Medical / Dental Work In Thailand

[Little_Buddy]

Thailand is becomming famous as a "medical/dental tourism" destination. Price is the big attraction. Quality is supposed to be comparable to that obtained in more advanced countries. But is it?

And how does it compare with care in Singapore, Malaysia or India, which are competitors in the emerging medical tourism business?

Have any of you had treatment in Thailand (or know anyone who has)?

If so, how did it go?

My biggest concern is accountability. At home, if a doctor or dentist screws up, at least you can sue them. In Thailand, I don't think so.

And what about hygiene? How good is it? Are Thai doctors and dentists as careful about cleanliness and cross-contamination as health professionals in your home country?

Which are the best places to get medical or dental treatment? How can we determine this?

If you know of any excellent Thai doctors or dentists, I'd love to hear about them.

[backflip]

There are specialists for every procedure. If you tell us what you're looking for (besides any doctor, any dentist, anwhere), we can provide you with some recommendations.

[Little_Buddy]

There are specialists for every procedure. If you tell us what you're looking for (besides any doctor, any dentist, anwhere), we can provide you with some recommendations.

OK, thanks.

Here's what I need:

Dentist: have a "dead" tooth, meaning the nerve is dead and apparently has been for a while, and the root is infected, and apparently some of the surrounding bone is also, so I need that carved out and a bone implant and then (when that heals up), a tooth implant. I hear they like to take bone from your hip, which apparently grows back, but that sounds horrifying - I'm hoping there's some other way, or maybe some other way to treat this problem without a bone implant at all - I don't know - I've been putting this off too long already - it's terrifying.

Doctor: just want a good, very comprehensive physical exam, like an "executive physical".

[carpediem]

I recently asked for a quote for an implant - that's my primary need - from the C M Dental Hospital and was told 75-80,000 baht all-in for each implant. This isn't really less than I paid recently in Paris. (Admittedly there was a slight discount for payment in cash - yes, in France even the most respectable dentist evades tax.)

I was surprized by this as I thought price was a big advantage of dental treatment in Thailand.

Haven't bothered to ask for a quote from Grace because I noticed on their website that they had some of the same dentists as CMDH.

Was my quote inflated because I was patently a farang emailing from overseas prior to arrival in CM?

[scotsman]

The wife broke her tooth on Thursday so she went to a dentist on our soi where we live, the lady dentist gave her a xray and said that the break was to far down into the gum line. So she said the tooth had to come out or she would need a crown, so she asked her how much for a crown. We got 3 prices 4500 baht for a poor quality one 6000 baht for a medium quality one or 10,000baht for a good one, so we went for the 6000 baht one. Well the dentist put in a plastic copy for now until the new crown is made and she will have to go back on wed to get it fitted. I dont know if this is a good price or not as i have never had a crown fitted anywhere. Only time will tell if it last for a couple of months and falls out or lasts years.

[carpediem]

If someone has had an implant recently, a similar account of experience and cost - perhaps even a specific dentist - would be very useful to me.

[taxout]

While a lot of dental procedures are cheaper in Thailand than the West, implants tend to run about the same, for whatever reason.

Thantakit and Bangkok Hospital have good specialists in implants, as do some other places. The Dental Hospital is good, but quite expensive when it comes to implants.

You do realise that if you need a bone implant, you're looking at at least three trips to Thailand months apart?

[Upcountry]

You do realise that if you need a bone implant, you're looking at at least three trips to Thailand months apart?

Funny you should say that. I thought it it was just my bad luck, but a root canal has taken weeks for me upcountry, and the "machine" for finishing the job is broken. On to another source for the last phase of care!

Before this I had to return several times to get the work done - at a dental school no less. I am sure that more professional options are available in Bangkok etc. The crown will cost up to 8,000 baht. I'm not sure if that is is in line with US prices etc. This price is mainly for the top-quality crown, not "labor".

I have gone back to the dental center several times over a period of weeks to get the work done. In the US, if memory serves, the work was done in just two or three visits, total.

UC

[crocodilexp]

The crown will cost up to 8,000 baht. I'm not sure if that is is in line with US prices etc. This price is mainly for the top-quality crown, not "labor".

For comparison, I've had a crown done in the U.S. for $1050 total (I think medium/higher quality) -- that's 40.000 baht. In the off-season, the difference pays for the ticket, with a bit left over too...

I had minor dental work done at Bumrungrad, and it has been acceptable, but not very high quality (amalgams not polished all that well, leading to possible problems down the line). Still, I don't think a random U.S. dentist would have necessarily done a better job (but they surely would have charged me 10 times more, and tried to oversell stuff -- I had U.S. dentist suggest root canals and even double crowns when a simple amalgam fixed the problem.

[carpediem]

While a lot of dental procedures are cheaper in Thailand than the West, implants tend to run about the same, for whatever reason.

Thantakit and Bangkok Hospital have good specialists in implants, as do some other places. The Dental Hospital is good, but quite expensive when it comes to implants.

You do realise that if you need a bone implant, you're looking at at least three trips to Thailand months apart?

Well that confirms it then. My bad luck. Would you say that the Dental Hospital's work & materials would be equal or superior to an 'average' implant specialist in England or France? I take it Dental Hospital is accepted as superior to anywhere else in Chiang Mai.

As to travel, that isn't a problem because I'm going to CM to live for a couple of years anyway.

[taxout]

My recollection is that Thantakit and Bangkok Hospital are in the region of 80,000 baht (not including bone grafts) while the Dental Hospital is about 120,000 baht. From visits to all these places, I've seen no reason for paying such a large premium for this work at the Dental Hospital.

But if you're in Bangkok, contact these places yourself and have a consultation first.