I have read that dental costs in mexico are much cheaper than they are in the USA and of course canada. I use to have health insurance back many years ago but not anymore.
I know this is going to sound really bad but i haven’t seen a dentist since 2010. The last time i was there, i was told i had no cavities when i had the yearly checkup. My teeth have always been not that good, always been bit yellow and i dont have straight teeth like most ppl.
One of my front teeth in the bottom… it always had been a bit crooked… but it was never that bad a few years back. However the last 2 year or so, that tooth has been pushed back a lot and its looks pretty bad like its almost about to fall out.
Would you guys recommend me to see a dentist in mexico as oppose to in NY where im from since i dont have health insurance and going to pay out of pocket no matter what? I was going to see a dentist in NY but then i had figured since im going to go to mexico anyway… better to do everything there instead?
The thing is if i go to a NY dentist, i will have to pay a good amount and then if i ask them about the procedure to get my teeth fixed… i have no idea if braces would fix this or they have to pull those certain teeth out. And if i do get braces or some procedure, then it would make very sense to just get everything done in mexico?
I had read there are ppl that actually go to mexico mainly for dental costs.
How much does one save for dental costs in mexico compared to the usa?
Sounds like You have more serious problems than just your teeth. Sounds like you have gingivitis. Do you brush your teeth twice a day and floss daily? I bet you do not floss at all. A regular dentist will send you to a periodontist who can perform surgery on your gums. Several thousand dollars.
You might think about going to a NY dentist for a workup so you can see what you are looking at. Some of the work may just be cosmetic, and you can hold off doing that until you have the money to pay for it.
Once you know what really needs to get done you can ask the NY dentist for an estimate. You can then contact a dentist in Mexico and see what they would charge for the exact same procedure(s). At that point you can determine whether it’s worth it or not. The cost difference, factoring in the hotels and travel costs, may not be that great. You can also shop around in NY for the best deal. Not all US dentist charge the same amount.
If you decided to pursue Mexico make sure you find someone you can trust, hopefully based on the experience of someone you know and trust.
If you plan on getting a new job soon with dental benefits you may want to wait since it doesn’t sound like you need to take care of it this week.
I doubt that all of your dental issues can be addressed on one visit to a dentist, be that in New York or in Mexico. So if you plan to visit a Mexican dentist, how do you expect to handle follow-up visits? Multiple trips to Mexico? What will that cost you?
I have no personal experience but know secondhand someone who had a good experience. He wasn’t the type to take good care of his teeth beforehand. I agree that you should probably at least get X-rays here to assess how many visits it would take to fix.
I never flossed in my life. I brush my teeth everyday twice a day. My teeth has never been straight but it was never that bad. The last time i went to a dentist they said no cavities no nothing. At that time, my bottom middle teeth it was bit pushed back but very minor. So that dentist said my teeth was fine.
Im planning to stay in mexico for at least 3 months which is why im asking this. I will be renting a place while im there so i will be there at least 3 months to 6 months or maybe even more.
If you have never flossed, you probably have gum disease. How thorough was the last dentist you went to? Did he measure the depth of your gum under your teeth? The fact that one of your teeth “has been pushed back” and appears about to fall out indicates to me (IANAD) that the gum has receded and there’s not enough gum to hold your tooth in.
On another subject, braces take time and numerous visits. They are also usually done by a dentist who is a specialist (ie, an orthodontist). Orthodontics is probably more advanced in the US than it is in Mexico just because it is very advanced in the US, compared to about anywhere. It’s just something Americans do more often than people in other countries-- the numbers of US children who get braces or other orthodontic work is a lot higher than that of other countries.
Anyway, I had a problem corrected with some minor surgery, and braces and headgear. I had what was considered fairly short treatment at the time, and I was in braces for 14 months. Maybe corrections are done more quickly now, I couldn’t tell you, but it probably takes longer to correct an adult’s teeth than a child’s.
Whatever you have done, I wouldn’t plan on having orthodontia done in Mexico.
Dentist here. If you are planning on being in Mexico for three to six months anyway that is fine, if you are going to go there just for dental work then probably no way three months living expenses would be saved by having work done there v. NY.(depending on what you need of course.
As barbitu8 says could very well be periodontal(gum) disease. Could just be shifting of the teeth but a bit less likely.
Since my office is less then three hours from Mexico I see a lot of work from there. In very general terms, if you are seeing a dentist just over the border who works mainly on Americans who only want the cheapest work possible, that is what you will generally get. If you go to a dentist in a larger city who works mainly on well to do Mexicans, you can get pretty good work cheaper then here.
Extractions in Mexico usually are a fairly safe bet as are most fillings. Root canals, crowns and dentures tend to be a bit more risky. Often their labs aren’t as woried about the aesthetics.
This being said I’ve seen fabulous work from Mexico and total crap from America. So everything depends on a case by case basis.
The dentist many years ago examined my teeth and did the cleaning of my teeth. It was those yearly dentist visit where they clean my teeth.
I was told i had no cavities at the time. So would that mean if i had gum disease, i probably would have been told that? Again back then, that teeth was pushed back but its always been pushed back… but it was pretty minor.
Moderator Action
While the relative cost of dentistry in Mexico vs. US could be cited factually, overall this question is asking for advice and opinions about what to do. So, let’s move it to our advice and opinion forum.
Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion.
Hey yes im going to be in mexico at least 3 months at the very minimum no matter what. Im not going there specifically to see a dentist there. I wouldnt do this b/c obviously you have to pay flight and hotel cost each time so it isn’t worth it and of course better to be done in NY.
What state are you from by the way?
Also, im planning to go to rosarito beach.
Would you say if they decide on braces, that would be fine? Someone mentioned braces is not what is recommended outside the usa.
Perio issues should have been mentioned at a yearly exam, some offices better then others about it. Also could have worsened in three years.
Can’t speak of Mexican braces, require so many trips don’t know anyone who has done it. I imagine folks right on the border do it though. Braces take on average one to two years. A bridge to replace a missing tooth is much faster. Neither is a good option if there is a perio problem.
I’m in Texas, generally responed on most dental threads and can PM if you’d like, don’t always answer them promptly however due to timing of things.
Have you considered local dental schools? We have one in the area that does really inexpensive work, but people seem to think it’s fairly good quality.
Actually, I’d be interested in rsat3acr’s opinion on that, as well.
If you are in New York, it might be cheaper to go to Brazil, where there is very high quality dentistry. The US Consulate in any country will provide you with a list of local medical professionals that American exPats have reported as reputable and reliable.
My wife had very, very good work done in a provincial capital in Bolivia, and also very high quality work in a Mexican border town. But you need to find a way go get a really sound recommendation, because there are a lot of less-competent dentists in Latin America, too.
Expect prices at Latin American dentists to be in the range of 25-40% of USA prices.
Dental schools are great. One gets worked on by students but under supervision of licensed dentists. Probably more attention to detail then most offices. Usually much cheaper. When I was in school years ago, a crown was $70. The going rate at the time on the outside was around $500 IIRC. Of course prices vary by school and I have no current knowledge of prices. Also may be a difference between public and private schools. The big drawback was time. Takes more and longer appointments for work in a school v. private office.
Got another few questions about this.
If i were to do braces or invisalign… im pretty sure i would do invisalign 100 percent, i read the costs of it are 50 percent less than in the usa.
I also read that if you get it done, it takes up to 18 months total the whole process and you need to see a doctor every so and so month. So if i were only there for a few months, obviously i would have to see an american doctor where im from. But wouldn’t the costs of it be pretty high still and basically only thing i saved was the installation of the invisigligh and maybe 3 visits? Such as if i were to see a dentist, and i said i had this done in mexico, would i even have that much cost savings?
The thing is i think i would be in rosarito for 6 months at the very max that is where i would be going if i were to go to mexico and im going there b/c i will be renting a place tehre.
Also would a dentist refer me to a orthodonist instead for invisilign?
Also, those dentists i here about in mexico, are there very few of them in rosarito? Because i did a bit more researching and it seems like most ppl who go to mexico to do dental work actually have to go to TIJUANA to do it. Is this true? Reason this is a concern is b/c i know tijuana is completely different from rosarito beach in terms of safety.
Same post.
With Obamacare, I’m wondering why you don’t have dental insurance. Even I have dental insurance now, after a decade of going without it.