Trip’ to the dentist has a new twist

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Eden Prairie businessman opens dental tourism business
By Renee Stewart
In a roundabout way, chocolate led Eden Prairie businessman Jerry Hauser to the dentist.
After working since 1979 as an exporter/importer with various companies, including Jennie-O Foods, Cargill, ConAgra Foods and Dayton-Hudson, Hauser has shifted his focus to dentistry. Beginning in March 2008, Hauser and a retired dentist started organizing what would become Dental Global Outsourcing, based in Eden Prairie.

DGO offers clients dental care with prescreened dentists in Mexico. The company makes all the travel arrangements, including flight and hotel reservations, and lines the clients up with one of two dentists in Guadalajara or Manzanillo, Mexico.
“We’ve experienced for ourselves the admirable assets of Mexico and come to know some of those professionals. With the high cost of dentistry in the U.S., you can get the same high quality care and a vacation in one of the world’s most beautiful destinations,” according to DGO’s Web site.
According to DGO, its costs are about 50 percent less than those found in U.S. dentist offices. (Clients should confirm that for themselves before committing.) Some DGO procedures include fitting porcelain crowns and veneers, performing root canals and adding fillings. On its Web site, the company gives examples of package fees. DGO includes the dental procedures, lodging and daily breakfasts in the cost, but travel fees aren’t included.
DGO dentists include Dr. Jesus Ibarra Rojas, who graduated from National University of Mexico’s School of Dentistry, previously practiced in Australia and worked with the Mexican government to provide dental care in remote areas of Mexico, according to DGO.
Dr. Francisco Santana Munoz graduated from the University of Guadalajara, and he grew up, lives and works in the area.
Part of the DGO appeal is that the dental visit is only part of the experience. The company highlights some local Mexican attractions for its clients to visit during their stay. Some of them include Galleria Del Calzado, which is a “shoes only” shopping with more than 100 retail shoe stores.
“This is a site that women will never forget with shoe costs generally less than half those of the U.S. This mall is just minutes away from our dental facility in Guadalajara,” according to DGO.
Tequila Express offers a one-day trip to Tequila, Jalisco-Mexico on an express train that includes sampling tequila and touring a tequila factory. For clients using the Guadalajara office, a trip to San Pedro Tlaquepaque is suggested. It boasts many artists, historic mansions, furniture stores and galleries.
DGO also recommends visiting Ajijic, located on the shores of Lake Chapala, the largest natural lake in Mexico. Fine restaurants and noted art galleries are prevalent throughout the town square, which is home to cultural events and celebrations. Spa facilities also are offered as options. Manzanillo, “the sailfish capital of the world,” is on Mexico’s Pacific Gold Coast and known for sport fishing and its beaches.
Clearly, clients will have plenty to do to keep themselves occupied while they wait for work to be completed.
A sweet tooth?
An Eden Prairie resident since 1972, Hauser spent time living between Mexico and Texas from 1991 through 2000. He operated a chocolate factory from 1994 to 2000 in Reynosa, Mexico. There, his business neighbors included Panasonic, Motorola and Zenith, all using Mexican workers to assemble products.
Over the years of doing business in Mexico, Hauser began to solidify a vision of “Mexico direct” or offering U.S. quality products or services through Mexico, where labor prices are more affordable.
He saw the value in the process with the chocolate factory, but he wanted to expand into a more “global, mass volume product.” Candy is great, but chocolate lollipops can only reach a limited segment of the population.
It wasn’t until Hauser began selling health and life insurance to senior citizens that he came to fully understand how many people can’t afford health insurance, not to mention paying out of pocket for medical and dental procedures, he said.
The National Coalition on Health Care noted that, in 2005, 47 million Americans (16 percent of the population) didn’t have health insurance. Between 2005 and 2006, figures rose by 2.2 million, according to the NCHC.
Couple his experience in health insurance with Hauser’s personal experience using a dentist in Mexico since 1992 (“All the work I’ve got from him has been perfect.”), and the concept for DGO began to take shape.
Initially, Hauser and a local dentist traveled to Mexico to interview dentists and preview their facilities. The local dentist, who is retired from owning and operating dental practices for 30 years, was skeptical at first. But after the duo examined the dentists’ equipment, facilities, technology and service culture, “He literally said it blew his mind,” Hauser relayed.
They were particularly impressed with high-tech equipment and a more service-oriented environment.
“It’s not a numbers game down there. It’s a different culture,” Hauser said.
Open since Sept. 1, DGO has three employees in Eden Prairie, two consultants and two dentists under contract in Mexico, with three other dentists cued up in Mexico to begin work should the company expand.
Hauser said DGO can estimate the amount of time needed for a procedure and recovery, but clients must be aware that unforeseen circumstances can arise, and it might take more time. Once home, if a major issue unfolds, DGO will review concerns on a case-by-case basis. For minor concerns, Hauser recommended visiting the client’s primary dentist.
Clients are reminded that this program is not for annual dental visits, rather, it focuses on major dental work. To date, DGO doesn’t accept insurance, but financing is available and credit cards are accepted.
Hauser said six clients are beginning the process to travel to Mexico for treatment. Bill Wentzel of Plymouth, who works in Eden Prairie, hopes to leave in February or March for crown work.
Wentzel said his main motivation for receiving care out of the country is “largely cost.” While he has dental insurance, Wentzel said it would barely cover the costs of the procedure, so he’s off to Mexico.
“The savings are extensive,” he said.
Wentzel noted his mother, Nancy Wentzel, has received dental care in Mexico for a number of years.
“In fact, she wouldn’t go back to the dentists up here,” he said.
Buyers: Be aware
Wentzel isn’t alone in his quest for international dental care. According to Healthcare Tourism International, “The most commonly desired health procedures for health travelers in 2008 were dental bridges, dental bonding and breast augmentation. Overall, dental procedures were the most commonly searched followed by medical cosmetic procedures, others included a wide range of procedures, such as coronary artery bypass graft, colonoscopy, LASIK and in vitro fertilization.”
Making plans for international health care procedures of any sort must take some advanced planning and research.
“The decision to visit another country for dental care should go beyond simply comparing prices or even evaluating the dentists’ expertise. Countries differ in their standards for infection control and safety. The use of fresh gloves, sterile instruments and safe water are not standard practice in all countries. Without these precautions, patients could be infected with diseases such as hepatitis B,” according to the Organization for Safety and Asepsis Procedures Foundation.
The foundation offers some guidelines for travelers to ask dentists in case of emergency care. The same questions could prove helpful in the case of “vacation dentistry.” It notes to ask:
* Are new gloves used for each patient?
* Is an autoclave or dry heat oven used to sterilize instruments between patients?
* Are hand pieces sterilized?
* Are new needles used for each patient?
* Is sterile water used for surgical procedures?
The OSAP also noted that patients, upon arrival, should check if the office is clean. Do staff members wash their hands between patients, wear gloves and take proper care of surfaces that are touched during procedures?
“While it is important to be sensitive to the cultural differences when making inquiries about the safety of dental care, remember that it is your health and well being that are at stake,” according to the OSAP Web site.
Checking out the facilities is important, but so is taking a look at the dentist’s qualifications.
Lindsay Strand, spokesperson for the Minnesota Dental Association, said the United States has a threshold of care for licensed dentists, and she recommended that clients examine the requirements for dentists and national guidelines of the country they are considering traveling to for care.
“Dentists practicing in the U.S. attend four years at an accredited dental school. They pass national and state dental board examinations before they receive a license to practice,” according to the American Dental Association. “Each state in the U.S. has a board of dentistry that oversees all practicing dentists.”
In addition, U.S. dentists must follow infection control guidelines, noted the ADA, to prevent the spreading of blood borne illnesses. There are regulations for radiation safety and waste disposal.
The ADA recommended that patients inquire about the dentists’ qualifications, noting that some dentists train in other countries than those in which they practice.
Strand offered some observations, “Good dentistry is base on the good relationship between the patient and the dentist.”
She said any clients who are considering DGO or other businesses like it should discuss the option with their primary dentist in the United States
Other tips from Strand include investigating ongoing or follow up care, asking for references and identifying the complaint process should a problem arise.
She said it’s important to know how to attain meaningful recourse with that office or country, which the ADA echoed by noting that patients should check to see if the treatment country maintains records of complaints against health care professionals. A country’s Ministry of Health might be a good starting point.
“The U.S. has a lot of safeguards in the place, and I think we take a lot of that for granted,” Strand noted.