Welcome to Molar City, Mexico, The Dental Mecca America’s Health Care Costs Built

[Robert59]

LOS ALGODONES, Mexico ― The billboards that line the stretch of California’s Interstate 8 headed toward Los Algodones make it clear travelers are not on their way to a typical tourism destination.

The signs that beckon Americans as they head west toward Andrade, California’s narrow border crossing, aren’t for resorts or beaches but for dental clinics offering bridges and root canals at half what they cost in the United States. Dental care has become big business here over the last two decades, so much so that American visitors have taken to calling it “Molar City.” An estimated 600 dentists operate out of hundreds of clinics that fill the 1-square-mile town, which is home to fewer than 5,000 permanent residents.

https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/welc...mericas-high-health-care-costs-104500222.html

 

[TravelinMan]

That doesn't surprise me a bit. Healthcare in general is so overpriced in this country citizens have been finding ways to pay less for the equivalent care elsewhere. I used to order meds from Canada to help make the cost more reasonable but now just use GoodRx mostly because my prescriptions meds are just tier 1.

For dental I was able to get in at the dental school at UMKC in Kansas City. Most of the work I have had done has cost anywhere from half to two thirds of the price at a private practice and is better quality. Everything a student does is checked by an instructor, like getting a second opinion. You never get that at a private practice.

I heard years ago about the bus trips chartered in the US and Mexican border states for the express purpose of going to Mexican pharmacies to get their prescriptions filled. But there have been some horror stories about Americans having surgical procedures done in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere overseas. I don't believe I would every try that.

 

[Catlady]

I'm registered with the website Nextdoor Neighbor and love it because neighbors can give recommendations. There have been a few threads about using destists in Mexico and many of the posters claim they get excellent service for half the costs in the US. This below are two posts:

{{I just went to Laser Dental yesterday for a retainer and my friend had her braces put on by Dr. Soto.....very nice dentist and office staff. They speak english very well. We go upstairs for orthodontist and 1st floor is the regular dentist and it's always packed with mostly Americans, I bumped into 2 friends from Tucson there also seeing dentist downstairs. I've heard nothing but good things of Dental Laser }}

{{We use Arizona Dental, almost next door to Dental Laser. They have specialists for just about everything: crowns, root canals, etc. English spoken. We have a lot of confidence in them and really enjoy going there! 520-285-9022 is their US number. Coyote Dental will drive you there from Tucson & return plus walk you across the border and help you out while you're there. We see their driver frequently. He's a nice guy! This service is inexpensive and very worthwhile if you're iffy about border issues. }}