Anyone get their dental work done in Mexico?

[Baz]

My friend, who lives in Silver City, NM, has gone there multiple times and had very good results. The cost is much less also.

I just had a crown and it ran approx. $1,300.

My dentist said he wants to do two more of my back teeth. He has a new-fangled machine that can map your tooth shape and generate a CNC type code for the tooth machine to cut out of raw material that provides an almost perfect replacement. The whole thing takes about 3 hours but it's a single visit deal, so saves a second trip back.

Anyway...happy for him he has the new machine but might be time for me to visit my friend.

[LakeCleElum]

Have several friends do this. All speak highly of their experience.

I've visited a dentist in PV....He was educated in the US and his staff spoke good English. Prices quoted were about 1/3 of US prices. (By visit, I mean an inquiry. Haven't returned yet to have work done).

[BeyGon]

I know people that do that, and other operations. Not for me, I want a doctor I can call tomorrow and see if I need to see them. My acquaintances went to TJ for dental work, went down one day for a root canal, the doctor decided not to come in that day, so a day lost, then they even went back later to see him. Not me, see a doctor in the US, someone I can trust. I knew people getting eye work done when I lived in Costa Rica, not me, I came back to the US. I trust the doctors here more.

[Bill Douglas]

Another place is Thailand. I've heard of wonderful work being done in very clean safe professional dental surgeries. GF is thinking of going there to get a few teeth capped. Both her and I are victims of over zealous dental nurses when we were young kids and are now needing to pay for the damage.

Probably good to talk to someone first hand who has been to a particular dentist and can recommend that one.

[Nickshu]

I've seen some really nice dentistry from south of the border... And some really horrible dentistry from there as well. The biggest issue I have seen is a lack of comprehensive diagnosis and prognosis... What I mean is placing crowns or bridges on teeth that have no business supporting them...basically a total disregard for periodontal health. Also I have run across implant systems that are not used in the USA (not FDA approved) with no parts available here when something breaks.

Not talking you out of it, just sharing my observations. I wish I could provide care that cheap here in the USA.

[wildthing]

I have a dental plan... If I ever lose it, I'll have my teeth done in the Philippines.

[Evans, Marv]

My usual dentist (a small, charming Japanese lady) had that machine years ago & still does. She's really fast - doesn't fool around. I needed a crown on one of my molars. She scanned it in about ten minutes, sent the file to the machine, told me to go watch it make the crown, and had me out of there in about 45 minutes. Mostly paid for by insurance, so I don't remember the cost. I've known many people who have gone to TJ for dental work and haven't heard any horror stories. I took a girl friend there years ago to get a crown. The dentist was the only person there. He worked for awhile and took a coffee break & read a magazine. She went back a couple of days later to have it installed. Charged $90 at the time, when the cost here was about $350.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

I second the above advice- the Mexican dental quality is hit or miss, and in particular, I also see a general lack of comprehensive treatment planning in foreign dentistry.
In case after case, I see failures, where practitioners didn't consider the age old question "Can I do it vs. SHOULD I do it?"

A lot of the foreign dentistry I see which is placed would be considered mediocre "temporary" dentistry here, until such time definitive work could be placed.

I've worked in a number of public health facilities and seen a large amount of foreign dental work from a number of countries. Russia/South America/Middle East. Some of it is okay, but I have seen a high amount of "what the (bleep)?!?" stuff. Ordinarily patients would present with the work failing after two-five years of service and need complete replacement. Most of the work was either placed on teeth that weren't good teeth to save in the first place, or, the work was so poorly contoured/placed that it caused secondary decay/perio issues.

I'm not trying to sell American work either. That milling machine can be hit or miss too. I think a lot boils down to the skills of the DDS. I've seen a lot a failures with CEREC crowns for a variety of reasons. I've seen some 'okay' ones as well. I joke with other dentists how people will sell work provided by a CEREC because it "saves an appointment" but nobody factors the extra appointments/$ it takes to redo the thing several years later when it cracks or the margins fail. Usually I see them crack because of inadequate occlusal reduction and a thin milling, or recurrent decay due to poorly fitting margins where someone tried to use the cement to fill in the gaps because the milling didn't fit properly. Recently I saw one that was overcontoured to the point it was causing periodontal issues just as bad as some of the mexican work.

I'm not saying CEREC is bad, and I'm sure some people get good results out of it, but like the foreign dentistry being cheaper, new technology doesn't necessarily make things better, it can still be hit or miss. A CEREC is like a porsche 911's handling. It "doesn't tolerate fools."

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I had 8 crowns and 8 veneers done in November-December. Had to take molds of my teeth and send them to the lab. They are made out of zirconia. Then my dentist just popped them right on. It was amazing.

Doing the same for upper starting in March.

[Baz]

Thanks for all the responses thus far!

Shaun's post brings up another thought. If you have dental insurance and know you need a bunch of work, why not get it all done in one year and pay only one deductible. Provided of course it makes sense to do so medically speaking.

[GH85Carrera]

No way not for me.

I want a dentist or endodontist or even oral surgeon that I know and trust to do my dental or medical work and drive to his office and see if I need a folow-up.

One of our long time customers decided to shop price. One of the giant out of state national aerial firms came into town and offered that customer bargain rates. They flew a project and sent all the tedious work to India for the mapping work. The final product was delivered and paid for and then our customer started finding errors and saw the corners that were cut to get the price. The data was just not right. That client came to us to try to fix it. It was like fixing a bad concrete job. Rip it up and start all over and do it right. We charge our normal price and delivered the accuracy the needed. Aerial mapping has nothing to do with dental work, but the customer service is the parallel.

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by Baz

Thanks for all the responses thus far!

Shaun's post brings up another thought. If you have dental insurance and know you need a bunch of work, why not get it all done in one year and pay only one deductible. Provided of course it makes sense to do so medically speaking.

I think you have dental and medical insurance confused. Dental plans are not really insurance. They pay for the first $1000-1500 then you are out of pocket after that.

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[rusnak]

I'm assuming that you are not talking about seeking out the best care, as in Board certified practitioner care. You might as well go to a large animal veterinarian clinic and be treated there.

[scottmandue]

Would you take your car to Mexico to get it serviced?

I admit I'm spoiled and have insurance.

[sammyg2]

Reminds me of the old joke about getting car upholstery done in TJ (they stuff the upholstery with horse ****)

I bet those fillings would taste terrible

I won't step foot in mexico for any reason, especially to get my teeth worked on.

[MBAtarga]

Originally Posted by Baz

He has a new-fangled machine that can map your tooth shape and generate a CNC type code for the tooth machine to cut out of raw material that provides an almost perfect replacement. The whole thing takes about 3 hours but it's a single visit deal, so saves a second trip back.

Anyway...happy for him he has the new machine but might be time for me to visit my friend.

The dentist that did my first crown (probably was at least 10 if not 15 years ago) was one of 3 dentists in the Atlanta are that had such a machine. They were new technology at that time.

[John Rogers]

We had the braces for all four of our daughters done down there and the cost was 25% of what it was in the San Diego area. We asked at mine and my wife's work for examples of the cost, quality of work, ETC, ETC. We went to a dentist in the "suburbs" and not right on Av Revolucion'.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Nickshu

I think you have dental and medical insurance confused. Dental plans are not really insurance. They pay for the first $1000-1500 then you are out of pocket after that.

Thanks Nick.......obviously I know nothing about dental plans....thanks for the clarification and your input on the thread!

FWIW I have a great relationship with my dentist. We have each others email and cell phone info and have traded back in forth with plants and landscape related stuff. In fact, he and his wife who is also a dentist work out of a small office complex that I had completely re-landscaped for the previous dentist, who ended up retiring which left the opening for mine.

I even mentioned the idea to him about going to Mexico for treatment. If I do it at all it would be with his consent and support, if such a thing is possible. I'm just exploring the idea at the moment...that's all.

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Reminds me of the old joke about getting car upholstery done in TJ (they stuff the upholstery with horse ****)

I bet those fillings would taste terrible

I won't step foot in mexico for any reason, especially to get my teeth worked on.

LOL...I tell my patients that it's like "discount bungee jumping"....it's definitely cheaper and it might work out fine, but it also might not.

[rusnak]

I became friends with one of our competitors. We would talk now and then, and sometimes I'd lend him tools or send our guys over to his place to give the old guy a hand.

I heard from one of his friends that he had a massive heart attack after going to Yuma Arizona, and then crossing the border to have Mexican dental work done. I think they worked on 4-5 teeth all at once. He died behind the wheel of his truck, between California and Arizona on the way home. Did the surgery have anything to do with it? Don't know, but it's not like it helped either.