Capt Steve
US Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2008
- Messages
- 1,678
- Reaction score
- 3,014
Ten days ago I went under the proverbial knife of my Periodontal surgeon to repair severe gum disease. Had several deep pockets that needed a bacterial infection to be cleaned out. This involved slicing deep into/through my gums in three locations and ultimately being stitched back up and sent home. Just got the sutures removed yesterday.
The infection showed up a couple of weeks earlier when I had a routine cleaning and they referred me to the surgeon. Unfortunately, they also found I needed a number of fillings and a couple of crowns and I have no {zip, nada, none whatsoever}, dental insurance.
Rode my bike down to Nogales {100+ miles, about 2 hours with traffic} to my Mexican dentist and had 8 fillings {several were very minor} and two crowns done all in one sitting. The Tucson dentist was looking for something north of $4,000 and my trip to Nogales set me back $1,350.
I saved enough to pay for more than half of the $4,300 surgical bill. In Nogales fillings were $50 to $60 vs $250 to $300 in Tucson and the crowns in Nogales were $440 vs $1,450. The next day I saw the surgeon for the pre-surgical exam and she noted what excellent work my Mexican dentist had done.
I could have had the surgery done in Nogales, and probably saved about half but the logistics of getting home after the surgery could/would have been a serious problem. Recrossing the border can be 5 minutes or a couple of hours followed by walking {staggering} several blocks followed by a 2-hour drive.
I wasn't willing to put my bride through that and just sucked it up {Buttercup}, and paid the Tucson surgeon. If there was to be any sort of medical problem associated with the surgery I wanted to be 8 miles down the road, not 90 and in Mexico. Don't get me wrong, I trust my Mexican dentist but some events are better done closer to home.
I was given a large prescription of Oxycontin but with a lot of icing and swilling Brandy, I was able to keep the pain in relative check without going off into opioid never, never land. The surgery included treatment designed to regrow/replace the bone loss I had experienced but this requires zero {none, zip nada}, brushing or flossing for 6 weeks. A serious prescription mouth rinse has to cover the slack.
The worst is behind me and the surgery went well but I am still limited to creme of something soup, mashed potatoes, and scrambled eggs for at least another week.... Arrrrg! About the only good news is that I lost 6 pounds {which I had to spare} and hope to keep off.
OK, enough whining... for now. The point is if you live close enough to Mexico you can save serious bucks by getting routine dental work done there. This was my third trip to Nogales over the last 10 year all with great results, and I will not hesitate to return should the need arise.
The infection showed up a couple of weeks earlier when I had a routine cleaning and they referred me to the surgeon. Unfortunately, they also found I needed a number of fillings and a couple of crowns and I have no {zip, nada, none whatsoever}, dental insurance.
Rode my bike down to Nogales {100+ miles, about 2 hours with traffic} to my Mexican dentist and had 8 fillings {several were very minor} and two crowns done all in one sitting. The Tucson dentist was looking for something north of $4,000 and my trip to Nogales set me back $1,350.
I saved enough to pay for more than half of the $4,300 surgical bill. In Nogales fillings were $50 to $60 vs $250 to $300 in Tucson and the crowns in Nogales were $440 vs $1,450. The next day I saw the surgeon for the pre-surgical exam and she noted what excellent work my Mexican dentist had done.
I could have had the surgery done in Nogales, and probably saved about half but the logistics of getting home after the surgery could/would have been a serious problem. Recrossing the border can be 5 minutes or a couple of hours followed by walking {staggering} several blocks followed by a 2-hour drive.
I wasn't willing to put my bride through that and just sucked it up {Buttercup}, and paid the Tucson surgeon. If there was to be any sort of medical problem associated with the surgery I wanted to be 8 miles down the road, not 90 and in Mexico. Don't get me wrong, I trust my Mexican dentist but some events are better done closer to home.
I was given a large prescription of Oxycontin but with a lot of icing and swilling Brandy, I was able to keep the pain in relative check without going off into opioid never, never land. The surgery included treatment designed to regrow/replace the bone loss I had experienced but this requires zero {none, zip nada}, brushing or flossing for 6 weeks. A serious prescription mouth rinse has to cover the slack.
The worst is behind me and the surgery went well but I am still limited to creme of something soup, mashed potatoes, and scrambled eggs for at least another week.... Arrrrg! About the only good news is that I lost 6 pounds {which I had to spare} and hope to keep off.
OK, enough whining... for now. The point is if you live close enough to Mexico you can save serious bucks by getting routine dental work done there. This was my third trip to Nogales over the last 10 year all with great results, and I will not hesitate to return should the need arise.
