Why are dental implants so much cheaper in Mexico than in the United States?
Brent
Dear Brent,
Good question. Many people complain about dental costs in the United States. In fact, there is a whole dental tourism industry. Much of the higher cost is due to regulations. However, most of those regulations are there for the protection of the patients. Let’s use Mexico as an example.
There are no laws regarding sanitation or the quality of the implants. It’s completely up to the dentist as to whether or not they sanitize their equipment between patients or even at all. Plus, the patient has no recourse if the procedure goes horribly wrong.
For instance, let’s say a dentist doesn’t sanitize his equipment and the patient develops a horrible infection as a result and loses half of his jaw. In the United States, they would be shut down. Additionally, they’d have to pay compensation to the patient.
When it comes to the implant itself. Ones from the United States cost several hundred dollars because of quality control. However, you can purchase implants from outside the U.S. for just a few dollars. They’re much more likely to fail or even break.
However, getting quality dental implants can be made more affordable.
Finding Affordable Dental Implants
One thing that helps with paying for dental implants is finding a dentist who will let you pay for it in stages. Almost every dentist allows you to break up the cost of the surgery and the implant crown. However, you could also ask your dentist to allow you to break up each of those two large payments into monthly payments.
If they’re unwilling, you could try applying for Care Credit. They’re a medical credit card which allows you to have low and even no-interest payments depending on your credit. There’s also no penalty for early pay off if you come into some money and no longer want the payments hanging over you.
Just don’t make the mistake of thinking cheap dental implants are the same as affordable. Your safest course of action is to find an experienced and skilled implant dentist and breaking up the cost.
Teeth Whitening with Dental Implants
If you’re having a dental implant placed in a visible part of your smile, you may want to consider having your teeth whitened ahead of time. Once the implant crown is made, the color is permanent. If you whiten your teeth afterward, the color of the implant will not change.
This blog is brought to you by New Orleans Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.