Mexican dentists

[Lipets]

Going to be in south Texas in Aug and was thinking about having some dental work done there.

I see the area across Weslaco has like 100 dentists.

Any recommendations?


Or other info.

[Lipets]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Dtank wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:


I guarantee you the Mexican Government has no say in.

All hearsay, irrelevant to my question.


can we get back on point here please

[Cummins12V98]

Dtank wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"Some American dentists practice there to avoid the US insurance fiasco"

Maybe you can elaborate on this "fiasco". The Dental Industry has been very good at self regulating and does NOT have the problems that the Medical Industry does in the US.

If people want to risk their health over a few bucks have at it. Knowing what I know and have seen building Dental Clinics for 30 years the trip across the boarder would NOT be for me.

Hooo ---eee - if only "we" knew what you know!!..:R

So - - you *built* dental clinics in Mexico? ROTFL

US or Mexico - does building clinics makes you an expert on dentistry - or on construction?..:@

What problems (in your esteemed opinion) does the "Medical Industry" have in the US?

OP - ignore the drivel - go over to the Escapees forums, search "Algodones" and/or "Los Algodones" - lots of info, satisfied patients, and *recommendations*.

Many dentists in Mexico are also licensed (and trained)) in the US - some practice dentistry on both sides of the border.

Easy to verify (US) college credentials.

:C

Credentials have NOTHING to do with the cleanliness of a Dental clinic.

I have built most likely more dental clinics in my career than anyone. I had to understand and execute every detail of building a clinic, for one silver brazing caped and clean copper and have independent testing of those lines before a certificate of occupancy could be issued. Those lines have to be clean to deliver the compressed air, nitrous and oxygen that are directly administered to your oral cavity. Lots more than I have time to explain here. Lot's of things to protect the health of the general public that I guarantee you the Mexican Government has no say in.

So go forth and save $$$ and risk your health I don't care. BUT for those that have an open mind think about what you are doing, your health is at risk.

[Horizon170]

John & Angela wrote:

old guy wrote:
a friend of mine who is a dentist claims in mexico you can be a dentist by just hanging a shingle out side your door and no schooling required.

A friend of mine tells me that Americans are all right wing, goose stepping, gun toting red necks with grade three educations. My friend is an idiot, how about yours.

Seriously. Just spouting off hear-say on an international board like RV.net is insensitive and un called for. Go find a hate Mexico board.

For your informaton, I have a 4th grade edujamacation. JOKE

I was stationed in El paso in '67 and had some great dental work done in Juarez at a cost of one quarter what the US Dentist wanted and it lasted many years. I don't know about now.

[Dtank]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"Some American dentists practice there to avoid the US insurance fiasco"

Maybe you can elaborate on this "fiasco". The Dental Industry has been very good at self regulating and does NOT have the problems that the Medical Industry does in the US.

If people want to risk their health over a few bucks have at it. Knowing what I know and have seen building Dental Clinics for 30 years the trip across the boarder would NOT be for me.

Hooo ---eee - if only "we" knew what you know!!..:R

So - - you *built* dental clinics in Mexico? ROTFL

US or Mexico - does building clinics makes you an expert on dentistry - or on construction?..:@

What problems (in your esteemed opinion) does the "Medical Industry" have in the US?

OP - ignore the drivel - go over to the Escapees forums, search "Algodones" and/or "Los Algodones" - lots of info, satisfied patients, and *recommendations*.

Many dentists in Mexico are also licensed (and trained)) in the US - some practice dentistry on both sides of the border.

Easy to verify (US) college credentials.

:C

[John_Joey]

I just had a 20+ year old crown fall off last month. Went to the dentist where he used his computer to scan the area after some cleanup work, sent it off to a 3D milling machine 50 feet away, did some light touchup work on it, cooked it at 900 degrees, and now I have a tooth that is a perfect fit that is 8 times harder then gold. All in 1.5 hours. Amazing.

While he was in there he noticed the other crown which fell off last winter (another 20+ year one) that the dentist just north of the boarder glued back on (she did it once before 5 years prior to the day) and shook his head. Think we might have to address that one also he said.

I left before I got the bill. I was having a good day and didn't want to spoil it. No 8 oz bottle of Walmart water to rinse my mouth out with either.

[2oldman]

John&Joey wrote:

2oldman wrote:

webslave wrote:
My dentist in the U.S. charged me $2200 for a set that I couldn't wear due to the pain and lacerations they caused. I fought with him for a year and finally gave up.

That's not a good dentist.. or denture maker. Somebody should have seen that they fit. Wasn't there a review board or something you could have gone to?...

Yup, doesn't pass the sniff test does it.

If that happened to me I might be picketing his office.

Fortunately I have no need for extensive dental work..or any dental work for that matter. My 3 gold crowns, my root canal, my missing wisdom teeth and no cavities are doing just fine. I am fortunate to have always had good dental care (and fluoride). Now if I could just stop the clenching..

[John_Joey]

2oldman wrote:

webslave wrote:
My dentist in the U.S. charged me $2200 for a set that I couldn't wear due to the pain and lacerations they caused. I fought with him for a year and finally gave up.

That's not a good dentist.. or denture maker. Somebody should have seen that they fit. Wasn't there a review board or something you could have gone to?...

Yup, doesn't pass the sniff test does it.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

The patient has no real recourse against a dentist in the US short of a lawsuit. And that is going to cost $5-10 thousand up front.

Filing a complaint with the state medical board has all the impact of filing a BBB complaint against a car manufacturer. If the dentist is interested in his/ her patients, they will try to make it right. If they have your money and don't care the state board has no power to require/ enforce action by the dentist.

Dentures, like crowns, inlays and composite filings can be any color the patient desires. Monarch Dental is infamous in the Dallas area for their lab not matching existing tooth color, so a crown stands out as obviously not a natural tooth.

One advantage of dentures is that the teeth are all the same color. While I was working with the doctor for mine, which I choose as one shade lighter than my few existing teeth, he had a lady patient who wanted hers pure white.

I overheard her complaining they were not white enough, so he redid them. They were so white already they looked like a new car, not teeth.

Yes, dentures look a bit unnatural because very, very few people have perfect teeth. Especially at our age. We aren't fooling anyone that we have great natural teeth.

We just have no pain, comfort when eating. And will almost certainly never, ever need a dental anesthesia shot again for the rest of my life.

[2oldman]

webslave wrote:
My dentist in the U.S. charged me $2200 for a set that I couldn't wear due to the pain and lacerations they caused. I fought with him for a year and finally gave up.

That's not a good dentist.. or denture maker. Somebody should have seen that they fit. Wasn't there a review board or something you could have gone to?

I don't know if dentures are selectable by how natural they look.. I would think so. I've seen Mexican dentures that are obviously dentures because they look too perfect.

[webslave]

I have dentures... My dentist in the U.S. charged me $2200 for a set that I couldn't wear due to the pain and lacerations they caused. I fought with him for a year and finally gave up. Took him 3 weeks to make them.

Went across the border to Nogales to a dentist there. Took the impressions, I went for a coffee at the local cantina, returned an hour later, had the final fitting done and paid my bill. Best fitting dentures I've ever had, start to finish was about 4.5 hours and the cost was $500. She has my business from now on.

Mexico is no different than any place else...you'll find good ones and you'll find bad ones. I had a very poor one here and a winner in Mexico.

[2oldman]

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:

(Side note - I met two US trained dentists and one US trained doctor during our trips and border crossings. All were unable to practice in the US because of high school age drug convictions for marijuana use/ possession. They were very forthcoming about their dissatisfaction with the US dental/ medical schools who took their money for years of training, only to learn later that the FDA will not give them a license to dispense prescription drugs).

That's messed up man. These silly MJ are slowly changing, for the better.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Well I just did a long post about my positive experience with a US citizen, ADA member dentist in Progresso and the system lost it.

Recommend Dr X (Xavier Aguirre) if you need major work such as full dentures, partials or implants. He is a University of Texas BS-Biology grad, but could not afford US dental school and did his dental training in Guadalajara. He later earned his ADA membership, implant training in Texas and teaches continuing education classes in Houston and Austin on implants and cosmetic dentistry twice a year. He runs his own lab and turns around dentures, crowns, partials in 24 hours.

For smaller, simplier work - my wife uses the Zacaharias family. They don't speak english fluently, but do have fluent staff members on had to translate. They do not have their own lab, so thinks like the inlay she had done take 2 days turnaround.

I don't know about the laws in Mexico for becoming a dentist. I will say that Nuevo Progresso is a competitive dental, and medical, market for US/Canadian customers - and poor dentists don't stay in business long.

You will be greeted by the usual hustlers as you get across the bridge and past Mexican customs/immigration (which will usually wave you through without even looking at your documents). If you don't have a particular dentist in mind to visit, take their referral cards, look them over an visit at least three offices before making your decision. Personally I only will go to a dentist who is a member of the US ADA.

If anyone gives you a high pressure sales technique - get up and walk out the door. There is a better, more friendly dental office literally a few doors down.

Pricing - The costs are significantly lower than from a US dentist. You are not going to get the dentists exclusive time for the entire visits. The assistants are going to do most of the work that actually doesn't involve your teeth. The dentist will supervise and check everything. You won't get a lot of x-rays, they are frugal with supplies. They provide you safe bottled water (usually from Sam's or Costco) for rinsing, but it will be one 8 oz bottle.

But it will not be dirt cheap. My dentist charged $40 per extraction for 23 teeth, including any dental surgery needed to remove them. He charged $800 per set of dentures - which was two sets - the initial set and the implant set three months later. He charged $950 per implant for the two implants to hold my lower plate. That was $4,420. I spent about $100 for antibiotics and pain meds. (My dentist strongly recommends allowing the gums to heal and the implant bases to 'grow in' for at least two months between fitting the first dentures and setting the posts an the final dentures. The first dentures are mainly to help the gums heal into a good shape for the final dentures. Kind of like a cast.)

The best quote I had in the US was $10,000 for an identical two implant process, or $7,200 for one set of no-implant dentures.

My wife spent $190 for a cleaning and one inlay.

Payment - US cash is preferred and should get you a 5-7% discount over quoted price. Expect to pay full price up front. US checks are accepted by most. Canadian checks by fewer. Visa, Master Card and JCB are accepted almost everywhere, and Discover and Amex by most.

Drugs - Mexican dentists and doctors do not have DEA permits to write prescriptions to be filled by US pharmacies. You will have to buy any necessary antibiotics, pain meds, etc in Mexico. The dentists/doctors know to give you a prescription form, and keep the Mexican pharmacy receipt. US Customs/Border Patrol is very familiar with hundreds to a few thousand people coming back from Mexico with such drugs every day. When they ask if you bought anything - simply tell them you had dental work done and have the drugs the doctor prescribed. They may or may not want to look at the prescription and the drug boxes.

(Side note - I met two US trained dentists and one US trained doctor during our trips and border crossings. All were unable to practice in the US because of high school age drug convictions for marijuana use/ possession. They were very forthcoming about their dissatisfaction with the US dental/ medical schools who took their money for years of training, only to learn later that the FDA will not give them a license to dispense prescription drugs).

Safety - Nuevo Progresso survives on tourists, a great many of them seeking dental or medical care. Of course you want to be sure you have only what you need on you, and to be wary of possible pick-pockets. Though I've never heard of anyone having been hit. Think of it as a big city, like riding the subway in New York. Be aware of your surroundings.

Insurance - I haven't heard of any dentist in Nuevo Progresso taking a US dental insurance. Many of the MDs do take US insurance. None of the pharmacies take US insurance.

Medical Care - I know a half dozen people who use doctors in Nuevo Progresso for their medical care. All only need to visit their doctors a couple times a year. For chronic, frequent care - you need to live in the area. One of my friends has well controlled type two diabetes, visits their doctor twice a year and loads up on diabetic meds (metformin and glimepiride) and testing supplies for six months at about 20% of their US costs during each visit.

Other friends buy their long term maintenance drugs in Mexico with prescriptions for their US doctors.

I recommend using Mexico to save money, but do your due diligence in selecting a doctor, and don't be afraid to negotiate price, or ask for detailed explanations. Or to walk out the door and find another healthcare provider.

EDIT - One final note - Timing - Aug is when many of the Mexico dentist take their vacations, especially the ones who are US citizens/ residents who live in the US. They want to get that done before their kids go back to school on Aug 28 or Aug 21.

[Cloud_Dancer]

I'm planning on getting some first-hand experience with Dr Edwardo Flores at Apple Dental in Nuevo Progrso. If I survive, and have something useful to report,....I will.

[John_Joey]

A lot of snowbirds go to Apple Dental just across the bridge and to the left.

My 2c is if things go right all is good (most of the time.) If things go wrong, then you might lack recourse other then with that one clinic. I view it as buying a car "no warranty" vs "warranty." You pay more for warranty.

[2oldman]

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This beats grief every time.