When an American citizen has a toothache and can’t afford traditional dentists, crossing the border is one option. Our neighboring country of Mexico offers less costly prescription drugs and other medical services including dentistry. Many U.S. residents would not be able to afford certain types of health care without this less expensive option. But is it a good idea? There are pros and cons to leaving the country for dental work.
Some of the positive aspects include:
Less costly: If a person doesn’t have a hefty bank account balance or insurance coverage, American dental work can be out of their price range. A crown, which may cost up to $4,000 in the states may cost less than $1,000 across the border. That’s a huge savings!
Same day service: Mexican clinics are usually able to see patients right away. The labs are quicker to make crowns and other items than our country’s labs. In the United States, the wait for a porcelain crown may be a couple of weeks, but Mexican crowns may be ready by the next day.
Vacation at the same time: Many oral health care practices in our sister country are located close to the beach. What better place to wait for your appointment time to arrive? Some patients are combining a waterfront vacation at the same time as accomplishing their oral health care goals. With all the money saved on the less expensive services, why not?
Technology and training has improved: Initially, the dental and medical communities across borders were substantially inferior to the rigid standards set in the states. This has been changing over time and the foreign countries’ practices have greatly improved, especially in major cities.
Some of the negative aspects include:
Drug Traffic Criminals: Unfortunately, drug trafficking has reached an all time high which has caused more crime to occur. Some innocent by-standers have been caught in the crossfire of these unsavory criminal activities.
Not all practitioners are well qualified: A citizen needs to thoroughly check out their prospective dental health care workers. This is true in all countries, but the U.S. has stricter regulatory practices that promote a broader range of safety standards and well as trained, high quality practitioners.
Far away if anything goes wrong: The unfortunate side of traveling to a far-away locale to have any type of medical service performed is the fact that it IS far away. Should something go wrong while you’re outside your home nation, your own docs are unavailable. If something goes wrong after you’re back home, it’s a long way to travel to have the problem remedied. An ill-fitting crown or botched root canal can become a serious issue that will need to be tended to by a local doctor. Trying to save money can sometimes cost a lot more in the long run.
Are dentists in Tijuana or Chihuahua a good idea? This is an individual decision every person must make for themselves. Weighing the pros and cons as well as talking to friends and relatives who’ve traveled for health care would be a wise idea.
