elfbrewery - 5-4-2009 at 07:30 AM
I have a friend who is strapped for cash and needs to get some major dental work done. He needs to get two implants and a couple cavities filled. Does
anyone have any recommendations as to having the work done in Mexico (sanitary issues), as well as where (Ensenada, La Paz, mainland??), by whom, how
much would it cost??
Thanks for the input.
fdt - 5-4-2009 at 07:39 AM
One of the best and without having to travel far (depending on were you are) is Dr. Samuel Velazquez in Tijuana.
http://drsamsmiles.com/
bajalou - 5-4-2009 at 07:42 AM
Algodones - near Yuma is a town built on first class medical offices - doctors, dentists, optometrists etc. Don't know prices but better than San
Felipe for glasses. Some relatives from So. Calif. have gone there for implants and other dentistry needs and been very satisfied.
Pescador - 5-4-2009 at 07:58 AM
Bajalou is absolutely right that Algodones is one of the best places to get things done. Off season, which is when all the people leave Yuma and go
north is a great time as they are looking for business. I personally use Dr. Enrique Mendez, E-mail Mendezarreola@hotmail. com or 928-255-5473.
If you want to look at some of the other dentists etc., they have a website
http://www.losalgodones.com
A root canal is typically $150, Crown cast noble metal around $300. Implants will typically run $1200. But you can send e-mails to all the
different dentists and get a feel of who is professional and who does a good job, as well as prices.
rpleger - 5-4-2009 at 08:12 AM
Good information.....I'm going to save this thread...
vandenberg - 5-4-2009 at 08:38 AM
Here in Loreto, root canal $100, caps $100.
And in La Paz I was quoted 12000 pesos for an implant.
Decided to go eith caps and a prothesis for front teeth.
Satisfied.
boe4fun - 5-4-2009 at 09:00 AM
I visit my Dentist in La Paz twice a year. He's very good, knowledgeble, and reasonable. He's in the phone book, name's Evaristo Gonzales Becera.
Woooosh - 5-4-2009 at 09:44 AM
I get my cleanings and "regular" dentistry done in San Diego. But- when a crown broke recently I turned to a reputable local Rosarito Beach dentist.
Once you are in the chair- you wouldn't know you weren't in a dental office in the USA.
Metal porelain molar crown $250 installed- versus $800 in the USA. Came out perfect- but I'm sure my US dentist will be irked for not helping put her
kids through college.
I took my nephew to the same dentist for his first ever cleaning and dental exam (at 20). 20 cavities and one root canal. Geesh- the kid only had 12
good teeth left in his mouth? Root canal is $250. Silver fillings are $35, White fillings $45.
Office is in central Rosarito Beach. Dra. Leticia Fernandez Wiseman (661-612-0517) or dentalfernandez@hotmail.com
karenintx - 5-4-2009 at 12:36 PM
I know I will get slamed for this...but here goes.
With 25 years as a General Dental Assistiant and 5 years as Head Surgical Assistant for a Periodontist, using IV sedation, there are somethings my
trained eye can notice in a Dental Office that others may not see, no matter where it is in the world.
Ten days ago my husband cracked one of his front veneers so we went to a local DDS here in Cabo. Only waited 10 minuets past appointment time and my
husband said "They have modern equipment." An injection was required. The female DDS used the same technique to acid clean both the tooth and veneer
then bonded the veneer in place. We were pleased with the results. Using my limited Spanish I told her of my experience. There was an other female
DDS in the office that spoke some English that was very interested in my background especially in Perio.
Things that I noticed:
1. Injection was given slowly. The slower an injection is given the less pain the patient will feel due to the anesthetic numbs as it goes in. NEVER
let a DDS tell you "the faster it goes in the faster the shot is is over."
2. Cross contamination was not as controlled as I would have liked or as I practice, since there was no open wound...extraction, surgery, implants,
cavity prep, there shouldn't be a problem.
3. Bond materials used was materials used in USA 5 years ago. Better and stronger products are now available but maybe not here, I don't know. As
my husband said "it worked"
4. Sterilization - Burrs & burr block probably only cold sterilzed or just "wiped off" with alcohol. Not to mention I witnessed a person putting
unbagged impression trays into a cabinent with his bare hands...none of them had been bagged and autoclaved. Read #2 again.
5. The only way a DDS can tell if "everything" is OK is after a crown/cap/veneer is seated properly and the cement has been cleaned off, a x-ray
should be taken to see subgingival...under the gum were you can not see. Cement/bonding material should not be left behind AND the margins of the the
crown/cap/veneer should be flush to the natural tooth. In other words NO OPEN MARGINS no matter how small. Opan margins allow saliva, food and
bacteria to go between the crown/cap/veneer and the natural tooth which will causes it to fail in 5 to 10 years versus 15 to 20 years or longer.
6. I have seen the above not only in Mexico but in the USA. Dental work is like the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover." Dentistry is
engeerning so there is a lot of "behind the sceen" things going on that a patient can't see or wouldn't know is right or wrong. Just because the
kitchen cabinents look good doesn't mean they are hung correctly.
Please don't take this the wrong way. I am not criticizing DDS in Mexico this is more of a Dental Lesson 101 whether you have dental work in the USA,
Mexico or anywhere in the world. Why do I mention these things? An impression may look "innocent" but cold steriization it will not kill
germs/viruses the previous patient had. Same with burrs and many other things that will go into your mouth.
I will stand back now and prepare myself for the assult or hopefully questions.
Pescador - 5-4-2009 at 08:08 PM
No assault, but the conditions do differ sometimes in Mexico and I have used dentists in La Paz, Tecate, and Algodones and here is what I have found.
The dentists in the US charge as much as 5 to 6 times as much for the same procedure. Most of the dentists I have gone to were trained in the US and
use most of the same techniques as the dentists I have gone to in the US. The big difference that I have found is the size of the waiting room, the
newness of the equipment, and the amount of staff. Where I go now, there are two or three chairs in a small area for the waiting room, the magazines
came over on the mayflower, and the receptionist is the assistant, hygienist, x-ray tech, etc., etc., The room with the dental chair is about half of
what it would be in the US. The patient gets a lead shield but the dentist holds the x-ray film with his hand. The specialist who did my last root
canal does not have an office but goes from dental office to office and does the root canal. I had a kevlar post put in a front tooth that was broken
and my dentist at home had never seen one at that time, today it is standard procedure. I have had a total of 8 crowns and they were better done than
the two I had done at home.
I just had an estimate done for 2 implants, a small bridge, and a root canal and the total in the US was 15,323 and I was able to get the same work
done in Algodones for $2894.
So I know that there are differences but I can not see the very strong price differential justified, at least in my experience. But your points are
very valid and everyone has to make those decisions for themselves.