What is Cosmetic Surgery Tourism? Things you should Consider when having Dental Treatment Abroad
Around 15,000 Australians travel overseas for what is known as cosmetic surgery tourism, which includes dental treatment, every year. Since dental care in Australia is not subsidised for most Australians and around half of all Australians do not have any private dental insurance it is not at all surprising that there is considerable appeal in travelling abroad for the treatment you need.
Getting dental treatment abroad, even with accommodation and flights required, can still work out considerably cheaper. Every year Australians visit parts of Southeast Asia such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to undergo their desired dental procedures.
Typical procedures sought abroad, given the high cost to have these performed back home are :
-implants
-veneers
-and removal of teeth.
One of the most important things to do before travelling abroad for any of these treatments is to ensure you have firstly done your research into the country and clinic you choose to visit for treatment. Then secondly, to ensure you have taken out specialist medical travel insurance.
Medical Travel Shield’s specialist medical travel cover includes cover you would typically find in a standard travel insurance policy, such as lost luggage, stolen items, delays and or cancellations beyond your control.
However, you will also be covered for:
* additional travel or accommodation expenses incurred because of a longer recovery period needed;
* medical expenses incurred should a life-threatening complication occur during surgery;
* Or an additional return trip if needed within 12 months of treatment (though the cost of further treatment would not be covered by your original policy in this event).
What treatments are typically covered
Veneers
Generally for those seeking cosmetic enhancement to their existing teeth, dental veneers are a popular choice for people who may be dissatisfied with their smile due to discoloured, chipped or misaligned teeth. Veneers can offer instantly whiter, neater teeth. Often requiring a couple of visits a couple of weeks apart the first visit would require the dentist to take impressions of the existing teeth and prepare them for the veneers. Then the client would return at a later date to have the permanent veneers fitted.
Dental crowns / bridges
For teeth which are broken or heavily filled these are often replaced by dental crowns. These are typically made from porcelain and the procedure, given the dental appointments needed to prepare each tooth and then the manufacture and fitting of the crown can soon add up to a very expensive dental bill. Hence the increasing numbers of people who seek to have such work done elsewhere. Dental crowns tend to bonded to the base of the existing tooth where this is healthy enough to remain, and in the event of bridges, sometimes an existing tooth or teeth can be successfully used to anchor one crown which ‘bridges’ the gap where one tooth is missing.
Implants
For dental patients who need missing teeth replaced, or teeth removed and for whom crowns or bridges are not an option, dental implants might be a way of restoring either individual or full sets of teeth to those who have lost teeth due to poor dental care, or trauma for example.
For implants, a metal post is literally ‘implanted’ into the patient’s jawbone to hold a porcelain tooth in place where the original would have been. This can be one of the more complex dental treatments to seek abroad and certainly the most expensive to undergo back home in Australia.
There are also multiple appointments needed, with time between teeth removal and implanting when the patient would typically require a temporary denture to hide the gap while the gum settles. Such a procedure might therefore likely require visits over the course of a few months to your chosen destination.
Your stay abroad
It is key to remember that it is likely any current ‘travel insurance’ in place would exclude cover for Australians travelling abroad for the purpose of any cosmetic/dental treatments. At Medical Travel Shield we offer specialist medical travel insurance. For more information contact us at email info@medicaltravelshield.com
This content is based on a variety of third-party sources and is for information purposes only and Medical Travel Shield is not recommending dental treatment abroad. This information is provided as a matter of general interest only. Limitations and exclusions apply. Please refer to the Product Disclosure Statement which can be obtained by request from ATC Insurance Solutions by phone on 1800 994 694 or by email info@atcis.com.au.