Jeffrey Apton is trying to take the bite out of expensive dental procedures.
As more people try to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of going to the dentist, Apton, who is retired from a health-care marketing business, said he saw a need to help consumers in an innovative way.
"There is not a lot of talk in today's health-care debate about dentistry. Fifty percent of Americans have no dental insurance and 80 percent of seniors have no dental insurance," said Apton, who, along with his sister, this month launched Pan American Dental Tours.
"By age 65, 25 percent of Americans lose one-third of their teeth" and need dental implants, he said. Dental implants, including crowns, can run from $4,000 to $6,000 per tooth. For seniors who need a lot of work done, the cost is astronomical, Apton said.
A North Salem, N.Y., resident who is also chairman-elect of the Western Connecticut branch of SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, based at Danbury City Hall, Apton said he began Pan American Dental Tours out of personal experience. He comes from a family with four dentists, and said he personally needed implants and "saw an incredible need for the service I now offer."
Apton recommends dentists in Panama and coordinates travel and lodging -- at no cost to clients. He said he is paid by the three dental offices he works with in Panama, and by tourism businesses there.
"We save the patients money and the time it takes to find a good dentist outside the country," he said. "And, they can enjoy the beautiful sites in Panama."
According to American Dental Association Consumer Advisor Dr. Matthew Messina, "With any referral, local or international, you need to be aware of the money trail. As long as people know the company is being compensated by the dentists, that's OK."
Messina, a dentist who works out of a practice in Fairview Park, Ohio, also said it's important to note that in other countries you "cannot assume the same level of sterilization, licensing and the credentials of other employees."
Apton said, "We have personally met with the dentists we recommend. We have been in their offices and we have seen their equipment. We have vetted them."
For a 4½-hour flight and about a $400 round-trip ticket to Panama, patients can save "50 (percent) to 70 percent of what they pay here," he said. "The quality of the dental work is the same. The dentists speak English and many of them did their schooling in the States."
Apton noted that "for the retired and many people who work every day, they can literally deplete their life savings because of dental costs."
For more information on Pan American Dental Tours, call Apton at 914-485-1026, or visit www.panamdentaltours.com
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