It’s that time of year again, time to give the teeth a little tender love and care.
Taiwan is the 4th country in which I’ve visited a dental office, and this one looked much like the others. The diploma on the wall from The New York University College of Dentistry could have been on the wall of any dental office in any town in the United States. The Chinese calligraphy too
The cleaning was quick and efficient, and personally taken care of by the dentist himself. He found a missing filling and another two 10-year-old fillings with small cracks in them. This was explained in perfect English, but a high-res camera let me see the cracks and the diagnosis clearly first-hand
A week later I had these 3 fillings replaced. It was quick and painless, both physically and financially
The total cost for a cleaning and the replacement of 3 fillings was less than the $250 my old US dentist charged just for a cleaning.
Until next year
$:
Office visit fee: 250 TWD ($8.50)
Cleaning fee: 800 TWD ($27)
Cost of each filling replacement (x3): 1200 TWD ($40)
Awesome! I often go to the dentist in countries where I visit/live just to see what it is like, people used to make fun of me for that, but I am always interested in dental health. I’ve been in Korea, Thailand, Mexico, India, Poland, Japan, Belgium (and the US of course). It is amazing the range of technologies that I have experienced. Did you get white fillings?
Yeah, white fillings that are UV cured. I had all of my mercury amalgam fillings replaced with the white ones about 10 years ago. These 3 were the first to go
I do a similar thing sunny and by far the best was in Bogota (Colombia). Foot message during cleaning (felt odd), cafe(coffee), inspection & cleaning for $35. Attendants were available to fill your every need (maybe too many needs). Manicure/pedicure if you were inclined for $5.
That sounds amazing! There must be a lot of competition for dentists there. A foot massage during dental work could be a good way to distract your brain from any pain. Brilliant.
Wow, that’s crazy cheap and the office looks way nicer than the dentist’s office where I go. I think my negotiated prices (when we lose dental insurance after Mrs. RootofGood retires) will be $70 for a cleaning/exam, $99 for cleaning/exam/x-rays, and $90-150 for a filling depending on complexity.
And even charging those prices, my dentist still complains about not making enough money (although I personally think he has a problem on the spending side, not the income side…).
10 years ago I had a quote from a US dentist to replace all of my mercury amalgam fillings. I was working at the time, so I had dental insurance. My co-pay for that work was over $6,000. Completely ridiculous! Instead I had it all done in Taiwan for about $300 (also with insurance)
I conclude that the US system is just over-priced. Perhaps the majority of dentists have a spending side problem :)
$6000? That’s crazy! I don’t think my guy charges more than $180 max per filling (for the white amalgams). And when we got 5 done on our daughter (congenital crappy teeth…), he threw in 2 for free (they were tiny and that may explain why he’s also always broke). I think he charged the insurance $500 and we would have paid $450 if we were cash customers. That’s without any anesthesia though (no need when the dentist is only drilling in the enamel not into the nerve area).
I’d definitely buy a ticket to Taiwan for $1-2k and spend the $300 there and come out way ahead if I were facing a $6k dental bill! I need to look for “health tourism” opportunities the next time we take a big trip.
I had mine all replaced in Japan. They were porcelain inlays though, not fillings. They are supposed to last longer, I hope so! I paid quite a bit after insurance but I can’t remember how much (selective memory loss!)
Dental work is so much cheaper compared to Canada. I like the decoration too. :)
With reasonable prices like this, how does a US trained dentist practising in Taiwan justify his return on investment, considering he still had to pay NYU tuition? While malpractice insurance could be a factor, US medical schools are expensive and time consuming.
Hi Phil
Maybe he already has enough and maximizing income isn’t his goal?
I didn’t ask, so this is pure speculation.
Great info… Do you still have the taiwan dentist’s name? I travel to taiwan about every 2-3 years to visit relatives and friends. I have 5-6 teeth that may need replacing–work usually done by a Periodontist–but your taiwan dentist may be able to refer me to others.
Hi Royce
This is their website: http://www.endo-doctor.com.tw/
There is also a forum for expats living in Taiwan that has some recommendations:
http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=87000&start=20
Good luck!
Jeremy
hello – do you have a name for a dentist in Taichung Taiwan ??
I don’t, but you could probably inquire on forumosa
I called him today and he said he would charge me double the price for using the camera, which I find ludicrous. I would definitely not go to him.
I had throat cancer bout ten years and wiped out my saliva glands. Only have few teeth left. Do recomend me going to Taiwon for dental work. Here prices are out of my range.
Maybe I can get some spelling and typing skills while I’m there…..sorry
Hi Michael,
I wouldn’t so much recommend it… it is an option that may cost less. It does come with some challenges… language being one of them.
I think Frugal Vagabond does a great job of capturing those challenges as he explored dental options, eventually choosing to go to Thailand.
I’m curious. I didn’t apply for dental insurance this year in the U.S. and need fillings and a dental exam. I was planning on working from Hong Kong (so no insurance) for a year – will definitely visit China, Taiwan and Indonesia. Which country in Asia have you found it easiest and best to have your dental work done? (If you could recommend an office, that’d be fantastic)
I’ve only had a cleaning in Thailand. Taiwan seems alright. Can’t speak to any other Asian countries.