chicagolori

Only post by this person ... odd.

LoveItaly

Only, or at least first post, I noticed that also.

chicagolori

LoveItaly - This was re-posted under this date. I remember it from a month or so ago.

Perhaps Chubroach is reproducing?

Mary_Fran

And I answered this post seriously, in my most earnest style! I feel so used and dirty! My saintly dentist would be so ashamed!

chicagolori

I know, I know...dont you feel cheap now?

I freely admitted that I drank a starbucks coffee out of a styrofoam cup in Paris on another post today...

cmt

Responding to StCirq’s question:
<<And how come the USA comes in 47th or 49th or something like that on the WHO's ranking of healthcare in the world? Can you explain that…?>>

Actually it was 37th. The WHO survey results are not based primarily on the quality of care. The final survey rankings were based on many factors other than actual quality. For example, on the scale of “responsiveness,” including prompt attention in emergencies, choice of provider, respect for the dignity of the patient, confidentiality, the USA ranked #1. France, which ranked #1 overall, was not in the top five on this "responsiveness" scale. The USA ranked very low on the scale of financial fairness of the health care system, i.e. equal distribution of the cost of health care. Colombia ranked #1, Djibouti #4, and the USA was way down at #54 on this "financial fairness" scale. In terms of cost of health care, both per capita and as a percentage of gross domestic product, the USA was most expensive. The USA has a higher percentage of uninsured than the top-ranked countries. It appears from my superficial reading that those countries with universal coverage under single-payor health care financing systems ranked higher in terms of fairness, but their health care costs were a lot lower than those of the USA.

Guenmai

The name of the hospital you are refering to is Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok. I'm a regular in the Asia forum and vacation in Bangkok regularly. I just got back about two weeks ago and will be back in dec/Jan for a 3-week vacation.A few weeks ago, I went over to Bumrungrad to get a hospital card issued to me just in case I needed it...like if I were to be in a tuk-tuk accident or something, then they'd know where to send me. They issued me a medical card within about 20 minutes.I filled out some forms and they took a copy of my passport and issued me a card and number. I'd forgotton to do it over the past years. The hospital is VERY well known and people have been going there for a couple of decades. It looks like a 4-5 star hotel and you really don't feel like you're in a hospital thus reducing a lot of stress and anxiety. And the restuarants there are very good. I took a Thai friend there for lunch and she loved the food. I haven't had time to read all the replies to your post yet. I'll read them later and if I need to throw in any other comments I will.Go on the Asia forum. we answered these questions over there...about excellent health care and excellent dental care. Happy Travels!

nicki

This is the website of the Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok:
http://www.bumrungrad.com/default.asp
The TV show about it was on 60 Minutes.

clevelandbrown

While there is excellent health care available in the US, I think it would be foolish to assume that excellent health care is not available in other countries.

I read a lot about the search for a cure for diabetes, and what I read makes clear that the excellent research being done is being done around the world, with a lot of collaberation between people from different countries.

My concern with intentionally obtaining treatment overseas is that it may be hard to distinguish between professional measures of competency, and marketing. No one is going to say that they do inferior work, but when you see a testament concerning any treatment facility, you have to consider whether that testament is by someone who really knows what they are talking about, or not. I don't think satisfied patients are the best source of recommendations; they know whether they were treated politely, and they know the cost, but I suspect they don't really know if they were given the best course of treatment, nor whether it will have lasting affects, nor whether the three patients immediately after them were butchered.

Is doing a lot of work for UK clients really a recommendation. Isn't there some nasty characture around about being able to identify UK people by their dentition?

BTilke

I just had my first UK dental visit and the clinic was excellent, I was very pleased. It was a private clinic (not NHS), but the prices weren't bad (one of the few things we've found so far that are cheaper than the U.S.), the equipment was very state of the art and the staff very good.

BUT...agree, don't think it's a good idea to fly thousands of miles to a foreign country for a complicated procedure where it's not that unlikely the patient may have complications or need followup care.
It's one thing for a Brit to make the relatively short flight to Eastern Europe for dental care (or for someone in Singapore to fly to Bangkok); it's quite another for an American to fly 10 hours or more for the same procedure.

I flew to Paris a week after having a root canal and temporary crown. Two days before the trip I started to develop an inflammation at the crown site. I spent the first week of the trip on pain pills and antibiotics.

A similar thread came up on the U.S. forum and we discussed the dental clinic in South Carolina that is famous for its lower cost procedures.

pagile

I had extensive work done through hungariandentaltravel.com And couldn't be more pleased. E-mail me for questions. no problem Sam [email protected]

Michael

Go to www.sfgate.com and search for "Dental work too expensive? Go overseas" for an article on dental care in Hungary.