Planning a dental vacation in a foreign country for the first time doesn’t always avoid making mistakes. After having provided services to thousands of international clients, in this post, we will explain five common points you should take into consideration before drawing a detailed dental tourism plan to Vietnam.

Not learning about the dentist and dental clinic thoroughly

If possible, choose a hospital that already has an international accreditation such as Joint Commission International (JCI), GCR, ISO. These accreditations represent the international standard for quality assurance in healthcare. This is similar to the level of dependable quality in Western countries, including New Zealand, the UK, the US, and Australia. Lotus Dental Travel, a leading dental tourism facilitator in Vietnam, has an exclusive network of many clinics that are ISO 9001 accredited or Global Clinic Rating TM accredited such as Hanoi Sydney Dental Clinic, Rose Dental Clinic, to name but a few. Along with the accreditation, the clinics’ sterilizing process, dental facilities, and customer service are significant aspects to consider as they directly affect your dental vacation experiences.
Your dentist in Vietnam should have undergone proper training courses in the specialty that is relevant to your case. Before choosing one, check his background education, qualifications, what procedure he is specialized in, his patients’ before & after pictures, and the reviews about him in trustworthy review-platforms like WhatClinic.

Ignoring language barrier

Education, training and practice philosophies of overseas-trained dentists might be different from those of Australian-trained dentists. Make sure you’re able to communicate well with your dentist to ensure safety, confidence, and understanding of the requirements of each other.

Most dental specialists in Vietnam’s international dental clinics are foreign-trained and therefore proficient in English. They can explain to you in detail every step during the treatment session. However, if the dentist’s not really fluent in English, you should check if the clinic provides translation services or not. For the sake of customers, Lotus Dental Travel helps you connect with top trustworthy companies providing translation services. They can assist to ensure that the dentists focus on fulfilling your dental treatment plan and assuring your well being during the whole treatment session.

Not considering the warranty policy

No matter how skilled your dental specialist is, sometimes things don't go to plan or are more complex than you thought. You need to comprehend the clinic’s warranty policy to know your rights as a patient and things that are fixed for free when it comes to complications or failure after the treatment.
After getting dental treatment in Vietnam, patients should take good care of their new teeth by regular check. The dental records will be forwarded to your local dentist so it will be more convenient for you to do the follow-up examination in your country. For dental implants, the warranty period is normally up to 20 years or permanent for dental screws. The dentist will replace your fixture if the previous work has some errors. For prostheses (crowns, bridges) the warranty policy is from 7 years to 15 years, however, it just works in case of breakage. The warranty period is up to 15 years in case you get veneers in Vietnam.

Not spending enough time for your treatment

The advice is don’t schedule your trip too tightly and always have backup plans. Normally, the first step before the treatment is an in-person diagnosis, in which dentist may take CBCT of your mouth to know the current condition of your teeth and then a thorough procedure including time of treatment will be given. Only when knowing your detailed treatment plan should you measure the exact total time. Even if you have already taken the initial consultation in your hometown, you must come to Vietnam for the diagnosis as any consultation from others will not be accepted by your Vietnamese dentist.

Remember that total staying time is tantamount to the total time of treatment, time of travel activity advised by the dentist, time of transportation including flight and ground transportation and the rest time according to doctor’s recommendation.

One more point is that you should be flexible about treatment plans and avoid booking travel tickets in advance in case there are some changes in your procedure. For example, we both know a healthy and thick jawbone is needed when you take the single dental implant, so if yours is not qualified enough, it could take more days for the dentist to enhance your jawbone condition. Thus, the estimated time would be prolonged.

Not having an online consultation with your doctor before traveling

A little time for online consultation with your Vietnamese dentist is a vital part since it’s the moment for you and the dentist to get to know each other and your teeth condition as well. Through this online meeting, you could have a chance to understand your problem and the treatment better. We know a foreign patient may have many concerns about his problem, the quality of the dentist or the clinic’s facilities as well. That’s a suitable time to ask questions, to make sure you find the right place with the right dentist. After understanding your condition, your dentist in Vietnam will draw a brief of your estimated time of treatment or your time to stay or how much you should bring for your whole trip.

At Lotus Dental Travel, our mission is to connect patients with the best dentists and dental clinics in Vietnam – for free. Through our platform, you may find that dental work overseas is 70% more affordable abroad than at home, at the same level of care or better. Once you find the dental clinics in Vietnam you are interested in, contact us for a customized procedure quote and free personal consultation. Start planning your dental vacation from now!

Author's Bio: 

Imon is a freelance writer. Writing is his passion.