Half of medical tourism consumers are patients seeking less expensive dental care, yet this high quality and affordable dental care abroad was not always easy to find. Just ask, Paul McTaggart, CEO and founder of Dental Departures.
In this interview McTaggart shares the personal experience that led to foundation of this business. “I had been frustrated that my father was unable to find affordable, accessible dental care in Canada, and I couldn’t understand why in the modern age of Internet, there weren’t better options available for him.” This led Paul on a quest that resulted in the creation of Dental Departures.
Mr. McTaggart emphasizes that international dental care must be built on quality, value and – most importantly– customer confidence. “When someone first calls us thinking about traveling to a foreign destination for dental care, there is a hesitancy, even skepticism. Our job is to offer these prospective international dental travelers the confidence to look further, and ask more questions. There’s no “hard sell” because in the end this will not succeed.”
Paul also focused on the need for transparency in the sector. He believes there should be clear, internationally recognized standards, open practices and published data. McTaggart reviews his company’s rigorous procedures for selecting, vetting and approving international dental care providers. So while more complex, higher acuity procedures such as hip replacements and heart surgery make headlines, Dental Departures has been bringing the world closer, one smile at a time.