Best Questions To Ask When Comparing Dental Costs In Colombia
Dental care in Colombia for 1/3 the USA cost
Congratulations, you’ve made the smart decision of exploring cosmetic dentistry in Colombia. Dental work is unnecessarily expensive back home. You can get the same quality of care done for a third of the price that you’re used to back home.
You’ve heard that Colombia is particularly suited in the medical and dental tourism market, especially for veneers, crowns, and dental implants. The Colombian government has invested a lot in growing the cosmetic dentistry sector.
Here are the questions you need to be asking when comparing cosmetic dentistry options. These will help you make sure you’re comparing “apples to apples.”
Does it cost anything to get a dental quote?
It’s pretty simple actually but it says a lot. Do they make it easy to get a quote for your veneers or dental implants?
Do they at least list their prices on their website? Even before getting a consultation, you want to know the ballpark. This will save you time, money, and energy.
Does the dental consultation cost anything?
Regardless if it’s a physical or digital consultation, at the end of the day, you’re really looking at the total cost of the procedure and the trip down. It doesn’t matter if the veneers at Place A are less than expensive than at Place B if the consultation cost makes up the difference.
A free consultation also limits risk. You don’t have to spend your money on a dentist you may not end up using.
What goes into the total price of dental implants in Colombia?
Cost Breakdown
Dental implants have many pricing components, and some cosmetic dentistry offices distort the price of the procedure to lure you in.
For example, we price our Titanium Implant, Abutment, with Porcelain Crown at $1,385 USD. We purposely list all the components as well. This means that this price includes the implant/rod that goes into your jaw, the post that goes on top of the implant, and the crown/tooth that gets placed at the end.
Often, cosmetic dentistry offices will promote implants at $850 but will add the cost of the post and crown at the final billing, to your surprise.
Material
Not all dental implants are made of the same material. Some implants are made of titanium, some are made of zirconia. Some crowns are made of porcelain, some are made of zirconia. Make sure you’re comparing the same dental procedure.
Tooth Extractions
Since not all dental implant patients require tooth extractions, most cannot include the extractions in the price. You need to make sure the quote you get includes the number of extractions you’ll need.
Bone Graft
Like extractions, not all patients will require them. Bone grafts are needed when the jaw doesn’t have enough bone to support an implant. If a patient does need them, they tend to only need 1-2 grams.
Temporary Teeth
Dental implant procedures are done in two phases, the first is when the implants are inserted into your jaw, the second when the permanent crowns are placed. In between these two trips, patients elect to have a lighter, temporary crown placed for those five months.
This is up to the patient but should be a factor when getting the whole cost picture.
What goes into the total price of veneers in Colombia?
Veneers and dental crowns are a little easier to price out than dental implants.
Material
Just like the dental implants, veneers and crowns can be made of many materials. Veneers can be made with composite and porcelain, and are priced very differently. Here is the difference between porcelain veneers and composite veneers.
Temporaries
And like the dental implants once more, veneers and crowns have temporary and permanent sets.
When you first sit down with your cosmetic dentistry professional, temporary veneers/crowns are made for two reasons:
The two of you will work together to find the right shape and color of veneer/crown you will want. These will be made of composite.
An impression of the temporary composites will be sent to the lab to be used in making your permanent veneers or crowns. You will wear the composites will your permanent ones are made.
When you’re shopping around for the best prices, make sure the veneer and crown include both the temporary and the permanent. That’s another surprise fee you might find.
For example, we price our veneers at $460 and list them as Porcelain Veneers (Temporary & Permanent) so you know what it’s made of and that this price includes both the temporary and permanent.
Is there an extra cost for medications?
Not all cosmetic dentistry procedures will require medications, but for those that do, like dental implants, you need to know if that cost is included in the price or not. At Dental Tourism Colombia, we include the cost of medications in our final dental implants procedure cost.
Who are the manufacturers? Are they the best?
The dental material manufacturer makes an enormous difference. Make sure you know which manufacturer they use and do some research.
Some cheaper cosmetic dentistry offices may have lower prices but will use cheap Chinese manufacturers which won’t last nearly as long as the top American and European makers we use like Zimmer, BioHorizons, and Microdent.
How long will this dental procedure take in Colombia?
As they say, time is money. Each day you’re away from home is a significant factor. Though these costs will be minimal (quality lodge and board in Colombia is relatively inexpensive) it is a factor when comparing total costs.
Final note, it’s not all about price either, it’s about which dentist is best
Finally, you know the old adage, you get what you pay for. You should know that price isn’t everything. It is simply one of many considerations.
Be sure to look into the reputation of the dentist and reviews of the practice. Do they have an Instagram? Do they have a testimonial page with before and after pictures? Video testimonials? How about reviews on independent sites like Google Maps?