Dentists in Thailand - services and prices?

[OneMoreFarang]

This is a general question about any kind of dentist services in Thailand.

It seems there are huge price differences.

What I don't know and like to know is if the price differences are often about different materials and procedures or more about how much the doctor or hospital charge.

 

A sample: My gf visited recently a dentist in Phra Khanong (Sukhumvit 71). The dentist worked on her teeth a little more than an hour. He made "several"  fillings and cleaned the teeth and charged over 4,000B which I think was expensive. A few weeks earlier he removed a tooth for 600B - I think that was reasonable.

 

I think my dentist charged me 800B for one filling. She also used to work in a well known expensive Bangkok hospital. According to her they would charge for the same service in that hospital over 3,000B.

 

Now I need probably a few crowns and just to give me a rough idea the dentist told me it cost about 20,000B per tooth. I think that is a lot of money.

 

Basically my question is if there are big differences in quality so people get what they pay for. Or is it more a question of where the dentist is (a village up county, a small clinic somewhere in a small soi, an office building in the middle of the town, an expensive hospital, etc.)?

 

How about materials used like gold for crowns or ceramic? And maybe how they are crafted. Are there big differenced with material, procedures how it is made, and who is doing the job?

 

In general I like quality work and if necessary then I pay more for a good service. I.e. if a dentist would "fix" something cheap and then it has to be done again in a year or two then better get it done right the first time.

 

What I don't want is pay a lot of money i.e. because a hospital wants to look like a 5-star hotel. Or because maybe one dentist thinks he can charge foreigners 3 times as much as a local. I don't know if that happens.

 

Is it necessary to pay a lot of money for dental services in Thailand?

 

[Stocky]

29 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Now I need probably a few crowns and just to give me a rough idea the dentist told me it cost about 20,000B per tooth. I think that is a lot of money.

Last crown I had done was October last year, at the dental clinic of Bangkok Hospital, Hat Yai, and that cost a total of Bht19,960 over the two appointments. That was for a porcelain-fused-to-metal type crown for a large back molar.

 

I don't know how well regulated dentists are in Thailand, but suspect it could be all too easy for just anyone to call themselves a dentist and set up a clinic. 

 

I'm happy to probably pay a bit more using the Bangkok Hospital just for the peace of mind that what's been done has been done well. I've had four crowns done over the last ten years, all Bangkok Hospital, they're all fine no problems.

 

.

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by Stocky

[baansgr]

I'd all but given up with dentists here but have found an absolute gem of a guy....crowns and bridges 6,000 per tooth...that includes x-rays and extraction....I'd had all these silly quotes of 20k a tooth and others that insisted on root canals or implants when not needed...he's based in Jomtien if anyone wants his details pm

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, baansgr said:

I'd all but given up with dentists here but have found an absolute gem of a guy....crowns and bridges 6,000 per tooth...that includes x-rays and extraction....I'd had all these silly quotes of 20k a tooth and others that insisted on root canals or implants when not needed...he's based in Jomtien if anyone wants his details pm

Thanks, sounds interesting.

I am not sure if I will drive from Bangkok to Jomtien just for the dentist. But what you write brings obviously the question up: Is what he did for 6,000B as good as what other pay 20,000B for? Does the 20k doctor and whoever make the crown just collect 14,000B more revenue? Or is what they do something something different? I like to know.

[Stocky]

1 hour ago, baansgr said:

that includes x-rays and extraction

A crown doesn't involve an extraction!

[mahjongguy]

Many people have decent dental health and it makes sense to me that they would (cautiously) shop around for good value.

 

Then there are people like me with terrible crooked teeth, some that are more filling than enamel. I'm actually down to 22 teeth, most of them crowned.

 

For 13 years I have always gone to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital's dental clinic. The prices reflect their skill and the care provided. Had a root canal last week for 15k. That tooth will get crowned for about 14k. I had an extraction once for 2k. I paid 52k for an implant five years ago that has been perfect ever since. I've never been pushed to any procedure that wasn't obviously needed. Never had anyone try to "upsell" me. I've had follow-up office visits where I wasn't charged a single baht.

 

Also, it's a hospital, and I've got a dicky heart. For me, the dentists know to use an injection that does not contain adrenalin. The clinic has many seasoned specialists and on several occasions my dentist has called in one or more of them to consult (e.g. "can this tooth be saved?").  

 

I hate having dental work done. The worst thing would be to have a root canal fail, or to have a crown leak, and go through all that discomfort a second time. So I pay for good dentistry (better than I ever had in California) and economize in other areas of my life.  

 

[Sheryl]

When it comes to things like crowns and implants the main cost driver is the prosthetic itself and these are expensive.  A crown (and post as usually required) does generally cost close to 20k at a private dentist inclusive of material and labor. I am  sure the  quoted 6K for a crown  is wrong.   As a point of comparison, at a government dental hospital the labor cost alone, not including the material,  for a crown is 7-8k if done by a professional dentist https://dt.mahidol.ac.th/en/hospital-phayathai-campus/dental-price/

I paid for a Cambodian's boy's root crown at upcountry Red Cross clinic, they are as cheap as it gets, and it was about 16k.

 

If you do find someplace offering crowns and the like at substantially less than say 15-20k they are almost certainly using substandard materials, or else giving misleading quotes,  and should be avoided.

 

Differences in price for dental services lie in the labor portion of the charge not the materials. And in some cases, like a cleaning, relate to different services. For example, I pay around 1,800 for a thorough cleaning at the Dental Hospital whereas at my local upcountry dentist is around 600.   But very, very different work done. One is just a quick scaling, the other is an hour long thorough cleaning. No comparison.

 

Overall price differences for dental work  aren't great, especially for things that involve expensive materials. But if you want to be assured of the lowest possible price and don't mind longer waits etc, then use a government facility.

[Orton Rd]

Local bloke in bkk charges 500 for clean, 6-10 for crowns, 4k for root canal. Then have been charged 6k a few years ago for one filling at a famous dental service off Sukhumvit.

[Orton Rd]

15 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

When it comes to things like crowns and implants the main cost driver is the prosthetic itself and these are expensive.  A crown (and post as usually required) does generally cost close to 20k at a private dentist inclusive of material and labor. I am  sure the  quoted 6K for a crown  is wrong.   As a point of comparison, at a government dental hospital the labor cost alone, not including the material,  for a crown is 7-8k if done by a professional dentist https://dt.mahidol.ac.th/en/hospital-phayathai-campus/dental-price/

I paid for a Cambodian's boy's root crown at upcountry Red Cross clinic, they are as cheap as it gets, and it was about 16k.

 

If you do find someplace offering crowns and the like at substantially less than say 15-20k they are almost certainly using substandard materials, or else giving misleading quotes,  and should be avoided.

 

Differences in price for dental services lie in the labor portion of the charge not the materials. And in some cases, like a cleaning, relate to different services. For example, I pay around 1,800 for a thorough cleaning at the Dental Hospital whereas at my local upcountry dentist is around 600.   But very, very different work done. One is just a quick scaling, the other is an hour long thorough cleaning. No comparison.

 

Overall price differences for dental work  aren't great, especially for things that involve expensive materials. But if you want to be assured of the lowest possible price and don't mind longer waits etc, then use a government facility.

Last crown I had was 8k and porcelain, no special metal inside but I'm not paying for gold at my age. Independents are a lot cheaper than chains or large famous places calling themselves hospitals. Mahidol charged me 14k altogether for crown with root canal 6 years ago, they have put their prices up since. I did want to go back there last year but the waiting list for the dentist I saw was weeks.

Edited September 30, 2020 by Orton Rd

[bodga]

18 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks, sounds interesting.

I am not sure if I will drive from Bangkok to Jomtien just for the dentist. But what you write brings obviously the question up: Is what he did for 6,000B as good as what other pay 20,000B for? Does the 20k doctor and whoever make the crown just collect 14,000B more revenue? Or is what they do something something different? I like to know.

I use a dentist at Seacon Square, small  place  not a  chain always been good with me speaks  good  English, Smile Plus at seacon square second  floor up from tesco  https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Medical-Service/Smile-Plus-Seacon-Square-1841180372820441

208/142
10250 Bangkok, Thailand

Get Directions

086 376 3090

Edited September 30, 2020 by bodga