DENTIST MOVING TO DR... WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?

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Lee-Lee

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Oct 17, 2002
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i don't know anything about the insurance companies in the DR... whether they cover dental coverage

are dominicans living in the major cities big on preventative dentistry? or would i see more cases of caries rather than perio?

could anyone give me advice on the quality of life dentists in the DR have? and where would be the best... most 'americanized' place to open a practice? c'mon... lets be serious... going to some small town and opening a practice would do jack shit for me...

what about resort complexes? do you think they require dentists?

just a note... i am not serious about opening a practice there... however, the questions i've posted are merely some questions running through my head IF i decide to ever move there for a coupppllla years

thanks
the DEnt : )
 
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JanZ

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Apr 10, 2002
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Is this a kind of brainwave to say serious? In which country do you live and have you ever visit the RD?
 
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Golo100

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Jan 5, 2002
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Dr. Lee

Why don't you wait until you really get serious and just continue visiting the island. A more important question would be....Can I survive in DR... can I get used to the system....How do foreigners fare in DR...What is needed to become a successful ex-pat?

Do you think this is a country you want to live in?

TW
 
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Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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Lee-Lee, it is almost impossible--at least at this time--for a foreign dentist to get a license to practice in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican dentists, who saw their patient total diminishing as at least some of their clients switched to foreign dentists (who were usually unlicensed, complained to their Association. The result was that unlicensed offices were closed by the government and licenses made virtually impossible to obtain for foreigners.

When we moved to Sosua, we went to a Canadian dentist who was licensed (although he still wonders today how he had been so lucky). When he decided to pursue other interests, a Swiss dentist living in Sosua bought his practice and equipment. However, he was unable to get a license. So now the office is closed, the equipment gone, and the Swiss dentist, after selling his house in Sea Horse Ranch, moved back to Switzerland.

If Hillbilly responds to your posting, he will be able to give you even more info. But I'm sure that he, too, will tell you that the chances of a foreign doctor or dentist getting a license are slim to none.
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Lee-Lee: Ken has said it all.
We produce some excellent dentists here. the process is long and arduous.
You have to be re-certified, via a local University that willstudy your curriculum and where you will have to take courses. Plus the paper work. After a couple of years, you would be granted a license.

Just the same if you went to the States.

HB
 
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m65swede

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Mar 18, 2002
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My experience with dentists in the DR is limited to a single time when my wife had some work done in San Francisco de Macor?s last April. It was very economical.

Her procedures including fillings, extractions and partial plates, etc cost only $150 US. I'm guessing that to be about 20% of the cost of equivalent procedures performed in the US.

Swede
 
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Lee-Lee

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to that last response... where in the DR exactly did your wife get her job done? that is really cheap, for all those procedures... $150 damn!!! but then again, i think dentists charge a tad too much in north america... it's amazing how expansive some of the dentists go.

but then again, you have to look at what you could get with $150 in that region. usually lower dental costs mirror lower costs of living.

what about associatship? anyone know anything about that stuff in the region? working with a dominican dentist?
i know that when we have international dentists come here they have to go through a two year 'qualifying program'... which basically means they joing the third and fourth year classes of regular dental schools (space extrememly limited)... after which they need to go through the national board examinations.

i'm assuming this is the same story in the DR... BUT, we canadian denists (some of us anyways) actually employ some of these internationl dentists... which means they don't have to go through the qualifying program.

of course the story gets complicated since some of these dentists get greedy and pay them about 10% less than what they'd pay a fresh out of dental school dentists (some dentists actually get greedier than that)... and we have to make sure these people are insured under our belts. meaning... if they screw up a procedure, that screw up lies on our hands (thank god we have insurance right)"?

so..... if anyone knows anything about associatship please hit reply.

thanks : )

Lee Lee
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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I have not heard of that approach here. I think it might happen but you would whither and die on anything less than full pay...Unless you have money for you to run your curriculum thru the system, get it re-validated, along with getting your residency, plus taking a few courses, I don't think it is doable in less than a year and a half...The course work is not too full at most places so a slot would be available. It is a wuestion of whether you are willing to go thru that all over again.
When my daughter-in-law went from here to there, she was enrolled in a special course at NYU, where she was brought up to speed on the very latests techniques, and then passed the boards for practice in NY State.. Here is is sort of like that but there are no boards except for the course work, so that your curriculum conforms to the standars of the University that is re-validating your degree from Canada.

HB
 
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