Anyone ever go to Mexico to get dental work done?

[GWN7]

A buddy who is in his 70's needs teeth. He hates the idea of dentures and has been talking about implants. I told him what I could remember of the implant thread on here. He was talking about going to Belize but tonight at coffee he said he had read about a town near Yuma called Los Algodones that is supposed to have more dentists than any other city in Mexico. He likes the prices he has heard. Quoted $3500 per tooth here, $1200 down there and they will cut him a deal.

I said I'd ask here if anyone has gone South for dental work and what is required if he drives down with his dog. All he needs is a letter from his DVM for the dog to enter the USA but I have no idea what is needed to enter Mexico?

[Rick Lee]

Check out citydataforum.com. I haven't been there, but Algodones is generally considered safe and reliable.

[speeder]

Where does he live? I can get him a hell of a deal on dental work, including implants, in Pomona. That's about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. Super-competent dentist, USC dental school grad, etc...

No affiliation other than he is my dentist and I'd refer someone to him w/o thinking twice. Let me know if that helps. From what I've heard about Mexico is that there are excellent practicioners and not so great ones. It helps to have a referral from someone who's an actual patient and knows the difference between good care and the other kind.

[GWN7]

He lives up here (Canada).

[slakjaw]

My dentist is a hawt Russian lady and worth every penny!

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by slakjaw

My dentist is a hawt Russian lady and worth every penny!

How hawt?

[desertt5]

Used to live in Yuma. Many retirees went to Los Algodones for dental work back in the early 2000s. Safe small border town last time I was there, left in 2004. Never heard issues with the dental work, or cheap prescription drugs.

[M.D. Holloway]

I think you can pick up a kidney cheap as well...

[John Rogers]

We had the braces done for two of our girls done in Tijuana years ago and the price was about 30% of the San Diego cost. We are taking out male English Bulldog down right after the holidays to get a, inter-digit cyst removed and the vet said total cost is approximately $250 max. In San Diego it is over $1200 minimum! We need to have the dogs up to date shot record and license and all is well. It helps that my wife speaks pretty good Spanish also.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

My aunt is going down to Mexico for some bridgework in a week or so. There's a bus service here that does medical getaways for seniors.

[imcarthur]

The town of Sopron (pronounced shop-prawn) near the Austrian border in Hungary is also known for its dental spas catering to Austria & Germany etc. Much much cheaper than standard EU costs.

Ian

[Evans, Marv]

In the late '90s I took a friend to TJ to price getting a cap done. At that time it was something like $350 or $400 north of the border. We went to a dentist some retirees had used, and the price was $90. The difference was the dentist was in his little facility all by himself - no assistants, secretaries, billing agents, etc. He preped my friend and did the cap on the spot. Of course he excused himself a couple of times to take a coffee break & look at a magazine. A few years later I noticed his name on an office north of the border. Guess he wanted to go for the big bucks.

[Justin@Athens]

Originally Posted by BlueSkyJaunte

My aunt is going down to Mexico for some bridgework in a week or so. There's a bus service here that does medical getaways for seniors.

"Medical getaways"...lol, thats a new one

[Joe Bob]

Not funny when you are a senior and you are getting hosed down every month for medical costs and on a fixed income.....

Food or heart meds.....get a grip.

[89911]

I can understand your need for less expensive options for implants but I would be hesitant to do implants from anyone other then a dentist proficient in their field. I have personally seen failed implants coming from specialist in my area. Implants are a tricky issues and not generally the one and done visit. Extractions, healing, implant placement, and crown placement generally takes a year. Cut corners and failures can arise. A teaching facility is the best alternative in many cases .

[GWN7]

89911

what is the difference between the tooth in a day implant and the ones that take a year to get done?

[speeder]

First of all, no one does an implant in one day. They need to drill the hole and screw in the post, then wait for the bone to heal around it. That can take months.

[GWN7]

Originally Posted by speeder

First of all, no one does an implant in one day. They need to drill the hole and screw in the post, then wait for the bone to heal around it. That can take months.

I didn't know you were a dentist? Then why do they call it "One Day Implants"?

One Day Implants

[speeder]

Not a dentist, just familiar with the implant procedure from people close to me having it done. I'm not sure what they're doing on that link, other than putting a temporary crown on the post the day they install it(?) Just getting a regular crown involves taking a mold of mouth and sending to the lab, then another appointment a week later to install and fine tune.

Are you a dentist?

[Drdogface]

Lotsa guys in my VA group go to Mexico for dental stuff since the VA medical system does not cover dentistry for most of us. So far no complaints