ABSTRACT:
India the preferred destination for tourists from across the world, offers a multiple choice of attractions to the visitors. Be it beaches, temples & churches or spice gardens, India has them all. But health tourism is a newer addition that we can offer. Not least of the many aspects of the health sector that have attracted the tourism market, is dental care. Our clinic offers a range of dental treatments which cost only a fraction of the cost for what you would be paying in your home countries.

INTRODUCTION:
Since time immemorial, the main motivation for people to travel across continents has been to explore the world & for trade. But today they also do so for several other reasons. Lately, the tourists have discovered medical tourism, better known as HEALTH TOURISM in India.

Our clinic is all set to provide economical dental treatment options to the tourists keen on ensuring their dental health & well-being.

Dental Tourism is a subset of the sector known as medical tourism. It involves individuals seeking dental care outside of their local healthcare. Dental tourism means traveling abroad for affordable dental care or dental procedures which are expensive in one’s own country.

There is shortage of medical professionals, long waiting period in National Health Services & governmental facilities, high insurance costs in many western countries.

The resultant skyrocketing costs of private dental care has made it unaffordable to many common people in many countries

Further more our clinic also offers services of skilled dental specialists, latest treatment modalities which are not available in many African & Third world countries.

Hence, today there are thousands of patients from all over the world who are not only sending emails to us enquiring about dental treatment & dental treatment options but also visit India for their own dental treatments.

Our clinic offers many advantages & some of them are:-

• Highly skilled & talented English speaking dental surgeons
• A tremendous cost advantage in treatment charges as compared to Western & Middle East countries. Excellent price-benefit ratios are due to a high US$ vs. local currency exchange rate. Patients from abroad get the same, in fact better quality of dental treatment that they would get in their own countries at four times the price.
• We are not exactly a “cheap” place. The lower cost is not due to any lack in quality. In fact it is quite the contrary. The reason for lower costs is related to the lower cost of infrastructure & insurance. Furthermore for us the patient is not just a CLIENT.
• Availability of sophisticated dental equipments to deliver the best possible dental care which is not available in many African & third world countries.
• India is a convenient country to visit: nice weather, warm people, beautiful tropical environment & city-urban accommodation. All-inclusive packages are very attractive & the fact we work on a fixed price basis, makes it even better.
• Mumbai being the commercial capital of India offers many advantages & opportunities to develop this entity.
• Besides there are many places of tourist interest in India & many foreigners come to India for tourism also.

The available skill in our clinic attracts a lot of patients from the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the Gulf countries & Canada. They prefer to visit for their dental treatment. They save enormously on cost, while getting the same quality of treatment &, at the same time, enjoying a holiday with their families.

ADVANTAGES OUR CLINIC OFFERS AS A DENTAL TOURISM DESTINATION

1. Low labour & administrative costs in India.
2. High quality of dental services.
3. Immediate services.
4. Great convenience, ease of appointments.
5. Travel opportunities, clubbing with sight seeing & medical tourism

My existing clinic is near the international airports

Cost Comparison – India vs United States of America (USA)

Significant cost differences exist between U.S.A & India when it comes to medical & dental treatment. India is not only economical but the waiting time is almost nil. This is due to the outburst of the private sector which comprises of hospitals & clinics with the latest technology & best practitioners.

Procedure Charges in India & USA (USA $):

Here’s a brief comparison of the cost of few of the Dental treatment procedures between USA & India

* These costs are an average & may not be the actual cost to be incurred

Dental treatment is not covered under insurance in some countries. For example, the root canal treatment in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom could cost a patient around $4,000, while the same procedure is being conducted here for a sum between Rs 1000/- & Rs 15000/-. In fact, one can save expenses for travelling by air from a western country to India by going for dental treatment here. In countries like the UK, where people have to wait for months to get cosmetic dentistry done under the National Health Services (NHS), dental tourism has come as a boon. Comparing the cost, doctors say it comes to be about $300-400 for a dental filling in the US & Europe as compared to only $20-40 here — a denture can cost $2,000 overseas, but the dentists here charge only $200

INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIRED:

1. The dental clinic should give the patient all advantages of a coordinated team of experienced dental surgeons, who constantly revisit their skills & keep abreast with the latest innovations in dentistry to give the patient best care possible.
2. Ultra modern dental chairs & various other equipments.
3. Digital X-ray systems.
4. Digital intra oral camera & computer system.
5. Sterilization equipment.
6. A well appointed waiting room with the current daily’s, magazines & television.
7. Administrative infrastructure-acceptance of payments by credit cards

TIE UPS may be required with travel agencies, travel houses, corporate houses, large hospitals, hospitals offering medical tourism, tourism websites, multi-lingual patient co-ordinators etc.

TREATMENT OPTIONS:- Range of services in quality dental care procedures in India include treatment for Bad Bite, Bonding, Braces, Caries, Cosmetic/Esthetic Dentistry, Child Dentistry, Dental Fillings, Sports Dentistry, Complete Dentures, Partial Dentures, Fixed Full Implant Dentures, Dental Implants, Root Canal Treatment, Bruxism, Tooth/Molar Extractions, Bleaching/Teeth Whitening, Porcelain Crowns & Bridges, Porcelain Veneers, Laser Gum Surgery, Oral Surgery, Oral Cancer Treatment, Sleep Snore Dentistry, Inlays/Onlays, Orthodontics, Gum Disease, Smile by Design, Digital/panoramic dental X-rays, TMJ treatment.

The most sought-after treatments include root canal treatment, dental implants, crown replacement & fixing teeth for a better smile.Dentistry has an edge over other medical treatments as hospitalization is not required & tourists can do sight-seeing while getting treated.

Bleaching (teeth whitening):- Whitening treatments are highly sought after by foreign tourists that promise quick & amazing results.

Dental Implants:- This is the most sought after treatment in recent years, where missing teeth or bad teeth are replaced by the use of implants.