Medical tourism
October 16, 2008 2:28 PM Subscribe
Has anyone done medical tourism to Mexico? Specifically dental?
I am in the second phase of my denture ordeal that has seen a lot of questions in the green. I have been given an estimate of $15,000 for the work I need, I'm uninsured and have been paying cash for all this. So far, about $22,000. At this point, I can't really afford any more but need the work badly. I am considering going to Mexico to have the work done, but don't know if its a good idea. Has anyone ever done this before? Were there any problems? Is anyone here famliiar with mini implants for dentures, as this is the service they provide that I am trying to get done on the cheap..
I am in the second phase of my denture ordeal that has seen a lot of questions in the green. I have been given an estimate of $15,000 for the work I need, I'm uninsured and have been paying cash for all this. So far, about $22,000. At this point, I can't really afford any more but need the work badly. I am considering going to Mexico to have the work done, but don't know if its a good idea. Has anyone ever done this before? Were there any problems? Is anyone here famliiar with mini implants for dentures, as this is the service they provide that I am trying to get done on the cheap..
I can't vouch personally, but my parents & uncle live in the Phoenix area, and they drive across the border for ALL of their dental work ~ which in my uncle's case, included pulling all of his teeth and replacing with dentures. They haven't had any bad experiences, but I'm sure you can get a bad dentist there the same as you can get a bad dentist anywhere else.
posted by kattyann at 9:05 PM on October 16, 2008
posted by kattyann at 9:05 PM on October 16, 2008
Best answer: My upper teeth were pretty scraggly and my wedding was coming up. It was finally time to face my fears: of the dentist, the expense, the judgment. I sucked it up and made an appointment. I got an $18,000 quote from an American dentist... even more horrible, that quote didn't' include *any* replacement teeth/dentures for the ones they would be removing. So, $18,000 for a half-assed job. Awesome!
My first words after leaving that dentist's office were, "Screw this! I'm going to Mexico". My family and friends all thought I was a nutjob for even considering such a thing. But I did extensive research on the internet and really though it was a safe and cost-effective solution. One of the articles I found most useful was HOWTO: Get Your Teeth Fixed in Mexico. The article is from 2003, so a few things are out-dated.
I ended up finding his "Dr. T" (Dr. Oscar Torres) at Pacific Dental and emailed him. Dr. Torres answered all my emails promptly and professionally and, after seeing my x-rays and treatment plan from the half-assed American dentist, gave me a quote of $5,000 to $7,000, all variable, of course, on what they saw when I actually got there. A few weeks later I was on a plane to San Diego. I stayed in a Best Western that caters to medical tourists in San Ysidro (the first town over the border). By paying the 'clinic rate', which is $10-15 a day higher than the regular rate, you got a shuttle to bring you from the hotel right to the door of your clinic/doctor/dentist/hospital. You tell the driver what time to come back, and voila! At the appointed time, he's there to bring you back across the border to the hotel. Even with the extra expense, I think the room was something like $90 a night.
Long(er) story short, going to a Mexican dentist was one of the best decisions I ever made, next to marrying Mr. Q. Dr. Torres' associate, Dr. Luiz, actually did all the work, and was seriously the best dentist I've ever been to. He was patient, explained everything he was going to do before he did it, told me when to expect pain/pressure and how much of each was normal, and he was very liberal with the Novocaine. I had a total of 4 visits over 9 days, each of them lasting at least 4 hours. At the end of it all, I was rewarded with a gorgeous smile, dental work that was way better than what I would have opted for in the US because of expense, and a savings of at least $12,000.
If you need more information, feel free to mefi mail me!
posted by AnandaQ at 10:45 AM on October 20, 2008 [6 favorites]
My first words after leaving that dentist's office were, "Screw this! I'm going to Mexico". My family and friends all thought I was a nutjob for even considering such a thing. But I did extensive research on the internet and really though it was a safe and cost-effective solution. One of the articles I found most useful was HOWTO: Get Your Teeth Fixed in Mexico. The article is from 2003, so a few things are out-dated.
I ended up finding his "Dr. T" (Dr. Oscar Torres) at Pacific Dental and emailed him. Dr. Torres answered all my emails promptly and professionally and, after seeing my x-rays and treatment plan from the half-assed American dentist, gave me a quote of $5,000 to $7,000, all variable, of course, on what they saw when I actually got there. A few weeks later I was on a plane to San Diego. I stayed in a Best Western that caters to medical tourists in San Ysidro (the first town over the border). By paying the 'clinic rate', which is $10-15 a day higher than the regular rate, you got a shuttle to bring you from the hotel right to the door of your clinic/doctor/dentist/hospital. You tell the driver what time to come back, and voila! At the appointed time, he's there to bring you back across the border to the hotel. Even with the extra expense, I think the room was something like $90 a night.
Long(er) story short, going to a Mexican dentist was one of the best decisions I ever made, next to marrying Mr. Q. Dr. Torres' associate, Dr. Luiz, actually did all the work, and was seriously the best dentist I've ever been to. He was patient, explained everything he was going to do before he did it, told me when to expect pain/pressure and how much of each was normal, and he was very liberal with the Novocaine. I had a total of 4 visits over 9 days, each of them lasting at least 4 hours. At the end of it all, I was rewarded with a gorgeous smile, dental work that was way better than what I would have opted for in the US because of expense, and a savings of at least $12,000.
If you need more information, feel free to mefi mail me!
posted by AnandaQ at 10:45 AM on October 20, 2008 [6 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 2:39 PM on October 16, 2008