Dental Tourism

Has anyone gone to Costa Rica or another country for dentistry? Right now I am getting only 2.implants here in the US and it is gong o cost me about $20,000 when all is said and done. I needed an extraction, a sinus list, a bone graft and I will have to replace a 5 piece bridge with posts and crowns. I'm figuring, "Why not get all my teeth pulled and get a full mouth dental reconstruction? I'd never have to worry about my teeth again." it would probably cost over $100,000 in the US, but maybe it would only cost the same as two implants and the loss of a bridge in another country.

• [quote] a sinus list A sinus lift. I'm sorry, I'm on the iPad and I need to be more diligent about proof reading.

• American dentistry is a racket. These rejects earn more than doctors.

• Meth is so evil.

• Brazil dentists are really cheap and some are quite good. They work more slowly than American dentists, though.

• I wish I'd done meth, at least I would have had a pleasant high. Instead, I've spent at least $100,000 on my teeth. I've been using a water pik, floss, the latest dentist-recommended rinse (it changes every two years), baking soda and peroxide toothpaste and a sonic care elite for years. And my teeth still go bad. It's mostly tooth fractures nowadays. I've already had one bone graft and implant a few years ago (total cost, $6000. For . One. Tooth). Now I'm getting two or three implants (oral surgeon is unsure) and I've had the sinus lift and bone graft. Why wait for all of my teeth to fracture one by one and pay six thou per tooth when I can get them all replaced? I'd do the bottom teeth first, then the uppers.

• I'm sorry OP. Bad genetics. That sucks. I have bad teeth too. I have to pay off a root canal that didn't work. Got the tooth pulled anyway. Now I'm waiting to see if the tooth behind it is going to behave.

• Or, you could just go with standard dentures OP and save a bundle over implants.

• You don't have to go to Costa Rica. They do great dental work with American trained dentist in Los Algodones next to Yuma, AZ. My mother had two implants and it came to 1400.00. The neat think is that most of them take our US dental insurance too. You can always call them to see what systems they are using for their implants. I've had mine since 1993 and they remain as good today as when they were in 93.

• Over 100,000 for teeth, OP? Why doesn't the national media discuss the dentistry racket? If physicians charged that kind of mark-up, they would be taxed and regulated out of business. Beverly Hills plastic surgeons seem humble by comparison.

• OP: I assume you have a regular dentist here. So let's say you go to CR and have the expensive work done at a fraction of the cost. Afterwards, are you planning on ditching your old dentist and starting up with a new one? I think I would. Otherwise what are you going to say to your regular dentist? Maybe: "Look, you wanted too much money for this work, so I had it done elsewhere, never you mind where. You want to get paid like a heart surgeon and frankly I don't think your trade merits the high pay rate." You just beat your old dentist out of a big ticket procedure that he or she was likely counting on at some point as your regular dentist. Yep, time to ditch the old and find a new one, I'd say.

• I disagree with R10. I told my current dentist that I could not afford his rates and that I was going out of the country for the work and suddenly: The rates dropped. He met the price of the out of country work plus 20% which I would have spent on hotel etc.

• [quote] Afterwards, are you planning on ditching your old dentist and starting up with a new one? Yes. I have moved to a new permanent address anyway and need a dentist nearer to home.

• I agree with R8. I go to a wonderful dentist in Los Algodones. It is a 2 hour drive from my home in socal and very much worth it. Prices are a fraction of the US cost, and the work is high quality.

• I had a huge amount of dental work done in CR--I think it was called Prima Dental in San Jose. They were fantastic and it was less than half the price of what my dentist in Lauderdale was going to charge. It's also right down the street from Colours, the gay resort. I'd highly recommend it.

• I'm looking online to find out about fixed dentures where they do 8 implants on the top and 8 implants on the bottom and fix a non removable denture to the implants. You have to have all your teeth extracted. I can't find out the costs

  OP

• "I have bad teeth too. I have to pay off a root canal that didn't work. Got the tooth pulled anyway. Now I'm waiting to see if the tooth behind it is going to behave." I am currently having a similar problem. I had the root canal, then had a temp filling for few weeks while waiting for the post to come back from the technician. When I went in for the post fitting, I told my dentist I still had weird sensation in the root canal tooth. I stressed that it wasn't full on pain like a cavity, but an odd sensation like when you hit a metal utensil against a metal filling. I articulated the problem clearly, yet he said, "Oh the tooth is OK, let's proceed with putting in the post!" I didn't have pain when he drilled out the temp filing without a needle, but the sensations are constant. The root canal was done about two months ago. What reason were you given for your root canal failing? He ended up cementing the post in. I've canceled the cap fitting, what is the point paying $875 for a cap if the root canal needs to be re-done. If the sensations escalate, I'd need an expensive cap to be broken off! Had he simply re-cleaned the roots and re-done the root canal, I'm figuring that was all that needed to be done, unfortunately these dentists always thing they know what they're doing! What pisses me off is that basically my dentist totally ignored my complaints of sensations in the root canal tooth, he was the dentist who did the root canal! I have to wonder if it's now going to take surgery to get the cemented post out! I called the dentist office, I told his office manager that refuse to pay for HIS mistake, because I did tell him I still had pain, yet he went on with the post placement.

• OP, you can save even more money by removing your existing teeth before you go. Go to ACE Hardware and get a brand-new ¾" pipe wrench and tap 'em out. The first one is always a lulu but you'll get the hang of it and the procedure will go faster. Wear old clothes and don't mind the spatter.

• Thanks R14, I'll check that out. R17, I can get the Amish to do that for me.

  OP

• R14, was that Prisma Dental? Thats what came up when I searched Prima Dental San Jose CR

  OP

• Many people used to come to San Diego, cross the border to Tijuana, and have all kinds of satisfactory dental work done for much less money so I've heard (I live in SD). With the way things are in Mexico now, including Tijuana (gangs, drugs), many have been scared off from going there.

  anon

• Any recommendations for oral surgery? US prices are very high and insurance will not cover anything.

• I'd rather go to Costa Rica than Mexico. I live in the northeast, so it's not like I can easily drive to Mexico. I'm afraid of the random crime in Mexico. It seems Costa Rica can arrange everything ahead of time -- hotel, transportation, etc.

  OP

• Look in to Buenos Aires Argentina. My costs came out to about one third of what it would have cost here in the US. Check non-profit organizations specializing in identifying medical/dental service providers for people traveling into that country for that reason. I would be cautious of "packages" that include air, lodging, surgery all for one nifty price.

• OP, Costa Rica is a wonderful, beautiful country. And it's relatively safe and dirt cheap to stay and play. I've been three times. r14, I stayed at Colours back in '92! Haven't had dental work done down there but am thinking about it as I need four crowns, two fillings, and would like to do some cosmetic stuff. Many ex-pats I've met from all over the world who live there rave about the quality and price of dental and healthcare there, in general. San Jose is a fairly ugly, sprawling city. Do yourself a favor and visit other parts of the country after all your dental work is done -- or go to one of the ex-pat retirement areas like Guanacaste or Tamarindo.

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• R16, your first mistake was if you had your regular dentist do the root canal. That procedure should only be done by an Endodontist.

• "R16, your first mistake was if you had your regular dentist do the root canal. That procedure should only be done by an Endodontist." This man has been my dentist for years, he regularly does root canals. He already did a root canal on another back tooth and I didn't have any problems. I actually did ask him if I should have the root canal done by an endodontist, he took X-rays thensaid he didn't foresee any complications. He also told me, the roots were already pretty much dead, I didn't have the usual excruciating root canal pain, it was more any annoying mild toothache pain which I had on and off for about three months. What was so odd, the pain would go away when I used Sensodyne, so I ignored it for a while! I knew something was brewing because this was a shell of a tooth which was filled with bonding material, so there probably was some seepage or whatever they call it when fillings become porous. Had I had all this work done many years ago, root canal and cap, I don't think I would have had these complications. Because I was trying to avoid a root canal and cap years ago, I'm sure that's why this happened. Teeth which are mostly fillings really need to be capped.

• OP, implants take a lot of time -- more than just a vacation's worth. So, be prepared to fly back and forth to your foreign dentist for repeated visits.

• Actually, it takes two visits, R27.

• I know a guy in Los Angeles whose dentist is in Ensenada, Mexico. A few times a year, when he needs to see his dentists, he takes one of the weekly three-day L.A.-Ensenada cruises. While the ship is in Ensenada, he goes to the dentist, then back on the cruise ship for the return to L.A. Sounds pretty good to me.

• Sounds like a great idea, specially if you like teeth made out of wood.

• The only problem with all of the OP's dental work is that may take years to complete. A mouthful of implants isn't something that's done on a one week vacation. If you are having so many bone grafts, you usually need a minimum of 6 months to a year to see if the grafts took. Then they schedule the implants.

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• Yeah, Prisma, that's it. And the dentists have a cute story--they're married and have been together since they were 5 years old. And they went to dental school in the US.

• I think a lot of you don't know what a dental implant is. It can be done in one visit -- I've had it done. Had my tooth extracted and an implant inserted. It's only when you need bone grafting that it takes longer. And some of you are thinking of your Great Aunt Tillie's mini implants, wherein she had a 4 in 1 done -- four mini implants per arch -- upon which she screwed her removeable denture. That takes a long time. Longer than it takes to have an extraction and an implant insertion. An implant is up inside of your gum. You do not see it. You need to get a crown put on it. You don't get a "tooth" when you have an implant. If you don't need bone grafting, you can have multiple implant insertions done in one visit. Many places have their own labs and they will have your crowns done in 10 days to two weeks. You can plan to stay for two weeks in Mexico or Costa Rica (or India or the Czech Republic) if you need lots of implants and crowns, so long as you don't need a sinus lift or extensive bone grafting. If you live in the US, Central and South America are nearby. In Australia, lots of people go to India or Thailand. In Europe, they go to the Czech Republuc or Lithuania.

• [quote] If you are having so many bone grafts, you usually need a minimum of 6 months to a year to see if the grafts took You don't need "many" bone grafts. Some people don't need any bone grafts. It actually can take less time to have a bunch of implants done at once than to have one at a time. Let's say you want all your upper teeth done. You get an 8 in 1. Have eight implants inserted. If you need bone grafting, you get the grafts put in where they are needed. Let's say you need two bone grafts. Get them done at the same time. Go home, wait 6 months. Go back and get your implants done, wait 10 days for the lab to make your crowns and have them put on. Go home in two days. Two trips. Still much less than in the US, where I was quoted $9000 for a bone graft and two implants. That doesn't even include crowns. And I was charged $5,000 two years ago for one extraction, one implant and one crown -- no bone graft. It's robbery.

• Costa Rica is also a great place to go for cosmetic surgery. Less than half the cost as the U.S.

• My brother got a ton of dental work done in Puerto Vallarta (Mexico obviously) in May. It was 1/3 of the cost here, including the flight and condo rental. Very professional and Puerto Vallarta is a very pretty and safe coastal resort town. Tons of gays too year round. There's nothing to do in those border town dentists and those cities don't feel safe. At least in PV you'd get a vacation out of it.

• I've heard good things about Latvia, and Riga seems like a good place to hang out while you nurse a sore mouth.

• www.denticenter.com in mexico is good - and right next to san diego - their website is www.denticenter.com 866.322.4827

  http://www.denticenter.com%20

  phil

• So true, R2. I wish I could name this one asshole dentist who'd essentially make you sign over your house just for a basic teeth cleaning. A more greedy motherfucker you will not find, and guess what? He has a Romney sticker on his car.