WILLIAMSPORT AND COLLEGEVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA – The struggling state of the economy is causing more people to seek less expensive options when it comes to dental implants. Often, the less expensive options lead patients- particularly baby boomers- overseas.

Yet, what are the risks involved?

\”Senior citizens seeking dental implants often want to find dental care overseas because of the cutbacks in government aid and lack of dental insurance,\” says Dr. David Digiallorenzo, a Collegeville and Williamsport, PA dental implants provider.

Medical and dental tourism professionals estimate that over 70,000 seniors need dental or medical services in the U.S., and since people are living to reach older ages, the global want for good dental services is at a premium right now, according to an article posted on the Good Health website.

\”Keeping a tight budget and a desire to find cheaper dental treatment seem to be making people seek dental implant procedures and other dental care needs in foreign countries,\” says Digiallorenzo, a professional in treating periodontal disease.

The risks of going abroad for dental work are important to know.

\”Trying to save money in the short term can have drawbacks on a few levels,\” he says. \”The quality of work in a foreign country usually isn’t as good as in the States, and poor dental care can cause more damage which results in the need for expensive treatment to fix that damage.\”

Patients needing tooth replacements should realize that a procedure of this kind needs multiple appointments. These appointments are there to make sure the correct treatment is done and protect the well-being of the patient.

In the primary visits, a health screening needs to take place to ensure the patient is healthy enough for the procedure, DiGiallorenzo says. Next, the periodontist needs to write out a treatment plan before the procedure happens. Finally, an appointment post-treatment is highly important to make sure the implant is healing correctly.

Patients often spend little time in the office, when participating in dental work overseas. The proper care is tough to guarantee, says Philadelphia dental expert Digiallorenzo.

Another risk of receiving dental work overseas is the danger of your mouth rejecting the dental implants. Problems such as rejection can cause severe health problems in senior citizens. In the end, a patient could wind up paying more to correct the mistakes.

Naija Jones, a bartender who fell ill and needed to fix 10 teeth, went to Bulgaria to have her teeth done in 2006. Jones assumed it was a better deal to spend about $2,000 abroad, rather than to bear the cost of more than $14,000 in her hometown, according to the Guardian website.

Her hometown dentist was disturbed to see the results of her overseas dental care.

\”The pulp was removed out of six teeth, and two teeth were extracted,” says Dr. Oliver Harman, who treated Jones. This was a case of an abroad dentist going over the line and being negligent.

Jones is distraught over what happened to her teeth. Now she will have to fork over more than $18,000 to fix the damage that the abroad dentist did.

Technology in the U.S. for gum disease is by far higher quality than anything that an abroad dentist could offer, says DiGiallorenzo. That should be reason enough to search for a local periodontist who practices exclusively with dental implants and periodontal disease.

Our office offers gum disease treatment in an easy, painless visit by cleansing the mouth of the bacterial infection. Damaging toxins, which makes the body destroy bone and gum tissue, are purged by using Laser Assisted Periodontal New Attachment Procedure. LANAP uses laser therapy, so there’s no knife or sutures.

\”We use the FDA approved LANAP protocol for ultimate comfort, health and healing, often taking surgery off the table,\” says Digiallorenzo.

Going overseas to save a few dollars is not worth the potential risks to a patient’s health and well-being, he says. The result might cost a patient more in the end.

About Dr. David Digiallorenzo
Dr. David Digiallorenzo, or \”Dr. D,\” graduated from Temple University School of Dentistry in 1993 and completed a specialty in periodontics and dental implantology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.

He is an associate clinical professor at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Periodontics. He teaches nationally and internationally and is a regular contributor to dental literature.

Dr. D\’s private practice in suburban Philadelphia concentrates on periodontics, dental implantology, advanced reconstructive case management and TMJ treatment. It is a unique dental spa with two full-time massage therapists that specialize in reflexology, reiki, massage, aromatherapy and homeopathy. This combination creates a relaxed, optimal healing response.
Dr. D has two office locations: 184 W. Main St., Ste. 200, in Collegeville, PA; and 121 E. Fourth St. in Williamsport, PA.

© 2011 Sinai Marketing and Dr. David Digiallorenzo. Authorization to post is granted, with the stipulation that Sinai Marketing, which performs SEO work, is credited as sole source. Linking to other sites from this press release is strictly prohibited, with the exception of herein imbedded links.

-end-

Author Bio: If you want to learn more about PA dental implants expert and our Pennsylvania dental implant provider or you would like to know more about Philadelphia periodontics, call (610) 409-6064.

Category: Medical Business
Keywords: PA dental implants, Philadelphia periodontics, Pennsylvania dental implant, Philadelphia dental