By Andrew Hallam

I’ll admit that I was pretty sceptical. I met two New Yorkers in Chiang Mai, a northern Thai city that’s becoming as famous for its dental clinics as it is for elephant rides and luxurious spas. The young women claimed that they weren’t primarily visiting Thailand for a vacation, but for dental work. The holiday, they said, was the bonus.

We sat on a giant, open air restaurant patio, surrounded by lush tropical greenery as they explained that dental work in Thailand was much cheaper than it is in the U.S. They had boarded an airplane, flew to Chiang Mai, had their teeth fixed, and would fly back to New York after a week of beachside R&R. Total cost, including dental work and the flight? Less than a visit to a New York dentist.

Medical and dental tourism are picking up steam because of the rapidly closing gap between the quality of care in the U.S., compared to places like Thailand and India. You might equate these countries with the third world, but there’s a wealthy elite in these exotic locales that could make a Beverly Hills socialite flush with envy. And these foreign rich folk want the very best—of everything.

In Thailand, for example, you can find some of the best medical and dental treatment available in the world. Their top dentists are trained in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain, while their clientele extends beyond wealthy Thais to Americans looking for great dental work that won’t break the bank.

I live in Singapore, where there’s a plethora of world class dentists. Services are competitively priced, and the quality is first rate. Yet, many of my friends flee to Thailand when they need to see the dentist. Like the young New York couple I met, they swear that it’s financially worth it. Perhaps it is, from Singapore, where a two hour flight may cost less than a family dinner at Applebees. But from the U.S.?

After asking my American colleagues in Singapore, I found the name of an upscale clinic in Chiang Mai, and compared procedural prices to those in the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does monthly surveys of American dental prices. And the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association surveys quarterly price reports in 297 American cities.

Average costs in Houston, Texas appear to run close to the U.S. national average, so I’ve used their data to compare to that of Thailand’s Grace Dental Care Clinic, where many of my friends and colleagues get work done. Here are some price comparisons:

• Anterior tooth root canals average $555 in Houston, while costing $190 at Grace’s Dental.
• Molar tooth root canals average $850 in Houston, while setting you back $283 at Grace’s Dental.
• Full gold base crowns average $1,030 in Houston, but just $472 at Grace’s Dental.
• And composite fillings in Houston average $109, compared to $50 at Grace’s.

Flights to Thailand from most U.S. cities run about $1,400. If your estimated U.S. dental expenses are expected to run into the thousands, and you’d like a tropical holiday, you might consider Thailand.

But I wouldn’t look for the cheapest Thai options. An online search would reveal plenty of cheaper Thai dental clinics with corny names like Tooth Teeth, Big Smile Clinic and Chiang Mai Dental 4 You. They could still be great clinics, but you’ll want to do your research first.

Like the New York couple I met, a rising number of Americans are finding the benefits of Thailand’s top dental practices while fortifying the country’s already famous namesake as the Land of Smiles.

You might want to check it out.

http://www.bracesinfo.com/dentalcosts/

http://www.gracedentalclinic.com/pricelist-eng.html