Dental care prices, USA vs Mexico?

NO...
I think it was a few belts of whiskey and a pair of pliers

We've all seen old-time dentistry .. a couple beers and a punch in the mouth.

Just keep in mind that dental work used to be done in a barber shop....it wasn't felt to be a particularly dangerous thing. Simpler dentistry of course.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
I built DentalClinics for 30+ years. After seeing what they go thru to make sure the patient is safe from disease and the stories I have heard when discussing the Mexico topic I will spend a bit more and know I will have the safest and best treatment.

Spending time in the SW I talk to a lot of people that are happy and a lot that are not happy. When you drive 100 miles each way and have to return because something is not right that does not make it less expensive.

One guy came back after getting his dentures and no joke he looked like Mr ED buck tooled and could hardly talk. then proceeded to tell me he had to go back the next day.

Some may be US trained but the fact is they don't have health and safety standards that we do.

If ya can't afford your Dental care IMHO you can't afford to be full timing.

After being in the dental business for 18+ years I will whole heartily agree with this post. With that said I have been in US offices that should have their doors nailed shut, no different than many clinics south of the border.

My advise to get a good dentist in Mexico is the same for the US. Get patient references, then check credentials for both the dentist and the clinic. Once you thoroughly check out the dentist and make your appointment you still aren't done.

When you sit down in the chair you need to make sure the person who has their hands in your mouth is the same guy you checked out. Many clinics down south are the same as the US, dental factories that change dentists as often as many of us change our underwear.

Lastly if someone tells you they had a great experience at a clinic but can't tell you who the dentist was, you just can't count that as a reference. Dr. Wonderful may have been filling in for a week while Dr. Disaster was on vacation.

Nicely said 2gypsies! We didn't retire until 59, but we're certainly not paupers. Since my cobra coverage expired earlier this year, I no longer have dental insurance. If I can drive 80 miles to get the exact same services for less than 1/2 the price why wouldn't I?

As for those who think U.S. dentists are all that much better, I have a lifetime of shoddy work from multiple U.S. dentists that I'm continuing to suffer from. From price gouging, unnecessary work, infections, pain and needless extractions. I think it's time to try another path.

We also will say that the above post by OLDGUY is totally wrong.

People wouldn't keep going back year after year if they had bad experiences. Everyone we've talked to had good experiences, including us. The dental offices are cleaner than some in the U.S. The dentists and office personnel are very friendly and caring. They speak English and the prices are great.

Popular areas are Progresso at Texas and Algodones by Yuma, AZ. Thousands walk across the border constantly for their dental work. Afterwards they enjoy a good meal and a huge margarita! If you're RVing there are parks close by.

We would totally recommend them.

NOTE TO CUMMINS12v98. We retired to full-timing at age 52 in 1992 without any debt and could totally afford the U.S. dentists. But why pay that much when you don't have to? But then, that's probably why we had no debt....and still don't. :)

My wife almost died from the meds in Algodones in 2011 and I bought a pair of glasses that were unbelievable bad. some do well but not us and one friend had false teeth made when they were in Tucson. We could not look at her because of fooling around with her false teeth giving her problems.

USA for us.

chevman

I have had friends who got terrble infections from US dentists.

One finally learned that the source of her infection was a drill bit that a previous dentist had broken off inside her tooth and jut LEFT there. Another nearly died when the infection went up into his brain.

old guy wrote:
old you are the one who is wrong. and yes we have been to them in Mexico. you are always so fast in jumping on the one to tell them they are wrong. you need to investigate a little more before you jump on the band wagon.

Wrong-wrong- wrong. I am familiar with Dental care provided at Los Algodones and in checking on their dentists many of them are American Educated.

Furthermore American Dentists are out of control with their pricing. Their services are way overpriced and they have those among them who believe it or not do shoddy work. They are all paying for fancy offices and to much excess staff. They all have Hygienists on staff and the charges for their services are excessive.
Many people in the southwest travel to the various Mexican border cities for dental care and report excellent results. My concern with this is not so much their quality of work and services as how well they prevent and deal with the possibility of infection. Folks with heart valves and knee and hip and other artificial joints are vulnerable to infection if they don't pre medicate prior to a dentist visit. American dentists seem to be on top of that. Not so much in Mexico.

Oh, yes, definitely.