My Dental Vacation in Mexico: A Mercedes Mouth on a Hyundai Budget

By Kirk Olsen, Special to Everyday Health










It’s hard to come up with a bigger oxymoron than “dental vacation.” I know. I just came back from one.

It started over a year ago when my decade-old dental bridge failed. My dentist informed me that a pair of implants (basically elaborate anchors for false teeth) would be my best and final solution, but they wouldn’t come cheap, even with insurance.

For reasons to complicated to go into, I ended up keeping one ailing tooth while I went through the long process of having an implant installed next to it. (In some cases this can take over a year. If the tooth that needs replacing is first extracted you must wait about three months for the area to heal. Then, after the implant is installed you have to wait six months for it to fuse with the bone before “activating” it with a crown. Should the jaw area require a bone graft, you can plan on even more healing time).

Finally, after six months, $2,400 in dental bills (after insurance), I had one new tooth. I loved it. And I wanted, and needed, more. I realized I had to find a more cost-effective solution. Surprisingly, when I suggested “dental tourism,”  my dentist was in agreement. When I started researching my options, here’s what I learned:
Choose a Dental Destination as Close to Home as Possible

This isn’t a requirement, but since a procedure such as an implant can take as many as three visits separated by several months, it makes sense to choose a destination you can visit often.

For people living in North America there are several dental tourism options in Mexico. There is even a town, Los Algodones, across the border from Yuma Ariz., that has more dentists per capita than anyplace else in the world. For people driving from the West Coast, Tijuana is a popular choice. For people on the East Coast, Cancun is convenient. For people living in Europe a popular destination for dental tourism is Bulgaria. For me, Tijuana made the most sense. I live in Hawaii but I have ties to the San Diego area.
Research Your Off-Shore Dentist Online

Amazingly, dental tourism is so popular you can find reviews on Yelp and Trip Advisor. Ultimately I chose a clinic that offered CT scans on site (many dental offices send them out). For me this helped narrow the field to a rather large clinic that also offered same-day, on-site crown creation using the latest technology.

There were pluses and minuses to this approach. The big advantage was the clinic’s ability to do a lot in a rather short amount of time. My clinic had a large staff that took a Henry Ford assembly-line approach to dental care. I saw six dentists in all. The most senior dentist was a surgeon and implantologist who took care of my sinus lift, bone grafts, and implant placing. I had another specialist for my root canal. Another specialist for my crown. Another dentist who did fillings. And one dentist that didn’t even put his hands in my mouth (more on this later).
Beware the Dental Upsell

The most surprising thing about my dental tourism experience was the “front man” who presented the treatment plan. His job was to look good and to communicate clearly in English. He was the dentist I was least prepared for. The fact is, I went in thinking I could get by with two implants at a cost of approximately $3,000. After his sales pitch, I signed off on a dental treatment plan that included four implants, sinus lifts in two quadrants, a bone graft for a third implant, a root canal, a crown for the tooth that got the root canal, five fillings, periodontal scaling and cleaning, and a planned two more visits to complete the treatment. He convinced me that “I only live once” and that I should do it with a beautiful, full set of teeth. It would cost $12,000 but, he assured me, I’m worth it. “You are worth it, aren’t you?”
The Bottom Line: I’m Worth It!

Dentally speaking, I went to buy a Hyundai and left the showroom with a Mercedes. But I have few regrets. The quality of the work and care I received was as good, if not better, than any dentistry I have received in the past. Had I known what to expect I would have spent more time with my hometown dentist preparing a treatment plan, and I wouldn’t have agreed to the upsells so quickly.

Yes, I spent four times what I had budgeted, but a fraction of what I would have spent stateside. And now, for the first time in decades, I will have a full set of teeth. Yes! I believe I’m worth it.

Kirk Olsen is a writer and songwriter best known for his CD “Dog Songs.” He claims to have a clairvoyant connection to canines and his music supports his story. He lives a life of leisure in Hawaii with his wife, Lucy, and two dogs, Buster and Scooter.