A Painless root canal for $110—in India
Tomorrow was our last day in Kerala, a state on the southwest coast of India, and my 21-year-old and I had a day of serious shopping ahead of us before taking the overnight express train to Chennai/Madras. Then over dinner Laura remembered, “I should get this cavity filled here or Dad will ask me why I didn’t see the dentist in India.” Dad regularly travels abroad for dental care, and I agreed it would be foolish not to get this done while in India.
Returning to the hotel, I asked the owner if he could recommend a good dentist. “We have an excellent clinic right here in Fort Cochin. I’ve sent several guests to them, and everyone has been very happy.” At 8pm he reached the appointment desk, and they scheduled Laura for an examination at 11am between other patients.
With summer heat rising in mid March in southern India, I elected for an air-conditioned taxi to the dental offices. With shoes off at the door of the beautiful marble and stone building, we were quickly whisked into the examining room of the Vettickattil Dental Clinic. Examination of the tooth and x-rays revealed the cavity had been ignored too long. The chief dental surgeon, Dr. Biju Phillip, patiently explained the process to the daughter who has to practice meditation techniques when a needle comes near her.
Painless Procedure for Mouth & Wallet
With equipment and facilities of first-world class, the dental practice was the same. An anesthesia was rubbed onto her cheek before injection of novacaine (two + for Laura to be numbed). The whole process took two hours. Then she had a glass of lemonade while we visited for awhile. We paid the (also painless) bill, then continued on with our shopping, had a late lunch, and at 8:30pm took a taxi to the train station. Laura had forgotten she’d had a dental procedure, needed no pain pills, and the procedure was never mentioned again.
The average price for a root canal in the US is $1,300, which was just about the cost of her flight from Seattle to Chennai. The bill for the root canal was $110. Our only regret was that she didn’t do the work earlier in the week so that the crown could have been prepared and fitted. For the crown in Seattle she can expect to pay $1,000 to $1,200, almost as much as a return ticket to India, which she would opt for I expect.
Aryuvedic Hospital stop Enroute from Seeing Elephants
All medical care in Kerala felt effortless. Enroute back to Fort Cochin from a 3-day excursion to a wildlife sanctuary, I told the driver that I’d like to visit an Ayurvedic hospital the next day. Thirty minutes later he pulled into the gate of the Rajah Island Ayurvedic Hospital, and we were ushered onto a boat to take us to the island to see the doctor on call.
Think island luxury resort, not hospital. Booked to capacity with Europeans from December into March, the Rajah Hospital is slowing down as summer approaches. I report my M.D.’s tests on kidney function, and we linger on the veranda watching guests practice yoga while we wait for the herbal preparations. An hour later I have a bag of liquid herbs to strengthen the kidneys and stomach. Total cost: $11. I initially used Ayurvedic medicine while living in Dubai with outstanding results; I’m expecting nothing less now.
Medical Tourism is Smart Route
With the ease of travel today and the greatly improved travel conditions abroad and first-world training of the medical professions, I’ve said before when medical or dental costs at home are exorbitant, pick up the phone and call your travel agent.
A friend who didn’t take this advice instead took out a second mortgage on her home and paid a US dentist $35,000 to rebuild her teeth. He could buy a second home in Thailand (or two) with that fee—another country where she could have had the procedure done for a fraction of the cost.
Salud!
Beverly A. Jensen, President
www.WomensMedicineBowl.com
