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pumster
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Posted: Wed Nov 18th, 2009 08:00 pm |
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Hi
I am interested in talking to Australians that have been to the Philippines for dental work.
I am exploring the idea of going to the phillipines myself, but am finding it a bit confusing with what the dentists and doctors say in australia about the phillipines. Although some dentists here I have spoken to say the work that comes out of the Phillipines is good they suggest it is not worth the health risk ie: hepititas, HIV, etc. They state that even if they (dentists) use the autoclave sterilising - you cannot be sure that they use it correctly and have it maintained correctly - which makes it difficult as I have had communication with a dentist who has replied that they sterilize their instruments at 250 degrees Fahrenheit at 35 minutes individually packed in sterile pouch - not sure if there is a way that I could possibly know this once in the clinic
I have been communicating with Dr Mazo's Dental Clinic in Makai City and also with Dr Ric and Arnette Fernando in Cebu. Both these have been featured on either A Current Affair chanel 9 or written up in the Herald Sun in Australia. They also have been the most talked about that I have found while surfing the net. I would like to know if anyone knows of these and what their work is like and especially hygiene (which is the biggest and I guess scariest factor for me - I would hate to end up with a beautiful smile but contract an awful disease)
Another concern of mine is that my husband would be looking at implants - apparently due to the jaw/bone/gum settlement this treatment is not the best to be done in the Phillipines due to the time factor - (again this is what I have found out through Australian Dental Association) - he doesn't require extractions only implants
I can only find positive feedback from all notice boards online, I even rang the Australian Dental Association Sydney who warns of these dental holidays for some negative reasons (I am trying to be thorough). They could not provide me with stats on how many problems come back from the Phillipines ? Infact they (CRO for the Melbourne ADA- also community dentist) stated he knew of no one that has come back nor did he know of anyone that had gone over 
I find myself a bit confused and want to make the right decision on choosing the right person in the Phillipines and also the right location whether I should look at Cebu instead of Makai City after I have heard how dangerous the Philippines can be
I don't understand why no one has posted problems that have come out of having dental work done in the Philippines - no one has a 100% record
Any further comments anyone has would be greatly appreciated.
Oh and I'm from Australia
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Patric THEPHILS.COM
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| Joined: | Sat May 20th, 2006 |
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Posted: Fri Nov 20th, 2009 08:30 am |
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Hey Pumster !
Welcome to thePhils.com !
I know you want answers from australians but until then.....
As i see it, dentistry is like any other business.... dentists in any country have to fight for their customers & fight to keep them. Perhaps that´s one of the reasons why aussie dentists are negative towards going to the Phils.
They do point out important issues & that is the use of an autoclave & sterile instruments....that goes without saying. Not using the autoclave correctly....well, that´s something that can happen in any country.
Most of the advice i have to give i´ve allready done in previous posts in other dentist related threads.
Your husband needs implants you say.... get them done in Australia unless he/ both of you are planning a lenghty stay or can go back & forth to the Phils.
Having implants done is a major thing & it takes time as well as a very skilled dentist having the right certification/s. Not that it can´t be done in the Phils...just that most of us going there don´t have several months to our disposal.
About hepatitis A.... getting hep shots at home before a trip to the Phils is a good thing to do since one can get hep A from for example a dirty drinking glas (this can happen in Australia, the US or Sweden as well).
Hep C & HIV...well there are no shots for that...just need to be careful.
I´ve revaluated my take on Phil dentists a little bit...or shall we say, having dental work done in the Phils. In my mind it´s a money saver to do stuff that is possible to do in a short time & especially dental lab work ...such as caps, bridges & dentures... dental labs in the west & i guess Australia charges an arm & a leg.
Many dentists in Sweden actually FedEx a lot of their dental lab work overseas to Hong Kong.... the customer does´nt see much of those saving though....
About Makati beeing dangerous....he he... everybody has their own agenda & anyone living/working anywhere other than Makati probably wants to point you to their city instead. Whether you choose Makati, Cebu, Angeles ore any of the other bigger cities in the Phils... no problem! as long as you use common sense when walking the streets. i´ve never had a problem in either Makati or Cebu...really nice places & i like them both.
The only thing as a visitor is that you might want to do other things than just visiting the dentist during your stay (perhaps diving, sightseeing or shopping)...those requirements will decide what city you end up in. Their are good dentists all over the Phils.
Either way...what ever you & your husband decide...please keep us informed & good luck !
Cheers !
Last edited on Fri Nov 20th, 2009 08:03 pm by Patric THEPHILS.COM
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pumster
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Posted: Sun Nov 22nd, 2009 09:19 am |
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Hey ThePhils
Thanks for your comments
I have read all of your posts in the other boards and you certainly give good information/advice.
I have had an Australian member email me personally from this site which is fantastic, so I am now communicating directly with people from Australia who have had dental work done in the Philippines, which makes me feel a lot easier. Silly really but for some reason talking with people from your own country helps. Also safety, I have read quite a few forums where ppl are stating that no problems in Philippines just have to be careful and smart.
Interested in your comment about you revaluating your thoughts on the Phils dentist. Would be interested to know why, do you know of some problems that have occurred.
At the moment I am looking at one post and crown (top front tooth so hope their color matching is good), two porcelain veneers, 4 fillings and teeth whitening
As I stated above I am bewildered on why there are no negative posts with regards to Phil dentist, although they sound really good surely no-one is 100% perfect
Anyway, hope to hear comments from others
Thanks
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Patric THEPHILS.COM
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Posted: Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 08:17 am |
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pumster wrote: Hey ThePhils
Thanks for your comments
I have read all of your posts in the other boards and you certainly give good information/advice.
I have had an Australian member email me personally from this site which is fantastic, so I am now communicating directly with people from Australia who have had dental work done in the Philippines, which makes me feel a lot easier. Silly really but for some reason talking with people from your own country helps. Also safety, I have read quite a few forums where ppl are stating that no problems in Philippines just have to be careful and smart.
Interested in your comment about you revaluating your thoughts on the Phils dentist. Would be interested to know why, do you know of some problems that have occurred.
At the moment I am looking at one post and crown (top front tooth so hope their color matching is good), two porcelain veneers, 4 fillings and teeth whitening
As I stated above I am bewildered on why there are no negative posts with regards to Phil dentist, although they sound really good surely no-one is 100% perfect
Anyway, hope to hear comments from others
Thanks
Yea, i hear you (regarding speaking to people from your own country).
Well, the reason i´ve revaluated my take on this a little bit is that when i chose to have dental work done in the Phils... i simply had to much that had to be done & not enough time.
Anyway, there are so many ways to go about to still take advantage of the very low costs of labour in the Phils (especially dental labs but also dentists of course).
One way is to have your trusted Aussie dentist do the rootcanals/prep work & perhaps mold for the real cap & crown & also have him make temporary caps (made of composite/plastic material) put on the prep work... before you go to the Phils & then let a Phil dentist simply coordinate & send the mold to the dental lab (the Phil dentist will make money on this anyway since he will charge you for his time & probably a percentage of the labwork & it will still be a very good price). The only thing the Phil dentist needs to do is to attach the crown...which is no big deal.
The good thing with this is that if you visit the Phil dentist as soon as you arrive....there will be plenty of time to (if the crown/bridge does´nt fit) have the dental lab redo the work if necessary....before you need to return to Australia.
I don´t know about Australia but in Sweden the dentist will get one price from the dental lab & then on top of that price charge the patient/customer a much higher price.
What i mean is, getting the prep work done before hand is actually not a bad idea since you don´t want be in a situation where you have to redo a rootcanal in your own country due to pain & cost  & it will save u lots of valuable time when in the Philippines....
A nother reason for preparing some work at your local dentist is... & i´m going to be completely honest now.... for most of us a trip to the Phils is around 3 weeks....3 weeks that we´ve really looked forward to & there are so much fun stuff to do in the Phils...other than beeing stuck in a dentist chair...or having dentists appointments every other day for a couple of weeks...kinda takes some of the fun out of it...if u understand what i mean.
so, i´m not at all knocking having dental work done when in the Phils...at the contrary...just that i believe it´s a good idea to choose what work to have done.... so that we can avoid complications & also truly enjoy our vacation.
Regarding the   teeth whitening.... i know that Dr Tayag in Angeles when asked about whitening was´nt all that positive... don´t remember exactly what he said & why he did´nt want to do this procedure... but, u might want to check up on the whole whitening aspect... just a thought.
Cheers !
Last edited on Mon Nov 23rd, 2009 08:18 am by Patric THEPHILS.COM
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The S
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Posted: Thu Feb 11th, 2010 09:48 pm |
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Over the past two years I have had many inquiries regarding going to the Philippines for dental treatment. I hope that I have been helpful to those who have asked questions - and from the emails I have received I have only had positive compliments from everyone.
One of the things I have found from people wishing to have dental treatment in an overseas country like the Philippines or Thailand - is I guess - the 'fear factor'. Personally, I have traveled the world quite a few times - so I was not going to somewhere that was unknown to me. Initially I was apprehensive about getting dental work done overseas. I have known friends who have done it - and I kept in contact with them for a couple of years to ensure that nothing went wrong - and if they were still happy with the work done. I have never heard a compliant. I was, however, not happy with some of the work I had seen - and I am sure it was because they did not research adequately. I am sure they based their decision to get dental treatment done on one criteria - Price ! In saying that - their teeth looked a hell of a lot better than what they had prior to the treatment.
When you go to buy a car - the car salesman hates to tell you the price of the new car ! He tells you the lowest price - of the basic model first - to
gauge your interest. I found that when you email a dental clinic in the Philippines or Thailand - the same things happens. They will quote you on
Porcelain to Metal(PFM) crowns. Why ? Because they are the cheapest. In Australia a PFM will still cost you plenty. $1200 - $2000 ?? Whereas in the Philippines it is more likely to be around $200. The PFM are fine for the back teeth (out of sight) - and they are probably the strongest as well. But consideration should be given to a better crown for the 'eye teeth' !!
In my research I came up with EMAX. If you want to check them out -
have a look at this link .... dentaleconomics.com/display_article/345588/5…
(you may have to copy and paste).
If you want to actually see the video of the dentist putting EMAX crowns in - check it out on the site below.....
http://www.glidewelldental.com/dentist/video/
(when you get the page up, scroll down to ...IPS emax CAD Clinic Advantages - and click on Anterior Crowns. There is a video of Michael Di Tolla doing the work ! (amazing internet !).
If you are going to one of these countries to SAVE money - you SAVE a lot more by going for quality. It is like the more you spend the more you save ! Go broke saving money !!
PFM are obviously metal backed crowns. As you age your gums tend to recede and therefore the top of the metal becomes visible (like a half dark moon) on top of the crown. Also because they are metal backed they are opaque and not translucent .... just something to take onboard. Do your research and ask your dentist for advice.
How do you get a quote ? You need to get a panoramic xray of your jaw so the dentist can give you an idea of what it will cost. Simply ask your doctor (or dentist) for a scrip to get one done. Check that the xray clinic can give you a copy and preferably on a disc - that way you can download on your computer and email it to the dentist. Otherwise you will have to send a hard copy to them in the mail.
Ok, now for some other advice. My suggestions are based on questions that have been asked of me over the past year. Getting there ? If you keep your eye on Jetstar - every now and then they put on very cheap flights to Singapore. A few weeks ago they had return to Singapore from Cairns for $365 ! You can fly to Manila from Singapore for around $220 return. Qantas has flights - and so does Air New Guinea. I think Philippine Airlines also have regular flights sometimes very cheap.
Check http://www.bestflights.com.au
From Singapore - check out Cebu Airlines or Jetstar Asia.
There are options to fly to Clark - rather than Manila. My advice is to stick to Manila. It is best probably not to just jump into any old taxi. It is possible to arrange for a car to pick you up for little cost and take you direct to your lodgings. Cost ? probably around $20 or so. I would arrange this through your hotel - and make sure the driver can speaka da english !
Where to stay ? Without a doubt I would stay in Makati - the CBD. There are plenty of expats around - and I felt a lot safer being in this area than out in the outskirts. If your dentist is outside of Makati - he (the dentist) will more than likely arrange for a car to pick you up each day and take you back to your hotel. (not expensive) My suggestion is to have your dental work done in Makati as well. May be a little bit dearer - but it saves you a lot of hassle time in the Manila traffic - and you can probably walk to the dental clinic. Cost of accomm ? In the two times I went up there last year - I paid (in todays peso rate of 40 per dollar) - $50 a night for a one bedroom studio apartment. The second time I was there for 14 days and got a two week rental - two bedroom and shared the cost. I think it was around $60 per night in decent place with secuirity at the front desk - nice pool and gym and right in the city. Food ? Cheap as pretty well anywhere I have eaten in the world. EG: at the cafe in the apartment complex I stayed at ... Curried Beef and Rice and coffee $3.30. Bacon and eggs and coffee around $3.
Restaurant scene ? without doubt the Greenbelt 3 area is just fantastic. Great food - excellent restaurants (pretty well all western style).
Shopping etc ? The Mall Of Asia is the largest in Asia and I think the third largest int he world. It is on Manila Bay and about 15 min taxi ride from Makati. Very modern Mall with a huge ice rink and IMAX theatre.
Filipinos like shopping so there are many malls - Glorietta is another large one easy distance from Makati. Also there is a great market on the weekend at Greenfields. Food Market .. Saturday and Sundays ... check out Salcedo market - right in Makati. Do a search .. Salcedo market...fantastic fresh food.
Security ? Just like here, you need to keep your wits about you. Particularly if travelling by yourself. Don't wear flash jewelery or expensive watches. When you get in a cab - get in the back seat - and make sure he puts the meter on. If he doesn't just get out. I didn't use the Jeepneys as the cabs were cheap as. Lock the door when you get in the cab if travelling by yourself. I didnt see anything untoward while I was there - this was advice that was given to me by others - and worth following.
Paying the dentist is another question I have been asked about. They will accept your credit card - however - if you pay cash they will discount for you. Maybe 5% or more ? You can also negotiate the cost of the dental treatment with your dentist - but I would not try to bust them and end up with a cheaper product or less service. ATMs are everywhere - but don't withdraw large amounts just in the ATM in the street (as you wouldn't here). If you want to pay cash - most of the ATM that I went to allowed me to withdraw 10,000 pesos (about $250) three times ($750) - before it stopped me. If you are there for a week or more depending on the treatment to be done - you can pay so much to the dentist each day. (well, mine allowed that anyhow !).
Just one thing with the dentist. A lot of people make it a rushed trip so much so that they put the dentist and staff under extreme pressure to have the job done in a few days. They will do it - but it leave no time for adjustments, should they be required etc. It is a long way to go - so a day or so extra out of the rest of your life will be well spent making sure you have the job done as you want - and as your dentist would want as well.
I had 26 crowns done - 7 root canals - they would have done it in a week had I wished. I took two weeks and got a few days out of the chair !!
Other things to do ? I did go to Cebu to visit an old friend - but other than that I did not venture out of Manila. I did have a guided tour - in a taxi for half a day. So cannot comment too much on the other islands etc. As it turned out I got to meet a young aussie guy (35)from Sydney who has a property management place up there - (he actually owns a couple of properties and rents them out). I can let you know his email address if you want same. He can be very helpful in arranging everything as he lives there. ( he is from Sydney ). Takes a lot of pain out of organising everything as well.
I have had people ask me about emailing them my before and after teeth photos. As it turns out the dentist I went to has put them up on her site !! And NO - I am not on commission .....in fact she didn't even ask my permission ! Maybe I should be getting royalties ! So, if you want to see them go to.... http://www.drrowenamarzo.com/home.html
and check out case #4.
Oh, one last thing - Internet Cafes are aplenty - and cheap. Around 50c per hour in the one I was using. The ones I went to have a special room whereby they have headsets and mics so that you can call home cheaply using Skype etc. Also, while you are in Manila - take your mobile phone - go to a 7 to 11 store and buy a sim card and 'load'. From memory it cost around $5 for both and that gave something like 50 free txts and probably an hours talk time. Keeps you in touch with your dentist as well should they have to reschedule you etc.
Any other queries please let me know and I will do my best to answer them for you.
S
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jensen
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Posted: Fri Feb 12th, 2010 04:47 am |
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Regarding the last post, i think that emax is a good product, but the real state of the art material is zirkonia. You can get zirkonia crowns already in the phils for 300 Us Dollars, compared to australia, its much cheaper. In Australia, the usual charge is around 2000 - 3000 Us Dollars. Makati is for sure one of the best places in the Philippines, but even still very traffic. For my judgement places like alabang is more convenient for tourists, especially when they want to travel, because the airport is very near(only around 10-15 minutes), the area is safe and clean, and tourist spots like tagaytay hills or Batangas are in reach within 1 hour. You can find in that area really nice dental clinics.
. The area around this clinic is safe(Bf Homes Paranaque), with a lots of nightlife and spas around.
This post has been edited by ThePhils.com (valuable input is always appreciated in this Forum section, promotion is not).
Last edited on Fri Feb 12th, 2010 11:32 pm by Patric THEPHILS.COM
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