Is it safe to get expensive dental work done abroad?
High domestic dental quotes—ranging from thousands of dollars for human crowns to massive vet bills for pets—force people to look for treatment options closer to home or abroad. Without finding affordable alternatives, patients are left unable to afford necessary procedures.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 20.5× more often in r/dogs than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1traveling abroad to destinations like Mexico or Malaysia for dental tourismDid this help you?
- 2looking into clinics that use CEREC machines for same-day crownsDid this help you?
- 3shopping around for alternative vet quotesDid this help you?
- 4paying higher prices at a trusted vet for better care and aftercareDid this help you?
- 5Going to a local dental college or university for reduced pricesDid this help you?
- 6Traveling to Mexico for cheaper dental careDid this help you?
- 7Getting a second opinion from another dentistDid this help you?
- 8Finding a dentist not owned by private equityDid this help you?
- 9Using an emergency fundDid this help you?
- 10Opening a 0% APR promotional credit cardDid this help you?
- 11Shopping around for different veterinary price quotesDid this help you?
- 12Getting a second opinion on whether the dental work is necessaryDid this help you?
- 13Putting pets on liquid diets or letting teeth fall out naturallyDid this help you?
- 14Brushing teeth at home with enzymatic toothpasteDid this help you?
- 15looking into care creditDid this help you?
- 16getting a loan or something to have my teeth fixed nowDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Estimated $60,000-80,000 for reconstruction depending on which dentist I go to.”source ↗
“Are there any loans I can look into preferably with low interest rates where I’m not going to be out 200k by the end of the loan?”source ↗
“Right now is not a good time to tap out your emergency fund things are rough out there”source ↗
“I need to get alot of dental work done and the dentist can fix it but its considered cosmetic and my insurance wont cover anything went to sage dental and the say its going to be over 8k for what I need and I didn't get approved for any kind of financing options.”source ↗
“Both of my cats need dental work. One has an appointment in October and the other in December. I am debating if it would be better to just use my emergency fund to cover it, or to a 0% credit card and pay it off within the timeframe.”source ↗
“My vet in the metro Detroit area is quoting me around $1,000 for the dental cleaning and closer to $2,000 if extractions are needed.”source ↗
“I’m in a different state (VA) but just paid $4,500 for a dog dental cleaning with no extractions.”source ↗
“I paid $2400 for my 10 lb cat to have a dental cleaning with x-rays and a couple of extractions.”source ↗
“Man I just paid $800 for my cat dental cleaning in Grand Rapids and they said extractions would push it over $1500 easy.”source ↗
“Yeah I need to check that cause I'm not sure if they can. If they can't, I don't think I can do this and would instead have to explore something abroad that is closer to home”source ↗
“I'm quoted 6,000 CAD here in Canada for 3 crowns on the left side bottom row, so $2,000 each.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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