My two trips to the dentist this week really got me thinking about the differences between the cost of living here in Canada versus down in Nicaragua. The two trips that I made to the dentist (One for my annual X-Rays and the other for a cleaning) cost me $495.99 (221.88 + 274.11) which in my opinion is absolutely ridiculous ($250/Hour). It would have cost me only about half as much back in Vancouver due to the fact that I have been seeing that dentist for over 20 years, and had I been in Nicaragua about $25. What I am wondering is where is the extra value and how can a dentist justify charging 20x what the most expensive Nicaraguan dentist charged me when I went last  September and again in March. What I find funny is that the Nicaraguan dentist that I see is educated and trained in the US and is equally as professional in what he does as the one here in Toronto. There are only a negligible differences between the workmanship as well as equipment and technology, so once again I am confused as to where the additional value lays.

I am currently in need of getting all four of my wisdom teeth pulled which means that here in Canada I will be paying out another $1,600 minimum (unfortunately my company does not offer extended dental and medical insurance ;). What I have thought of doing is flying down to Managua and getting my teeth pulled down there because the dentist I see is equally as good at his job as my Canadian dentist. Another thing to note is that should any health complications arise, the Vivian Pallas Metropolitan Hospital is on par quality wise with what you would expect here in Canada or the US (at about 1/10 the cost). Although I would never trust them with heart bypass surgery or anything as technically difficult as that, I would with any surgeries that don’t have immediate ‘life or death’ consequences. When I do the calculations and I figure out all the costs flying to Nicaragua and having all four of my wisdom teeth pulled costs me just over half what it will cost me here in Canada.

What is funny is that this is the most expensive you will have to pay, because my friend flew down and got hers removed for $40 + the flight. So knowing that you could save a lot of money by going down to Central America for dental and medical work would you? And if you would what would you do with the extra money you saved? Recover at a hotel on the beach of 2 weeks maybe? This just goes to show how beneficial outsourcing is, and how much better off the world is with open economies….