I, truthfully, hadn't heard about this option.  I would suggest that your friend just be *really* careful!!!  I am not sure what the medical standards are in other countries.  Plus, how will she follow-up?

I can't be much help to suggest how to find a dentist.   I would just be worried about an American being taken advantage of because of people wanting American money.

Yes, she should be very careful. Even though there may be some excellent dentists, doctors, etc in other countries, there are probably just as many "quacks" waiting to take advantage of unsuspecting tourists.

Obviously you have to check carefully before you get the work done, but medical tourism is a growing thing.  There is even one US Health insurer that will send people overseas for surgery.  One of the advantages is that for serious medical problems you get great nursing and follow up care for very little.

 Also, you need to be able to stay around for a few days to make sure you aren't having problems.  But if you had to stay in the same place where you had dental work done for follow-up, you could never leave your home town, could you?  Once you had that first filling, you'd be stuck.

 I've had dental work done in South Africa (I lived there), Panama City, Quito, and Jaipur.  In Jaipur I had a crown done by a great family of dentists.  Most of them seemed better to me than the dentist I had been seeing at home.  Even people who charge more for foreigners than they charge for locals don't even touch the price of dentistry in the US.  I'm talking good dentistry, good reliable work by well-trained, some of them American-trained, professionals.  An implant in the US runs about $4000.  You can get one in Thailand for $1000.  That's the high, for tourist, rate.  Despite what the president says, America does not have the best medical care in the world or a monopoly on it.  Though it is rather surprising where some of the best care can be had.  Apparently there is a great, world-famous hip replacement guy in Managua.  Who knew?

 My problem is that my friend doesn't want to go so far away, and Guatemala City is a pit.  So having exhausted my suggestions, I thought maybe some of you would have some suggestions.

I've read quite a lot about Thailand and even Poland, but nothing about Guatamala City.  Even with the articles and positive reviews, I don't think I'd go anywhere for dental or medical treatment without talking to some people who have used the specific clinic.  I don't believe testimonials on websites lol.

Myself I would just be leery to go to another country for any medical treatment unless I knew people that had actually been to the places. But even then I would have to do a lot of researching before I would even consider something like this.

I really don't think it is such agreat idea to go to another country and have dental work done. I would check around the area that you live. I am sure you would be able to find a good dentist. Some times ypu pay for what you get.

Amen to that. There are just as many bad doctors here then anywhere else. Sometimes I am so sick and tired of the "take a pill and call me if the problem doesn't go away" mentality of US doctors. I don't go to the doctor unless I absolutely have to, so you can bet that I have something that needs treatment and if those guys cannot find out whats wrong, well they are just not good ad their job.  I have gotten way better treatment in Germany (not everywhere though).

Sometimes I have the feeling that they are on the clock. They need to push you out within 5 minutes, since they have a ton of other appointments and since they are probably paid a per patient fee.

Each time I also get my blood pressure taken and my blood oxygen levels measured (just so they can bill my insurance I guess).

Since I have a pretty good insurance (well Kaiser is not that great but I only have a relatively small co-pay), I have no need to go overseas for medical. For me its just a matter of finding the right physician.

When I see how much some of these things can cost, I think I would also consider getting those done somewhere else, especially when I am in that country anyways.

The only thing I would be scared of is the language barrier. I still have problems describing what is wrong with me in english (not my native language), let alone trying to tell someone what you feel like in yet another language. You'd better be very specific or you get some standard procedure done (I guess thats what we are talking about here).

Andre

http://www.aguntherphotography.com

All the doctors I have seen in foreign countries have spoken good English, except in Japan, where I just walked into a hospital clinic without searching out an English-speaking doctor.

What foreign countries, you may ask?  Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Fiji, Denmark, South Africa.  I've seen dentists in Panama, India, South Africa, Ecuador, and Thailand.

 American doctors are pushed.  If they don't see enough patients, they can lose their contracts with the insurers.  At Kaiser (I loved them, back when), they have to justify every decision.

And doctors take your blood pressure with every visit, no matter what, because it is affected by so many things, and it goes undiagnosed far too often because there are no symptoms until it is really, really bad.  So if you go to the same clinic, and they have a history, they should spot a problem early.  The doctors to worry about are the ones who don't take your blood pressure.

 Most doctors are encouraged to perform fewer procedures, not more, especially at places like Kaiser, where a flat fee is paid per patient, and there is no extra billing for extra procedures.

Dental treatment, in specific, is getting great reviews in foreign countries.  YOu can go for two weeks and get essentially two years worth of work done and at much cheaper rates than in the U.S.  I think if you have major dental problems that are otherwise unaffordable, seeking foreign treatment is becoming a big alternative.

 The insurance companies ARE NOT our friends.

I have clients that travel to Mexico every year to get their prescription medications. The meds are *so* much cheaper there, and although you always hear warnings, they've never had any complaints about the quality.

They go for a week, have a great vacation, and bring back a years worth of prescription meds for less than half the cost they'd pay in the U.S. I say more power to them!

Ah, I left out a trip to the emergency room in London...

I noticed an ad on this page for dental tourism in Hungary. Now there is a place I never would have thought of, as Eastern European dentistry always had such a bad reputation. But maybe that was mostly Russia.

I was in Lima for 3.5 months this year ( til mid April),...I met many many people who were going to Miraflores for dental work. In fact .two on my return flight had been there for dental work. They have  great dentists at really good prices. I met a man from northern California  whose insurance paid for his work. I`ll be moving there to set up apartments for Americans to use this service.You can have a great vacation on the money you`ll save. I love Peru!

I really liked Miraflores a lot.  That's where I hung out for six weeks when I got tired of packing and moving on.

How did these people find the dentists? 

I went to an orthopedic surgeon for a cortisone shot, and he was charging me US level prices until I told him that I was staying in a hostel, had no insurance, and was planning to have my knee replacement surgery in Bangkok or Delhi, when the time comes.  He suddenly rushed out to his receptionies, and all of a sudden my follow-up visit was free.  At least he felt guilty about it.

You made a good point, but there is more to this. First of all, I can not agree more on being cautious about using medical services overseas. Nevertheless, most Americans DO NOT travel abroad, hence they know little about "medical standards" in the countries they still consider "developing". At the same time, they take for granted their domestic (i.e. "American") standards are the highest in the world. That's not the reality - we have surely MOST EXPENSIVE medical services, but - what I can confirm as a frequent traveler - definitely not the best. In other words, I would strongly encourage to figure about how safe and competitive are those services in some countries, e.g. India, Thailand and Europe (especially Central Europe, like Hungary and Poland). One might be amazed how cheap and professional they are.Best,

Rupert

I was hospitalized in Singapore, hardly a third world country, and all my friends were sure I must be getting substandard medical care.  In a country that just ranked as having the lowest infant mortality rate in the world!  The US is 37th, I think.  Slovenia has a lower infant mortality rate than the US.

Some of my friends just got a dental work done in Thailand. He said it is very impressive about the clinic and dentists because they provide a good care and more important the price is reasonable. The information i get from this website www.thaidentalnetwork.com

I have heard much about this Medical tourism. Before taking a decision,pls think over the matter twice.Options must be there,i have heard

Really, many people choose another country to make their dental works for 50-70% less than home. Of course you need to think good before make such dental travel, and finding reputable dentist in area you want to visit is better than think"expensive, but good", because there can be "inexpensive and good"!

Dental tourism will be soon ready commodity as simple tourism is now. But think twice and read more about dentists and destinations. 

Alex, WorlDental.org - Your Dental Health

I fully agree that health tourism creates disparity as native population is not able to afford the high costs of healthcare, but I would like to stress that as of present, usually tertiary care is covered under health tourism. The pressing requirement of majority of people is an effective and accessible primary care system, which can go a longway in assuring the good health of people.
Secondly, a large chunk of developing country’s population can now afford good health care, given their increased paying capacity. Upcoming of world standard hospitals have provided these people standard healthcare without the need of going abroad. Hopefully, as economic progress occurs, more and more people would be able to afford this.