So What About Dental in the Philippines
One of the first things that comes up about retiring in the Philippines is medical services. Whether that be the quality of service, availability of services, or even health care coverage options; it is something that concerns a great many people. I worry about a lot things, way too many, but for some reason I just can’t get worked up about the whole medical situation. This is true even though Samal Island has very limited services.
I had previously thought that I would take advantage of the seeming low cost of dental services there, much as I would handle my medical needs – pay as I go. I know that the quality of care varies vastly, but there are some providers on Davao that cater to the foreigners, and though a little more expensive than the others are said to provide the quality of service that foreigners are used to. Since I had four crowns that need to be done I thought it would be worth trying one or two and see if I was happy with the results. At worse I’d need to have them redone.
There is a site that I visit often that had (maybe still does) promoted a dentist that indeed caters to foreigners. I had decided that I was going to try to have some work done when I got back there next time. This dentist had a decent enough website, and even listed services and costs. Since I needed crowns, that’s where I spent my time looking around and tried to figure out what I needed. Problem was there were too many options listed and I couldn’t figure out what was best.
I tried the email game, but unfortunately, as is true for so many business there in the Philippines, I got no reply to my query. Circumstances here got me to worrying about whether I would be without dental coverage for awhile, or longer, and I decided to move on having two of them done locally. I have my second one finished on Tuesday.
I could have easily had all four of the crowns done in Davao for less than my out of pocket with insurance here in Spokane. It’s too bad that so many businesses there can’t take the time to answer emails, but I guess that is a whole other discussion. I may still look this dentist up when and if I get to Davao this year. I still have two crowns left to do. It would be nice to know before we move to Samal whether or not I can get dental service done to a degree that I’d be happy with.
Nice article. I might be using a dentist when we get there. Do you have the website for that dentist, maybe I’ll check it out?
I’ll send it you offline, Kevin. We finally made our reservations for Davao/Samal and looks like we will miss you by a month or so. Sure hope we can meet up next time.
i hear ya. my teeth need work. i was holding off with dental care in the US & planned to take care of it when i moved to Mexico last year.
well, i never got around to it, but i now plan to get dental treatment in davao. i believe i know what dentist website you were referring to & also considered contacting her (i too was impressed with her site).
but a good friend i trust who knows quality treatment has recommended me to his dentist & i plan to go there instead. he says the dentist does a great job & you have to schedule an appointment weeks ahead. the dentist also plans to transfer to davao doctors hospital when the the new renovations are finished (which to me sounds like a good thing for the doc).
if you like, i could let you know how it went when i finally visit the tooth doctor. let me know.
Yes, I’d be very interested to hear about your experience with the dentist. Quality of care and cost. He must be doing something right if he’s booked out that far.
Sounds like Kevin is interested in finding a dentist while he’s there this summer, so if you go fairly soon chime in with your thoughts.
ok. will do. that may the nudge i need to sked an appointment. i’ve been holding it off because i’m not a fan of recovering from dental surgery.
i’ll let you know if i get my lazy butt into the dentist’s office.
Hi Randy,
I was able to visit that dentist I mentioned earlier, and as promised, I’m letting you know how things went.
I was very much impressed with the service and quality of care. The clinic itself is nothing fancy, but this will soon change since the dentist will moving to the new wing of Davao Doctor’s Hospital once it is done. Clinic’s currently located in an accessible part of the city w/ no problem with parking. I was in & out of there with no wait (appointment made).
I must say, I am glad I went with this dentist as I can compare her to services in 3 parts of California (SF, Fresno & LA) as well as Mexico and she’s definitely the most impressive in my opinion. The dentist kept me well informed of my treatment & situation and was very friendly & welcoming.
I had a routine checkup & cleaning & will be returning to discuss my options in regards to necessary work done.
I don’t know her policy with posting her information, so just let me know either here, email or fb if you want her contact info.
Thanks, Macky. I appreciate the follow up information.
Sounds like you had an very good experience, and I’ll assume the cost was quite a bit less than the dentists in CA. It’s also encouraging to know that she takes appointments instead of just walk in.
If you could email the contact information, that would be great. We may try to fit in a visit while there, depending upon a few things.
hello Macky!
Can you give me the contact details of the dental clinic that you visited in Davao in 2010.
Many thanks and good luck.
Hi Yuri,
I hope my contact info is still ok (I haven’t had an appointment in a year, though I’m due for another one).
Her assistant’s number is 0918.918.8814
My dentist’s name is Debbie Sablada and I believe she transferred to a new clinic in Davao Doctor’s Hospital.
If the number doesn’t work, just give DDH (221-0101) a call and ask to be connected to the clinic 221-0101.
thank you dear
good luck!
Debbie is a personal friend of mine. I have not used her for her dental services, I already had a dentist that I like before I met Debbie. She is a great person, though, and I feel confident that she is an excellent dentist too.
Yury, let me know if you need another referral, if Debbie doesn’t work out for you. I’m using the same dentist as Bob, and she is also very good.
It sounds like you are in good hands with Debbie, though.
Hi Randy! Thank you for help
. I plan to come to Davao in November only . I want to do a major teeth restoration, so I need a good dentist , working with modern technology (zirconia, cerec)…