Would going to India for Bone Grafting / Implants be "safe"?

[Vivek]

I am seriously considering it because it will eliminate about 60% of the cost and I have lost ALOT of bone and its getting worse. I need bone grafting to support implants (all my teeth are missing and much of both my lower and upper jaw is missing too much bone for implants currently.) The current estimate to fix my mouth in the USA is about $100,000 ... In India it would be about $30,000... I don't have $100,000 and it will take ages to save up that much money. But there are also things that worry me about going to India. I need major work and if the doctors dont know what they're doing, I'm screwed. Also if the doctors ripped me off in any kind of way, just to get my money and only half do the services, I'm screwed. Likewise if anything happens after the surgery, there's no recourse and I would also be forced to find a local remedy. I'm also not sure how things like prescription work either or what happens when I run out...lastly is also the state of the world in general...I could end up finding myself stuck there.

What do you feel? Should I go overseas and have it done or hope by some miracle I can come up with 100 grand so I can chew again?

 

[Busybee]

If you go overseas try somewhere like Hungary rather than India. In India the healthcare market tends to be less regulated than in the West and the consumer protection will leave you more exposed if something goes wrong. They tend to be more daring in experimental treatments but such treatments aren't yet tested. A friend had poor implant treatment in the UK but his teeth were fixed in Hungary. As Hungary is in the EU there are certain safety standards. Hungary should be a lot cheaper than the US.

 

[MattKW]

Start by getting an assessment of the risks of surgery and likely failure in the US. Then that's your benchmark of what you'll be up against in another less developed country. If it's high risk in US, it'll be even higher elsewhere.
Going OS for any complicated treatment is fraught with risks. Apart from quality risks, these are usually short-term trips that don't allow for proper observation of healing and taking care of any complications. And if you get back to the US, and the surgeons aren't satisfied with the workmanship, they're not going to want to take on your case to fix it. Look for simpler options than full implant retained prosthesis. Consider 2-implant or at most 4-implant supported dentures. US patients tend to go to Mexico; Australians tend to go to Thailand; UKs tend to go to Hungary. All are risky - you'll never go back for any problems that might arise.