Choosing dental implants abroad may seem appealing because of lower treatment costs, but price is only one factor to consider. Patients should also evaluate the surgeon’s qualifications, treatment quality, follow-up care, travel risks, and long-term implant success. Local implant care can offer easier access to consultations and ongoing support throughout the treatment process.
Considering Dental Implants Abroad?
Before Comparing Prices, Compare the Entire Standard of Care
The lower advertised cost of dental implants overseas can be appealing especially for patients who need multiple implants or full-mouth reconstruction.
But dental implant treatment is more than purchasing implants.
It can involve surgery, anesthesia, bone evaluation, extractions, grafting, restorative planning, healing, bite management and months or years of follow-up care.
Recent international news involving a patient who traveled abroad for dental implant treatment has brought renewed attention to an important question:
How should you evaluate the safety and quality of dental implant treatment whether you’re receiving it locally or traveling abroad?
The answer isn’t simply to avoid another country.
It’s to understand who is treating you, their training and credentials, how your surgery is planned, what type of anesthesia is being proposed, what happens if complications occur and who will care for you afterward.
At Boston Dental Care in La Crescenta, California, Dr. Robert Thein provides implant-focused surgical and restorative treatment for patients seeking carefully planned, long-term dental implant care. His practice serves patients from La Crescenta, Glendale, Montrose, La Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena, Burbank, Sunland, Tujunga, Eagle Rock and surrounding communities.
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Why Dental Tourism Is Getting Attention
Patients commonly consider overseas dental treatment because the advertised cost may be substantially lower than treatment closer to home.
That difference can be particularly tempting when someone is considering:
- Multiple dental implants
- All-on-4 or All-on-X treatment
- Full-mouth dental implants
- Full-mouth reconstruction
- Bone grafting plus implants
- Extensive restorative dentistry
But the initial quote is only one part of the decision.
A recent widely reported case involved a 53-year-old Greek-Canadian patient who traveled to Antalya, Turkey, for a planned treatment involving 12 dental implants.
According to reporting based on his wife’s account, treatment had initially been expected to involve sedation and local anesthesia but was subsequently changed to general anesthesia. The patient did not regain consciousness following the procedure and was later transferred to intensive care.
The exact medical cause remains unclear, and allegations surrounding the treatment have not been independently established.
The lesson for prospective patients should therefore not be:
“Dental implants overseas are unsafe.”
Instead, it should be:
Any major dental implant procedure deserves careful evaluation of the surgeon, facility, anesthesia plan, treatment plan, emergency protocols and long-term follow-up regardless of where treatment is performed.
7 Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Implant Provider
1. Who Is Actually Performing Your Implant Surgery?
Don’t evaluate only the clinic.
Evaluate the individual clinician who will perform your surgery.
Ask:
What is their dental education?
What advanced implant training have they completed?
How much of their practice involves implant dentistry?
Do they handle complex implant cases?
Do they perform both implant surgery and restoration?
What professional credentials or board certifications do they hold?
Can you review documented cases they’ve treated?
These questions become particularly important when you’re considering extensive surgery.
2. Who Is Responsible for Your Final Teeth?
An implant that successfully integrates into bone is only part of the treatment.
The final teeth must also function properly.
Your treatment plan should consider the relationship between:
Implant position → Bone → Gum tissue → Bite → Final restoration
That’s why implant surgery should ideally be planned with the final restoration in mind.
At Dr. Thein’s practice, treatment planning considers both the surgical and restorative stages of implant care.
3. What Type of Anesthesia or Sedation Is Being Proposed?
Ask exactly what is planned before treatment.
You should understand:
- What type of anesthesia is proposed
- Why it is appropriate for your procedure
- Who will administer or supervise it
- Your relevant medical risks
- What monitoring will occur
- What happens if the treatment plan changes
- What emergency protocols are available
A major surgical procedure should never feel like a package you’re purchasing without understanding what will actually happen.
4. What Happens If Something Goes Wrong After You Return Home?
This is one of the most overlooked questions in dental tourism.
Dental implant treatment doesn’t necessarily finish when the implants are placed.
Healing continues afterward.
Suppose you develop:
Pain. Swelling. Infection. Implant mobility. Bite problems. A fractured temporary restoration. Gum problems. An implant complication.
Who examines you?
Who takes responsibility for treatment?
Who has your complete surgical records?
And if corrective treatment is required, who pays for it?
When your implant provider is local, access to postoperative evaluation and ongoing care can be significantly more straightforward.
5. Are You Being Promised Treatment Too Quickly?
Be cautious about choosing major implant treatment based primarily on phrases such as:
“New teeth in one day.”
“Guaranteed implants.”
“Everyone qualifies.”
“No bone graft ever needed.”
“Complete treatment in one trip.”
Some patients can receive immediate implant or full-arch protocols.
Others should not.
Your anatomy, bone quality, infection, remaining teeth, medical history and ability to achieve adequate implant stability can influence what is clinically appropriate.
Speed should be the result of appropriate treatment planning—not the objective of treatment planning.
6. What Happens to Teeth That Could Still Be Saved?
Full-mouth implant treatment can be life-changing for appropriately selected patients.
But removing teeth is irreversible.
If you’re being advised to extract most or all of your remaining teeth, consider asking:
Which teeth truly cannot be maintained?
Which teeth could potentially be treated?
Why is extraction preferable?
What would happen if I kept certain teeth?
Is there a more conservative alternative?
Dr. Thein’s published clinical cases include treatment in which maintainable natural teeth were preserved while implants, grafting and restorative treatment were incorporated where appropriate. His practice currently publishes more than 20 implant case examples ranging from individual front-tooth implants to full-mouth reconstruction and complex treatment.
7. What Will Your Care Look Like Five Years From Now?
This may be more important than asking how quickly you can receive new teeth.
Implants require maintenance.
Implant restorations can require maintenance.
Your gums and bone require monitoring.
Your bite can change.
Natural teeth that remain in your mouth still require care.
Ask who will monitor your implants after treatment and what the recommended long-term maintenance program looks like.
Why Patients Choose Dr. Robert Thein for Dental Implants
Advanced Implant Training. Surgical Experience. Restorative Planning. Local Continuity of Care.
When considering significant implant treatment, credentials matter.
Dr. Robert Thein, DDS, ABOI, ICOI provides implant-focused surgical and restorative care from Boston Dental Care in La Crescenta.
Dr. Thein earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Boston University School of Dentistry and pursued advanced education beyond dental school in implant surgery, prosthetics, esthetic dentistry, occlusion and full-mouth reconstruction.
His advanced training includes:
Diplomate — American Board of Oral Implantology / Implant Dentistry
Dr. Thein’s professional profile identifies him as a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry (ABOI/ID).
Diplomate — International Congress of Oral Implantologists
His credentials also include Diplomate status with the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.
Misch Implant Institute
Dr. Thein completed advanced surgical and prosthetic implant training through the Misch Implant Institute at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dentistry.
Advanced Restorative & Esthetic Training
His additional education includes advanced fixed prosthodontic and esthetic training through Esthetic Professionals as well as advanced occlusion education through the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Education.
One Doctor. Surgery and Restoration Planned Together.
One of Dr. Thein’s strongest commercial differentiators should be made much more prominent in the website marketing:
Dental Implant Surgery Is Only Half the Story.
The final objective isn’t simply to successfully place an implant.
It’s to give the patient a tooth or complete set of teeth that looks natural, functions properly and fits within a healthy bite.
Dr. Thein’s experience encompasses implant surgery and implant restoration, allowing the final restorative objective to be considered during surgical treatment planning.
That approach is especially valuable for:
Single front-tooth implants
Multiple missing teeth
Full-mouth dental implants
All-on-4 / All-on-X cases
Bone-loss cases
Failed dental implants
Complex implant reconstruction
See Real Dental Implant Cases
Before choosing an implant dentist, don’t look only at stock photographs of perfect smiles.
Look at the dentist’s actual clinical work.
Dr. Thein’s website currently documents 20+ implant case studies, including single front-tooth replacement, missing posterior teeth, sinus bone grafting, implant-retained dentures, complete implant reconstruction and complex periodontal/implant rehabilitation.
VIEW DR. THEIN’S DENTAL IMPLANT CASES
Considering Dental Implants Abroad Because of Cost?
Get a Local Second Opinion Before You Book Your Flight.
You don’t have to commit to treatment simply because you request another opinion.
If you’ve received a quote for dental implants in Turkey, Mexico, Costa Rica or another destination, bring your proposed treatment plan to your consultation.
Ask Dr. Thein to help you understand:
Do I really need this many implants?
Do all of these teeth need to be extracted?
Do I need bone grafting?
What are my alternatives?
What should my long-term treatment plan look like?
What will happen if an implant develops a problem?
What is included in the actual treatment cost?
Then compare the options based on more than price.
Compare:
Training + Treatment Plan + Safety + Restoration + Follow-Up + Long-Term Care + Total Cost
rather than:
Implant Price Alone
Concerned About the Cost of Local Implant Treatment?
Don’t assume overseas treatment is your only affordable option before discussing financing.
Boston Dental Care currently offers financing through CareCredit and LendingClub, in addition to accepting major credit cards and assisting patients with dental insurance claims.
Dental Implant Care Close to Home
Dr. Robert Thein provides dental implant surgery and implant restoration at:
Boston Dental Care
3730 Foothill Blvd
La Crescenta, CA 91214
The practice serves patients from La Crescenta-Montrose, Glendale, Montrose, La Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena, Burbank, Sunland, Tujunga, Eagle Rock and surrounding communities.
Dental Implant Surgeon, La Crescenta, CA | Dr. Robert Thein DDS
Considering Dental Implants?
Before making an irreversible decision about your teeth, understand your options.
New Patients: (833) 357-7578
Existing Patients: (818) 248-1991
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