PHILIPPINE DENTAL TOURISM
By Dr. Joel S. Gutierrez
Dental Tourism Committee ChairmanPhilippine Dental Association�Make happy those who are near, and those who are far will come.� Chinese Proverb
BALIKBAYAN PATIENTS
Dental Tourism is not that new in the Philippines. It has actually been existing for the past several decades since Filipino Dentists both from the cosmopolitan avenues and the urban areas have been exposed to this in their practice. Our �Balikbayans� or Filipinos abroad come home for vacation for a much-needed rest, family occasions, school reunions, or simply to once again feel the warmth of Filipino hospitality and step on the soil of the land of their birth . A great number of them take this opportunity to have their dental treatments as well.

WORLD-CLASS DENTAL TREATMENT
It is a common knowledge that dental treatment is very costly in foreign countries. For example, the common procedure of porcelain crown and bridge would regularly cost $800 to $1200 per unit. In the Philippines, the customary rate for this procedure is merely $100 to $200 and can be done in a shorter period of time because of the availability of local but world-class dental laboratories. Other dental procedures will cost them much less and can save them a substantial amount they can allot to pay for their airfare and vacation expenditures.
FOREIGN PATIENTS
On the other hand, foreign patients have also discovered the expertise, craftsmanship, and professionalism of local dentists, notwithstanding the hospitality that each and every practitioner has remarkably and comfortably combined in his line of service to the patients. Foreign patients, visiting our local tourist spots, enjoying our white beaches, tasting our sumptuous and exotic food and delicacies, and shopping for an array of budget-friendly commodities, can now include a complete dental treatment in their itinerary. Excellent dental packages designed and conceptualized for tourists can be enjoyed simultaneously while vacationing in the country.

CHARISMA OF FILIPINO DENTISTS
A Filipino dentist can be at par with any foreign dentist. Through our continuing education, awareness, and access to modern equipment, local dentists can truly be comparable to foreign practitioners. We may even be better simply because of the natural �charisma� of a typical Filipino. We are compassionate and warm. We are as skilled as the foreign practitioner but we are friendlier and more enthusiastic! We are as professional as the foreign dentists but we are hospitable and more approachable! All these make a whole lot of difference.
(published with permission from Dr. Joel Gutierrez)
MORE DENTAL TOURISM RESOURCES...