Dental Tourism, How Much?

[OnMyWay]

I went to to a dentist here for the first time and came away disappointed.  A crown fell off last week and I needed a cleaning.  After looking into a few options I decided to try the Dentista office at Harbor Point mall.  They are a group with several offices in various places.

 

The office is almost brand new and that was one of the attractions.  I thought they would have the latest and greatest equipment, but in the room I was in I did not see high tech stuff like I did at Green Apple in Cebu.  Otherwise, the office was very clean and the equipment was new.

 

My main disappointment was the dentist.  I was not impressed.  No bedside manner and probably average skills at best.  She did the cleaning and a lot of water was sprayed around.  The assistant only helped part of the time.  The cleaning seemed slow but really not that great.  Then she re-installed the crown and it is way too high.  She really did not seem inclined to use the little papers but finally did, and tried to convince me that it is fine, but it is not.  She said try if for a few days and then come back and she will grind it.  I agreed to this only because I wanted to get out of there.  She never mentioned x-rays and barely commented on my teeth.

 

The kicker was that I think she charged me a foreigner price.  p1500 for the cleaning and p1000 to poorly re-install  the crown.  I will not be going back.

 

I have a couple of other dentists on my short list so I will try them next.

[JJReyes]

My wife had a tooth that was bothering her and she went to her regular dentist. The visit cost was nearly $105 including Hawaii's general excise tax. He gave her a prescription for antibiotics and informed her that a specialist was needed because the tooth had calcified. The appointment was made with the specialist, who spent one hour and 45 minutes yesterday. The cost was $1,200. She has to return to the regular dentist for a follow-up check-up in about a week, which will cost an additional $105. The specialist wants to check the tooth in about 3 months and because he is a specialist, the visit is $175.00 plus tax.  

 

The quotation for a dental bridge is around $4,000, major credit cards are accepted. Since I also need a dental bridge, that would be a total of $8,000. Instead, the two of us will fly to Manila later this year to get it done. I will use the time in between dental appointments for business meetings. My wife, whose is a volunteer Yoga teacher for seniors, will spend a few days at The Farm at San Benito with her friends. The airline tickets, hotels, meals, The Farm at San Benito are expensive, but I rather spend the $8,000 for dental tourism and contribute to the Philippine economy.

 

Some dentists are actually making more money that physicians. A San Francisco newspaper reported that they could make around $400,000 a year if the practice is in a major city.

[earthdome]

I went to to a dentist here for the first time and came away disappointed.  A crown fell off last week and I needed a cleaning.  After looking into a few options I decided to try the Dentista office at Harbor Point mall.  They are a group with several offices in various places.

 

The office is almost brand new and that was one of the attractions.  I thought they would have the latest and greatest equipment, but in the room I was in I did not see high tech stuff like I did at Green Apple in Cebu.  Otherwise, the office was very clean and the equipment was new.

 

My main disappointment was the dentist.  I was not impressed.  No bedside manner and probably average skills at best.  She did the cleaning and a lot of water was sprayed around.  The assistant only helped part of the time.  The cleaning seemed slow but really not that great.  Then she re-installed the crown and it is way too high.  She really did not seem inclined to use the little papers but finally did, and tried to convince me that it is fine, but it is not.  She said try if for a few days and then come back and she will grind it.  I agreed to this only because I wanted to get out of there.  She never mentioned x-rays and barely commented on my teeth.

 

The kicker was that I think she charged me a foreigner price.  p1500 for the cleaning and p1000 to poorly re-install  the crown.  I will not be going back.

 

I have a couple of other dentists on my short list so I will try them next.

 

1500 for just a cleaning sounds high, especially based on your description of the facilities. When I went earlier this year to a dentist in San Fernando, La Union, the cost was 400 to 600php for a cleaning depending on how much work was needed during the cleaning. This dentist had passed her exams 5 years ago and had opened her own practice 2 years ago.

 

In this case the dentist did all the cleaning with help from her assistant and I was very satisfied with the results. As good or better than cleanings I get from the dental techs at my long time dentist back in the USA.

[samatm]

_{My brother in SF area opted to go to  Costa Rica to do his implants procedure.    Yes the savings allowed him to fly his family to CR spend a week surfing and mountain climbing before he went to the Tooth doc.    Once back his  Cali Dentist was amazed at how fast the  healing of the posts was taking place.   He will make another visit to place the  crowns or whatever its called in about 6 months.     The same can be done here the PI .}   

[russellmania]

I went to Green Apple and Dentaland dental offices in Ayala mall in Cebu City. I got 9 cavities filled and 1 extraction at a total of P8,000 damage to my pockets.

[JJReyes]

I went to Green Apple and Dentaland dental offices in Ayala mall in Cebu City. I got 9 cavities filled and 1 extraction at a total of P8,000 damage to my pockets.

 

My wife, son and I were planning a visit to the Philippines and we scheduled through a friend a dental appointment. The office was in Alabang. Per my request, the three dentists at the practice blocked off a Saturday morning to attend to the three of us at the same time. We wanted the old mercury based amalgam replaced with the new improved porcelain or whatever. They did a total of 25 teeth and we were charged P22,000. That was around $500. The dentist in Hawaii quoted nearly $10,000 plus tax. The difference paid for our trip and stay at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel. The owners, a husband and wife dentist team, are graduates of US Berkeley campus with ten years practice in California. 

Edited August 6, 2013 by JJReyes

[russellmania]

Chris Rock said it best!!!

http://youtu.be/9Kxp9CEJeAg

[OnMyWay]

 

I went to Green Apple and Dentaland dental offices in Ayala mall in Cebu City. I got 9 cavities filled and 1 extraction at a total of P8,000 damage to my pockets.

 

My wife, son and I were planning a visit to the Philippines and we scheduled through a friend a dental appointment. The office was in Alabang. Per my request, the three dentists at the practice blocked off a Saturday morning to attend to the three of us at the same time. We wanted the old mercury based amalgam replaced with the new improved porcelain or whatever. They did a total of 25 teeth and we were charged P22,000. That was around $500. The dentist in Hawaii quoted nearly $10,000 plus tax. The difference paid for our trip and stay at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel. The owners, a husband and wife dentist team, are graduates of US Berkeley campus with ten years practice in California. 

 

 

JJR, can you share the name of the clinic?  I want to have all mine replaced too and that seems like a good deal.  I get down there once in a while and in fact I was there yesterday.

[JJReyes]

JJR, can you share the name of the clinic?  I want to have all mine replaced too and that seems like a good deal.  I get down there once in a while and in fact I was there yesterday.

 

My wife, son and I went to the Macalintal Dental Clinic in Alabang. The initial appointment was arranged by a very close friend who resides at one of the nearby villages. We went back a number of times to the same clinic. Both husband and wife are University of California Davis graduates and licensed to practice dentistry in California. They returned to the Philippines because it is a better environment to raise a teenage daughter.

 

My problem is transport. Taxi fare from Makati to Alabang is about P450 including toll road. The taxi drivers waiting at the nearby mall have a cartel. They want P800 plus toll charges for a return trip to Makati. It is very irritating and I don't enjoy haggling knowing you are still going to get ripped off. After meeting the marketing manager during a conference, I switched to Metro Dental. Their Greenbelt V clinic is open until 9:00 pm so it did not interfere with my business appointments.  

 

Metro Dental has more than 12 clinics including one at SM City Pampanga. I will PM you my email address. If you do the same, I can arrange an online introduction with Jake Ocsena, their marketing manager. Their main business is corporate accounts, but the company is also very interested in dental tourism. 

Edited August 18, 2013 by JJReyes

[jon1]

The Dental office with Bayside Pointe in the Freeport is not cheap. I was quoted 120Kphp for ONE implant. I too am on the lookout for a quality reasonably priced dentist.