From butt lifts in Brazil at affordable spas to abs sculpting in Thailand with a beach recovery opportunities abound for the adventurous expatriate to take advantage of low cost medical and dental procedures that would be out of reach in the U.S. Frankly, I’m not big on medical tourism even though it fast becoming one of the most popular reasons for trips abroad. But there is one personal experience I wanted to share for your consideration and that’s traveling to Moldova for western style dental work at awkwardly low prices. Full disclosure when living overseas, we dropped our dental insurance and opted to have our dental work completed in Chisinau, Moldova. What the hell was I thinking? Read on.
Streets of Moldova
Where is Moldova?
Sandwiched between the Ukraine to the north and Romania to the south, Moldova is home to some of the most beautiful places in Europe and the people are fun, well-educated, and still have friendliness for Americans not found in more popular destinations. Check out my Facebook account see some pictures of Moldova. You can read an entry at Gomad Nomad Travel Mag written by a well traveled friend of mine visiting Moldova. You also don’t need a visa as long as you don’t stay for more than 3 months. Why is all this important to know in relation to having your teeth fixed? Because you can combine a splendid vacation AND dental work in Moldova for roughly the same cost as fixing your teeth in the U.S. I know because I’ve done it and I want to share with you how you can too.
The U.S. dental system is a rip-off!
I recently went to a dentist in Texas recently who informed me I needed a bridge. After conferring with my dental insurance company, my share of the bill was going to be approximately $1,200 and the dentist kindly informed me they were willing to finance that $1,200 for my convenience. “Screw that,” I thought. “That money would be better spent buying a airline ticket to Moldova, renting a nice apartment with cable and internet for $500 a month, sitting in a sidewalk café drinking some Moldovan wine with friends, strolling the park to people watch, volunteering my time with the young people, and having my dental work done for roughly the same price,” I explained to my wife who mused, “You need to tell others about this idea!” So if you’re facing a outlandish bill for upcoming dental work, here’s how you go to Moldova for a dental vacation instead.
Get yourself and teeth to Moldova.
I checked prices and a round trip ticket from San Antonio to Chisinau is averaging about $950. Bonus is that the wine festival is also held in mid-October each year and is a awesomely fun party not to be missed if you are in Moldova. Check out Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet or YouTube if you want to do some research.
Rent an apartment don’t stay in the hotels
I rented an apartment in the center of Moldova for $500 per month. It was a few years ago and I imagine prices can’t be too far off this figure, though landlords do prefer to be paid in Euros thanks to the declining dollar. You can negotiate for a shorter timeframe and pay a daily rate. There are a number of websites offering apartments for rent, but my suggestion is to stay in a hotel for a few days, get the lay of the land, and then try to find a place to live. How? Make this a part of your language lessons!
Russian or Moldovan? Incorporating learning into your trip.
National dishes of Moldova
Language courses are fairly cheap by American standards and you can negotiate with the language school on the number of hours, schedule, price, and curriculum focus. You can take Romanian or Russian. Here are my specific suggestions regarding setting up your language learning.
1) Schedule ahead via email and see if you can get contact information for your teacher to introduce yourself;
2) Talk to your teacher and request that assistance finding an apartment using the local language is one of your priorities. Ask to review local newspaper ads for rental apartments.
3) Agree with your teacher that you will incorporate walking and meeting people (such as landlords) into the courses rather than sitting in the classroom.
4) Learn about transportation as well by studying vocabulary and then learning to take the trolleybus system and taxis this will make you mobile and you’ll be able to see so much more than simply walking around in the center of Chisinau.
5) Speak with the school and offer to provide help, pro bono and on a volunteer basis, with any projects or English language courses in exchange for a break on the price of your language courses.
There are many language schools in Moldova. I recommend starting with the American Language School since they have the most experience and is where I studied Russian. It’s a really great school with motivated and nice teachers who have worked around Americans for years.
Getting to the Dentist!
You should try to arrange your dental appointment prior to arriving in Moldova. The good news is that they have English speaking staff that can get through a simply worded email or phone call. Tell them what you need done and ask how many visits it will take to complete the process.
They should be able to give you a price based on your conversation, but budget a bit more that. Cavities, bridges, root canals and other procedures can be finished in less than 2 or 3 sessions and you complete most dental work within a week, but why hurry when your in Moldova. A cavity cost me about $25, root canal was $125. You get the picture!
Bonus: Professional teeth whitening with fluorescent lights for about $100.
Moldova is rich with beautiful parks
Bonus: More sterile than the U.S. They even make you wear booties over your shoes.
Bonus: They accept credit cards I used my visa card to pay for everything.
Bonus: The trolleybus runs right next to the office easy to find. All taxis know it too.
Having fun in Moldova Instead of forking over $1,200 in dental fees to a U.S. dentist, why not go on a tour of one of the many vineyards in Moldova? I recommend Molesti Mici. Want to do some adventures like kayaking or caving?
The point is that for the approximate cost of having major dental in the U.S., you can get safe, quality dental for a fraction of the price.
Have you been to Moldova? Think I’m nuts? Have some additional resources to share? Leave a comment.