Dental Departures

Snowbirds are heading south to find sun & warmth!

Lilyana talks about her experience of traveling to Turkey for full mouth restoration with zirconias. *disclaimer* this is not dental advice - this is meant for information purposes only and is not intended to be dental advice or instructions for dental diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your dentist or a qualified dental professional before starting or changing dental treatment.

#1 - geography - Matamoros is in convenient location for residents of Texas 4 hour drive from San Antonio, Texas 2.5 hour drive from Corpus Christie, Texas Over 90 dental clinics to choose from in Matamoros #2 - reason why Texans choose to go to Matamors is they save up to 70% on their dental care vs. Texas dentists The 3X top dental clinics in our network in Matamoros *disclaimer* this is not dental advice - this is meant for information purposes only and is not intended to be dental advice or instructions for dental diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your dentist or a qualified dental professional before starting or changing dental treatment.

American Dental Association’s poll reports Just 61% report business as usual 39% report less patient volumes than pre-Covid-19 This trend matches with the global trend we’re seeing in dental tourism in Mexico, Costa Rica Europe we’re seeing down 50% and Southeast Asia is down 95% pre-Covid 19 levels *disclaimer* this is not dental advice - this is meant for information purposes only and is not intended to be dental advice or instructions for dental diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your dentist or a qualified dental professional before starting or changing dental treatment.

The American Dental Association warns US dental insurance companies about a exorbitantly high costs  causing dental inflation dental offices have seen a dramatic increase in the cost of doing business while patient volumes have yet to fully recover,” Dr. Dens with the American Dental Association Reason #1 for dental inflation = increased costs for personal protective equipment because of the COVID-19 pandemic Reason #2 for dental inflation = challenges dentists are having with recruiting staff and increase staff cost Reason #3 for dental inflation = low patient volumes….as of Oct. 11, more than a third of dental practices are experiencing low patient volumes compared to pre-pandemic levels *disclaimer* this is not dental advice - this is meant for information purposes only and is not intended to be dental advice or instructions for dental diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your dentist or a qualified dental professional before starting or changing dental treatment.

85,000 New South Whales adults are currently on the public dental waiting list in NSW and it could be two or three years before they see a dentist According to Northern Beaches Review Medicare does not cover dental work. In some areas, it can be just as hard to find a private dentist Some New South Wales residents are staying away from a dentist due to Covid-19 "Every Australian deserves the ability to smile, speak and eat without pain," Australian Dental Association  Net|Net The root cause is lack of affordable dental care *disclaimer* this is not dental advice - this is meant for information purposes only and is not intended to be dental advice or instructions for dental diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your dentist or a qualified dental professional before starting or changing dental treatment.

Is US dental care just for rich people? Can poor people get dental care in the US? Let’s unpack the New Yorker article = How Do You Get Dental Care When You Can’t Afford It? Poor residents of Philadelphia are unable to afford basic dental care Mission of Mercy is providing FREE dental care through ‘dental fairs’ People start lining up at 4:00am in the morning..the need is so great Medicare doesn’t cover dental care except in certain specific circumstances Medicaid coverage for adults varies from state to state Dental care is either unavailable or an unaffordable luxury - Mission Mercy quote When confidence is measured by a smile…when you cannot afford basic dental care it causes pain & suffering *disclaimer* this is not dental advice - this is meant for information purposes only and is not intended to be dental advice or instructions for dental diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your dentist or a qualified dental professional before starting or changing dental treatment.

US Dental prices will skyrocket in 2022 due to dental inflation What causes dental inflation? More expensive materials - masks/Covid-19 materials Surgical mask cost has at least doubled since pandemic onset, More expensive labor - labor shortages, hygienists ADA dental hygienist, assistant shortage in Washington State Rural Wisconsin counties struggle with dental care access 39.3 percent of dentists said trouble filling vacant staff positions was limiting ability to treat more patients,  Trouble filling vacant staff positions: 43.9 percent Not enough patients trying to make appointments: 30.2 percent COVID-19 safety protocols are limiting the capacity: 29.7 percent More than 80 percent of dentists find the recruitment of dental hygienists and assistants to be extremely or very challenging compared to before the pandemic These challenges have led hiring dentists to raise the pay rate for positions as well. In the poll, 73.1 percent, 70.7 percent and 67.1 percent of dentists increased pay for assistants, hygienists and administrative staff, respectively. What is the bottom line? Dental costs are going to go up double digits in 2022 *disclaimer* this is not dental advice - this is meant for information purposes only and is not intended to be dental advice or instructions for dental diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your dentist or a qualified dental professional before starting or changing dental treatment.

Turkey dentists, what should you know in under 60 seconds? What is the deal with Turkey dentists? Great time to visit Turkey as you get 40% more value for your money with the TRY exchange rate - 1 EUR = 15 TRY There are 4 major dental tourist areas: Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, Bodrum Best way to get around = Uber in major cities, Metro & BiTaksi app in Istanbul

 Bali dentists, what should you know in under 60 seconds?