Dental Tourism: Getting Drilled in Bangkok
by Don Mankin
It’s Colts 13, Houston 0 as the half winds down. My wife and I are watching Peyton Manning lead the Colts to yet another NFL victory on a big flat screen TV. Nothing strange about this, except it's Wednesday afternoon and we are sitting in the lobby of the Dental Hospital in the heart of one of the poshest districts in Bangkok. Like many other cash-strapped seniors, we are dipping our toes into the wave of the future with our first adventure in medical/dental tourism.
This is not my first dental experience in Thailand. In the late 1990s, on a flight to Thailand for a business trip, I cracked a temporary bridge eating some nuts. It didn’t hurt and wasn’t much of a problem at first, but as I talked and chewed, the sharp edge of the broken bridge jabbed into my tongue. The easy solution – don’t eat or talk for two weeks -- was not an option, so the first thing I did upon landing in Chiang Mai was to ask my colleague who met me at the airport to recommend a dentist.
The dentist office did not look promising. It was dark and dingy with equipment I hadn’t seen in years. The possibility of pain was the least of my worries, though. It was at the height of concern about the spread of AIDS throughout SE Asia, and I wasn’t at all sure that I wouldn’t get the disease from this hapless dental adventure. My heart started pounding and I broke out into a sweat. “Should I leave and risk looking like a wimp and insulting my colleague,” I asked myself, “or should I stay and risk pain and death?” The risk of embarrassment won out over the risk of pain and death, as it usually does for me.
As the dentist lowered my chair to get a better look, I gulped, or at least the closest thing to a gulp given the wad of cotton in my mouth. I caught a glimpse of my colleague in the waiting room smiling and waving to me as if I had nothing to fear. In just a few seconds I realized that he was right.
She was the most careful, cautious and gentle dentist to ever thrust hands into my mouth. I barely felt a thing as she filed down the sharp edge. It was all over in just a few minutes. She charged me five dollars for her work.
On a more recent trip to Thailand a few years ago, just as dental and medical tourism in the country were beginning to take off, another colleague explained to me how the Thais were able to develop such high level competence in dentistry and medical surgery. “When Thai women catch their husbands cheating on them,” he explained, “they cut off their penises while they are sleeping.” As a result, Thai doctors had a lot of practice reattaching the “offending member” and, in the process, developed world-class skills in microsurgery, skills that come in handy in gender reassignment, cardiovascular, and complex dental surgery. I don’t know if his explanation is accurate, but it sure got my attention.
This past fall my wife and I, facing looming dental bills, decided to give dental tourism in Thailand a try. Unlike the dental office years ago in Chiang Mai, the Dental Hospital in Bangkok is a gleaming white and chrome three-story building in Sukhumvit, the heart of the international district. Inside is an atrium, the waiting area, with a large man-made pond and a floor to ceiling wall of glass in the rear looking out on lush gardens and Koi ponds behind the building. The overall effect is serene, as serene as one can be while waiting for a dentist.
Most of the people in the lobby were Westerners, ergo the football game. For those not interested in American football, there is fast Wi-Fi access for those who bring their own laptops and a computer work station for those who don’t. This facility is clearly devoted to affluent Thais and tourists from the US, Europe, Middle East and elsewhere in Asia.
Katherine is the guinea pig for this experiment since her dentist in the States told her a few weeks earlier that she had two cracked fillings and needed to replace them with expensive crowns. After waiting for a few minutes in the atrium, she was ushered into an office where a dentist checked the X-rays, looked into her mouth and recommended, in excellent English, replacing the fillings instead. A second opinion, from another dentist across the atrium, was the same.
Over the next couple of weeks, Katherine returned three times to replace the two fillings in question and fill seven other cavities. The fillings were done so painlessly that Katherine – a serious dental chicken – only needed novacaine twice. She claims that it was the easiest, most comfortable, and pain and anxiety free dental work she has ever had. The total bill came to about a third of what it would have cost in Los Angeles and a tenth of the cost of the work recommended by her dentist in LA. Six weeks later, the fillings are still intact and trouble free.
The overall experience exceeded even our most optimistic hopes. Everyone on the staff – dentists, receptionists, technicians and others -- spoke excellent English and was professional, attentive, and meticulous. The dentists were gentle and reassuring and seemed to be sensitive to the kinds of concerns that wary Westerners might have, like the concerns I had years ago in Chiang Mai. We appreciated the efficiency of the inclusive team-oriented approach, with all services from general dentistry to complicated implants, all available under one, gleaming roof.
To make sure that our experience was not the exception, we spoke to a Western couple we met in the waiting area. They told us that they live in Hong Kong but travel to Bangkok at least once a year for medical and dental procedures and exams and are very satisfied at the results, and especially the cost.
The overall experience was so positive that we almost look forward to doing it again next year. Hard to believe we are actually talking about going to the dentist….
The Dental Hospital is located at 88/88 Sukhumvit 49, Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok 10110. Phone 02-290-5000/15; email dental@loxinfo.co.th; website www.dentalhospitalbangkok.com.
Don Mankin is a travel writer, business author, psychologist, organizational consultant and executive coach. The Wall Street Journal called his latest book, Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic Ocean: A Guide to 50 Extraordinary Adventures for the Seasoned Traveler (National Geographic, 2008), “one of the best travel books to cross our desk this year.” For more information on Don or Riding the Hulahula, check out his website www.adventuretransformations.com.
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Reader Comments (21)
For many years my dental work has been done outside the U.S. In Pattaya, Thailand after I bit into a Mento, a double crown fell out. When I inquired of a local about a nearby dentist, I was sent to the International Hospital less than 2 blocks away. I was greeted at the door in English & escorted to the 2nd floor of a huge, modern hospital filled with computers, marble floors & a Starbucks in the lobby. I waited for about 3 minutes until a slender pubescent-looking girl apologized for the 3-minute wait, took me into her office, sat me in "the chair." & spent 1.5 hours creating another post & cementing the crowns in place. Total charge? $22 U.S.
For standard dental work, i.e., crowns & partials, I ride a trolley to TiJuana, walk across the international border, walk another block, & there's Alfonso, my English-speaking very competent (& fun) dentist of many years.
Yes, dental tourism is alive & well on every continent I've ever visited.
The real test isn't how comfortable Katherine is at this time. Post again in three years after you have visited a dentist in the US or Thailand and after they have taken new xrays. Does she need additional work on the same teeth?
Aren't you concerned how two fillings in the US turned into nine fillings in Thailand? Perhaps a little extra dentistry? Did both Thai dentists say nine fillings?
Hey Cuz- Can you get me a quote for veneers?
In response to Dr. Don from Philadelphia (BTW, I am also a "Dr Don from Philadelphia"), I have asked my wife to respond since she is much more familiar with the inner workings of her mouth. Her response is below:
It wasn’t “two fillings in the US” that “turned into nine fillings in Thailand.” It was two crowns, which is qualitatively different in the expense, and, potentially, the pain involved. So, two of “the fillings” in Thailand were to replace cracked fillings with new ones, rather than with crowns.
And part of “the fillings” in Thailand were of another sort. They were to protect the gums and roots of some teeth where I have severe abrasion and root exposure. I had been advised by a dental professional in the US that one way of treating the problem is gum surgery, both painful and expensive. Therefore, I was quite willing for the Thai dentists to put in these “fillings” as a protective measure. Back in the US, a dental professional who looked at my mouth said it was a good idea and a good job.
After I returned home I had to have x-rays taken for implant work, which I am having done here because it involves multiple appointments. I will make a point of asking for an assessment, if there are fillings from Thailand in that part of my mouth.
Your point about checking three years later is important. We did speak to a couple of Westerners who live in Hong Kong, she’s a Brit, he’s from east coast US, and they have been going to the Dental Hospital in Bangkok for the past several years and seem quite satisfied.
.................great information.................it's happening elsewhere as well.....................I have a Canadian friend currently in Argentina having 3 implants done at a cost of about $2500......................same work in Canada was going to cost $12,000.......................well worth the price of an airline ticket...................she had the added benefit of staying with friends for the time she spent there......................good to know these things.............
Remembering Dr. Tipp.
Sometime during 1965, while I was working in the mountains of Thailand as a construction engineer, I developed an abscessed wisdom tooth. I was 25 years old at the time. I called the home office in Bangkok with my problem and learned of a Dr. Tipp who was considered a first-class dentist in Bangkok.
So, off I went to see Dr. Tipp, an appointment having been made for me by my project manager in Bangkok.
Dr. Tipp, like most Thais, was at least 5’-4” tall and easily 135 pounds. His office was clean and neat—but, the most important visual was his dentistry college diploma, which was from Ohio State University. Can’t go wrong with someone from the Big 10 I remember thinking.
The solution to my dental problem was the extraction of the abscessed wisdom tooth. Dr. Tipp proceeded to extract the tooth and the two of them, my tooth and Dr. Tipp, easily battled twenty minutes before the damned tooth finally gave up.
What I most remember about the event was that Dr. Tipp’s feet, at times, were off the floor as he wrestled with the tooth—one arm around my neck and the other grasping and yanking the forceps locked onto the wisdom tooth. It is important to note that at the time I was 6’-2” and weighed 250 pounds, so I was a sizeable anchor to support the diminutive doctor’s relentless efforts.
Before I left his office, Dr. Tipp gave me some pain killers and told me come back the next day so he could check the results of the extraction to make sure everything was okay.
That evening, having not been to Bangkok for months, was an evening of drinking and eating with friends from the home office. We ate at seafood restaurant and then went clubbing down Pat Pong Road.
When I visited Dr. Tipp the next day, he asked about my evening and if I had experienced any pain or problems. I said no, and told him about the evening, including the seafood restaurant. He was upset that I had visited a seafood restaurant just hours after the extraction and explained what might have happened if I had gotten spoiled seafood in the area of the extraction. Who knew?
So, he told me to stay in Bangkok for a few more days so he could check daily on the extraction site to be sure all was well, which I did with pleasure, but not my boss’ pleasure.
And, all turned out well.
I wonder if Dr. Tipp still practices? I guess he would be in his late 70s today. Thankfully, he did a good job.
GREAT article- and we're considering dental work in Mexico for our son right now..... good to hear success stories......
I had a lot of dental work done a year ago, at the same Bangkok Dental Hospital as the author visited. This was pretty complicated stuff, with a crown, overlays and inlays. The dentist, Dr. Walaiporn, was amazing! She even took photos all along the way so I would have a record of exactly what had been done for any dentist back in the US. It cost a third of the estimate I got in the US and I don't think I've ever received better, more thorough, more caring treatment.
I'm going back this year to have a crown replaced. Oh, and by the way, I also got the best teeth cleaning I've ever had there, too!
Great story. Enjoyed the explanation on how Thai surgeons became so good.... Yikes! Thailand certainly is on the leading edge for dental tourism.
Hello. Excuse me just a question. I heard talking about Thailand here. I'm about going on holiday to Asia. I would like some info on Pattaya in Thailand. I would know if It's a good place to go with family or should I choose another place? Thank You so much.
I've just come back to read this article again as although I read it as I read all Don's articles when he writes them (I met Don & Katherine about 18 months ago in Brazil), I wanted to check which clinic they went to.
I remember Don telling me about his previous experience of dentistry in Thailand though I know Thailand very well (I run a tour operator for whom it's a major market), at the time I said I wouldn't personally have medical treatment abroad if I could avoid it. I just prefer going somewhere local in the UK and in my personal experience, I haven't thought the price difference was worth it (and now with sterling so awful, things like britesmile or zoom whitening to be the same price). I have also had a bad experience with a dentist abroad.
However, I am going to go to this dental hospital on my next visit to Bangkok. I want to get a second opinion , it would cost a lot to do so in the UK, just on the xrays and I've been asking around in Bangkok with locals and expats and read some forums and the name of the place that came up as excellent is the place that Don and Katherine visited.
Dental tourism is becoming more popular as some people cannot afford dentistry in today's economy. One has to be careful as the standards of dental care is lower outside North America and the quality of the dentist thornhill varies considerably from country to country.
New Caledonia has become a new alternative tourism destinations. New Caledonia tourism growing now. It has been described as the land of eternal spring, for its semi tropical climate all year round. New Caledonia is a land of eternal spring climate. Because it is farther south than most of the other islands of the South Pacific. New Caledonia is usually very sunny and warm climate. It is often the time than in the south of France. Trade winds from the southeast is also a nice cool breeze.
Don, I appreciate you sharing this with YLIAT readers. While Thailand is no doubt a fine place to combine vacationing with dental work, I too had a great "dental tourism" experience much closer to home. About two years ago, I was informed by my Santa Fe dental clinic (one that accepted a dental discount policy I had at the time), that replacement of two old bridges and a crown would run me $7,000 plus tax, bringing the total to almost $8,000. Friends who spend time in Puerto Peñasco, four hours drive south of Phoenix, recommended Dr. Luis Garcia's clinic. My partner and I drove the 12 hours to PP, rented a gorgeous apartment in a high rise on the west end of town for $40 a night and Dr. Garcia, with his clean, modern clinic and own lab next door, removed the bridges and crown, took impressions, put in temporaries and, within 3 days, I was done, for $2,100 total. A nice savings and vacation.
Recently, I found a wonderful holistic dentist in Santa Fe (Dr. Bill Wolf) who, upon first consultation hearing I had some work done in Mexico, expressed concern as to the quality. But when he looked at my new X-rays and examined my mouth said, "I'm going to have to eat my words; this is beautiful work!"
Since there are "good and bad" professionals everywhere, your best bet is always a personal referral. I had an excellent experience and encourage others to look into dental/medical tourism, which is the fastest growing segment of tourism worldwide.
currently in many countries not only tourism but also dental health, these are super good business and investment where the patient can travel and meet while searching for their health, like the people that buys Sildenafil for health
Great Article !!
Dental surgery is way which provide better look. Your information related dental surgery is very effective. But i heard Dental surgery in India is most effective is at low cost ...is it true??
Because of this post I have decided to go to "Dental Hospital." There are many suspicious reviews online for various dental places but yours seems quite legit. I've not yet been examined but I've had lots of dental work before and I can guess that what I need probably will be 2 crowns, teeth whitening and some cavities filled.
I will post back to let people know how it went. Thanks again.
People need good dental tourism form some qualified dental doctors. People sometimes do not take this seriously.
I had a lot of dental work done some months ago, at the Dr. Sunil Dental Clinic, Bangkok. I had 16 crowns and gum lift procedure. I also got the best teeth cleaning I've ever had there. It cost a third of the estimate I got in the other clinic and I don't think I've ever received better treatment than this one, moreover I was much satisfied with the way doctors and staff treated me.The dentist, Dr. Sunil, was amazing! I would love to go there again if in future I have to see a dentist.
Life can be a challenge when you have missing teeth. Not only can it be embarrassing, but missing teeth can cause you problems when eating and talking. It can even compromise the health of the teeth that you have left. Full and partial dentures are one solution, however, if you want to improve your quality of life, you should speak with a dentist in thornhillabout dental implants.
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