Dental work in Molar city, Los Algodones?

[ut2sua]

DW has lots of implants and crowns to be done in the near futures. We found a good local dental surgeon to do the implants, and we are happy with his work. Our dental surgeon doesn't do crowns, and we are finding out that other local dentists are charging $2->2.5K per implant crown. We have learned thru the web that folks have been going to Molar city (Los Algodones) to get similar crown work done for years for a much lower price. Has anyone had any input/experience to share regarding the quality of the work there? Thanks in advance for all comments.

 

[Bamaman]

I researched going to Los Algodones once, and it's quite a center of dental care.

The problem is figuring out which dentist is good and which dentist is not so good. Many have hawkers on the border trying to get you to go to certain dentists, but there's no way to know if those dentists can do the job. And you cannot trust what you read on the internet to guide you.

$2K to $2.5K per crown is ridiculous. My dentist does crowns for $750 when he can scan the mouth and carve the crown on a CNC machine in 6 minutes. He had to send my crown out to a dental lab (for an implant), and it was more like $850.

Many dentists are charging a small fortune for a simple tooth implant. After deadening me up, I was just in the chair for 6 minutes. It was easier and less time consuming than filling a tooth. But when you get into numerous implants to hold a denture, that's when more skill (and time) is required.

 

[zinger1457]

Haven't been to Los Algodones but have had dental work done at the local border town in Mexico close to where I live in AZ. I'm pretty sure any border town in CA, TX, and AZ offers similar service but definitely should get referrals beforehand. I've been going to the same dentist for ~15 years and pleased with the service, just as good as any in the states.

 

[folivier]

https://www.dentaldepartures.com/info/treatments/mexico/baja-california/los-algodones

 

[dixonge]

Buyer beware! We have many RV friends who use Los Algodones. I went through a painful process to try and choose a 'good' dentist, then picked one that seemed to have good reviews and made an appointment. They thoroughly x-rayed and imaged our mouths and then commenced a hard-sell worse than any car dealer I've ever experienced! They insisted that we needed to start all of this work immediately. We also needed to pay up front. There were questions about our credit card balances.

Bottom line, my work was estimated at $17,000USD, discounted to a mere $15K if we paid that day. To be honest, most of the work they were indicating seemed likely given my dental history. But then they coincidentally came up with a similar amount for my wife, another $15K! We paid for our cleanings/x-rays and walked back across the border.

Part of the problem they faced, apart from my natural skepticism, was that we have spent years living in Mexico and we knew that these prices were insane. Hell, they were inflated compared to the States, not to mention Mexico.

We compared notes with our friends who have visited various other dentists in Los Algodones. We were not impressed with those prices either!

We've now been back in Mexico since March. I have had many cavities filled, chips repaired, etc. Not only has it been the least painful, most careful dentistry I've ever experienced, but only one or two visits have gone over $100US. Same for the wife. So far the most expensive visit was the wife's new crown which came in at $437.

I've still got some perio and crown work yet, but so far the prices have been very reasonable, even compared to other *cheaper* dentists in the area.

So, if you *must* go to Los Algodones, make sure you get word-of-mouth referrals to specific dentists, including prices. Otherwise it's just a big crapshoot. But you might also consider flying in for some dental touristry. At local prices, it more than offsets the travel costs.

https://dentalexpressmexico.com/dental-tourism-in-mexico/

PM me if you want any specific recommendations, either here (south of Guadalajara) or in Puerto Vallarta.

 

[Koolau]

My gut tells me that there are indeed ways to save money by dental-travel. But it would seem there is a level of luck involved.

I wonder about recent safety issues near the border, but I'm not up on the areas involved. YMMV

 

[ut2sua]

OP here. Much appreciated all helpful comments above. We did connect to a couple dental offices with high rating and received responses with a few noted points below:
1- Price is quoted $500 to $750 per crown using the best material that DW wanted. They asked for additional info such as abutment and implant sizes etc. so it appeared that they are knowledgeable with the work.
2- With one office, we pay after the work is done. With another office, we pay 1/2 price to start and pay in full after the work is done. So this seems very reasonable also.
3- We learned from the web on how to cross the border: it involves parking on the US side and going thru a one way gate with no guard to cross into Mexico. It will require passport and the normal check to get back to the US. This is new and fascinating and a little scary to us since we have never done anything like this. Please share if you have experience doing this.

 

[ut2sua]

I wonder about recent safety issues near the border, but I'm not up on the areas involved. YMMV

We were thinking the same. After watching some youtube videos, the town has the feel of other tourist destination ports that we have encountered while cruising. We are comfortable with those places and enjoyed leaving the ship to explore in the past, but we have never been to Molar city.

 

[Koolau]

We were thinking the same. After watching some youtube videos, the town has the feel of other tourist destination ports that we have encountered while cruising. We are comfortable with those places and enjoyed leaving the ship to explore in the past, but we have never been to Molar city.

Good to hear. Sometimes the reports of violence are nebulous and, quite honestly, I don't know my Mexican geography well enough. Thanks.

 

[dixonge]

When we went through a guard checked our bag, but no passport check.

 

[zinger1457]

3- We learned from the web on how to cross the border: it involves parking on the US side and going thru a one way gate with no guard to cross into Mexico. It will require passport and the normal check to get back to the US. This is new and fascinating and a little scary to us since we have never done anything like this. Please share if you have experience doing this.

Walking across is the way to go if possible, must faster in most cases and you don't have to worry about not having proper auto insurance. Usually there is no one on the Mexico side or they are sitting/standing off to the side, I've never been stopped or checked for anything. I use a Passport ID Card for convenience, easier to carry around. They are much more thorough when crossing back into the US but it goes quickly. For some dental services the dentist might give you prescriptions (antibiotics, pain meds, etc.), you can pick those up cheap on the Mexico side or pharmacies on the US side will fill them. No problem bringing the drugs across to the US as long as you have a prescription.

 

[folivier]

But if you do walk across during fall through spring expect a very long line and a couple hours standing to go through US customs. Summer isn't as bad but it will be HOT!

 

[aja8888]

Costa Rica has inexpensive dental services too if you want to make this into a vacation of sorts..

 

[dixonge]

I didn't mean to be opaque, just forgot to mention. The practice you need to avoid is Isaías Íñiguez D.D.S.

 

[ut2sua]

I didn't mean to be opaque, just forgot to mention.

Thanks Dixonge. That didn't ring any bell for us, so we should be good. Much appreciated.

 

[Richard4444]

DW has lots of implants and crowns to be done in the near futures. We found a good local dental surgeon to do the implants, and we are happy with his work. Our dental surgeon doesn't do crowns,

As a retired Dentist, understand that prosthodontists; that is, Dentists who do ~2 more years of specialty training, are held to a higher standard of care. With such extensive dental treatment, FWIW, I would not look to save $ on these crowns. Personally, my general dentist is a Prosthodontist and as a Dentist, I definitely can tell the finer quality of work.

Just FYI,

Rich

 

[ut2sua]

As a retired Dentist, understand that prosthodontists; that is, Dentists who do ~2 more years of specialty training, are held to a higher standard of care. With such extensive dental treatment, FWIW, I would not look to save $ on these crowns. Personally, my general dentist is a Prosthodontist and as a Dentist, I definitely can tell the finer quality of work.

Just FYI,

Rich

Thanks for sharing Richard. For us, we were motivated to look for reasons beyond saving $ (even though, saving $ is also a significant factor). DW had had 2 implanted and crowns done where we live by specialists, both implants ran into issues a few years later. It could be how DW's body react to the implants, or it could be other reasons (DW has had other successful implants lasting >10 years before that that are still in excellent shape). What you have mentioned make sense however, and I appreciate your thought very much.

 

[ut2sua]

OP here. Thanks to everyone above for your valuable comments. The info we have gotten from this thread is very helpful to us. Please have a great day.