Costly Dental Work [...]

Now there is another alternative to get quality healthcare abroad. Guatemala has a lot of doctors that are American Board Certified. Check out their profiles, pictures and videos at http://www.angelsabroad.com

WorldMed Assist can make all of the arrangements for people that need dental care like this couple. With insurance maximums of $1500-$2000 many people are left standing in the rain. medical tourism company WorldMed Assist (http://www.worldmedassist.com) can provide dental care and other treatments in India, Turkey, Mexico.

Winners of London’s Best Practice. Cosmetic Dentists with a wealth of Experience. Your local dentist… Only better…

Dental Tourism is indeed gaining popularity. Doctors and Dentists in the Philippines are also grooming its services and facilities to cater medical and dental tourist from first world countries where treatment can cost a fortune.