Inexpensive Mexican Dentistry

On 21 Dec 14, Larry Farquhar published an article on inexpensive dentistry in Mexico. He mentioned three points, cost, safety, and quality of treatment.

Larry is not a dentist, and his wife used to work as a dental assistant. They have avoided dental visits for six years. Avoiding the dentist is like avoiding the physician, asking for trouble. And he is giving you dental advice?

I used to be a military pilot for six years. If you want advice about airplanes, you don't take anecdotal comments from a person who used to sit in back as a passenger.

I went back to dental school, worked for five years as a general dentist, and then went to Bethesda for my training to be a Periodontist. I worked in clinics with many dentists and specialists until I was seventy, and then retired. No malpractice suits or problems of any kind.

If you live near your Mexican dentist, I think it might be OK to go there because if you have a problem you can go back to him. What kink of problem? Many things can go wrong without any symptoms. That is why Larry feels fine about telling you to go to Mexico, he does not know any better, and he is not an experienced dentist. Just because many of the dentists belong to the ADA means little.

My wife started working for me in the evenings while I was on active duty. She was with me when I went to dental school, and after working with me for many years, she felt she knew as much as I did in all fields of dentistry. But she could not really judge if safe dentistry was being done. She wasn't a dentist.

So Larry says cost can be achieved by going to Mexico..but the final product is not the same as if done in the US, so the comparison is flawed. (I know, a filling is a filling to you.)

Safety going a few miles into a foreign land is a mute point. You are not a citizen there.

Quality of dentistry? That is hard for a non dentist to decide. If a new crown or filling is put next to a periodontal pocket, the failure may be months or years away. The sudden periodontal abscess can help precipitate a heart attack or stroke. (see www.perio.org )

Even a good postoperative x-ray can miss an improper root canal. This too can take years to fail. I would suggest a root canal specialist (endodontist) to do your root canals, in the States.

Implants are an invasive procedure. If finances are tight, I would suggest a partial denture in many cases. Upper complete dentures are quite satisfactory for many patients instead of implants. Lower complete dentures are a nightmare for most, and implants or partial dentures are the best in most cases.

In conclusion, I wouldn't take my RV to Mexico for an overhaul. Same for your mouth. My lifetime of experience in dentistry and aviation suggest that there is no free lunch. Stay in the USA.

Doc, all good advice and I'll consider your words. I can tell you from my non medical perspective that many of the dental problems my wife and I have are a result of poor dental treatment during my 27 years of active duty. My wife received her poor treatment while we were overseas. The characterization of "poor treatment" was made by civilian dentists in the USA after I retired. The worst case for me was when a dentist on an aircraft carrier started a root canal and the rubber dam popped of and landed on the deck. He picked it up and replaced it on the wrong tooth and proceeded to do a root canal on that tooth. For folks of modest means, cost is a factor and it translates into "No Care" or delayed care for many. My family has and pays for two dental insurance plans. The military TRICARE plan and the retired civil service plan. In spite of that, our dental expenses have in some years been in the thousands. If I had an opportunity to get reduced price dental care for something I counldn't afford in the states, I'd jump on it.... unless I recognized the Navy dentist from the USS Roosevelt.

lowpasslew, thank you for your feedback from a US Dentist's professional point of view. I just re-read the article I wrote on Dental Care in Mexico . This article is about my experience. It answers many of the questions I received. As with any profession, you'll find good and bad service or treatment regardless of where you go.

Larry thanks for telling us about your dental experience and treatment in Mexico. I did not interpret the article as your giving advice as you never said do this or do that; only comments about the treatment you and Connie received was mentioned.

I too thank you for your comments lowpasslew and I have had good and bad dental care by dentists in the U.S. My husband received extremely poor dental care while on active duty in the U.S. and I bet many of you would say the same thing. He actually recieved better dental care while stationed outside the U.S. Each of us has our own personal experience about all types of medical treatment and we make our decisions based on our own needs and research goes a long way today as so much is available to us about all types of medical care.