Dental services in the Cayman Islands are available in both the public and private sector. There are currently about a dozen private dental offices offering all aspects of dental treatment and care. In addition the Health Services Authority are responsible for dental care for Government employees and their dependants as well as general dental care for children in Government schools, the prison service and other groups which fall under the responsibility of Government.
Medical insurance is mandatory in Cayman although Dental insurance is an optional extra. However many employers include Dental coverage for their employees. A few private Dental Offices will accept dental insurance on assignment so long as benefits can be confirmed before or at the time of treatment. Most Dental insurance will cover a wide range of treatments but most often will deny benefits for cosmetic dentistry such as whitening of the teeth and orthodontics. Implants and other "high end" procedures may not be covered or only partly covered depending on the Insurance Company and therefore you should check your coverage with your Insurance Company.
Most of the private Dental Practices offer a full range of general dental treatments and many have arrangements with specialists from overseas who regularly visit the island. These include specialists in oral surgery, periodontal disease and orthodontics. There is currently one full time resident Orthodontist.
The fees charged for dental treatment are very similar between the private and public sector and in general are approximately 80% of treatment costs in the south Florida region of the United States. Items of treatment requiring the use of a Dental Laboratory such as crowns, bridges, dentures and implants tend to be slightly more expensive since apart from acrylic (plastic) dentures which can be made on Island, all other work is sent to high quality Commercial Dental Laboratories overseas and therefore attract Shipping and local Customs Duty.
Advertising of any Medical or Dental service is strictly controlled in the Cayman Islands by the statutory regulating body, the Medical and Dental Council, in order to avoid advertising of unsubstantiated claims of superiority or skills. The Medical and Dental Council are responsible for ensuring that health practitioners are fully qualified to undertake those services which they purport to offer. Stringent checks are made to verify the authenticity of prior registrations, licenses and diplomas. In addition all healthcare professionals are required to keep up to date with their knowledge and skills by attending Conferences and Courses each year in order to retain their local Registration.
Names, addresses, telephone numbers and descriptions of basic services are available in the local telephone directory and online as well as some island magazines. As with any product or service your best advice is to speak with friends and colleagues to obtain the right dental service for your needs. Word of mouth is often the best indicator of quality.
In response to the many Nationalities represented in Cayman, there is a wide range of Nationalities and Languages represented in the Medical and Dental Profession. In Dentistry there are Dentists and Staff from Cayman, Jamaica and many other islands of the West Indies. In addition there are personnel from Scotland, England & Wales and other European countries, Canada, USA, Australia and many Asian Countries as well as Central American Countries. Many are bi-lingual.
In fact, there is probably more choice than anywhere in the World
