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Many foreign tourists are leaving
Indian shores these days with a broader smile. Literally
Between seeing the Taj and
sunbathing at Kovalam, a large number of Europeans, Americans
and even Asians tourists are now spending time in the dentist's
chair, getting that perfect and healthy set of teeth.
The reason is that a visit to a dentist in the West makes a hole
in your pocket, while treatment in India comes cheaper. And on a
priority basis with state-of-the-art technology.
While the simple white filling
can cost you up to 400 Euro in Asria, a mere of Rs. 500 will do
the job in Bangalore. Something as complex as jaw replacement
here costs Rs. 50,000 as against $5,000 in Israel.
The Americans have been coming
since dental care was dropped from the list of state health
facilities some years ago. And now they form the bulk of "dento-
tourism" in India. Private treatment for single tooth bonding in
the US costs $500 as against just Rs 3,000 in India.
In the UK, where National Health
Services covers dental health, a root canal patient will have to
wait for over an year. The choice would be between bearing the
pain and visiting a private doctor and paying an exorbitant fee.
Britishers are taking the third option: Curing their teeth while
touring India.
Some medical
insurance firms in the UK are taking the initiative and are
coming up with plans to sell India as a destination for
pleasure-cum-business tourism. The entire trip would be cheaper
for tourist-patients compared to what they would pay to their
dentist for say a mouth rehab.
The facilities
would include dental setting, domestic travel and sightseeing
and accommodation in Spiro Comforts
Inn.
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