Mexico is calling?!

September 2017 Blog by Oral Surgeon, Dr. Tsvetov

Dental Vacation in South of the Border?

Dental Tourism is becoming mainstream nowadays… Lots and lots of folks head south across the border to have their dental needs addressed. “After all” they say “it’s cheaper and the doctors are mostly American-trained, so why not?”

While it’s true that the prices for dental services are lower south of the border it’s hard to argue that the quality of work is often lower as well. It has to do with the differing standards of care between the US and Mexico. Doctors in Mexico don’t have to adhere to the high US standard of care, because well, they are not in the US. So even though they are American-trained, they don’t necessarily adhere to the American care standard and patients first practice.

Patients often come back to the US only to find that in order to treat the complication that arose as a result of their treatment in Mexico they either have to head back south or pay a local dentist to fix the problem – neither of the two possibilities are particularly appealing.

As far as prices go, yes, they are lower across the border … but oftentimes so is the quality of the dental materials used… dental fillings and crowns don’t last as long and cheaper dental implants end up failing at a higher rate.

Just like the old proverb says: “Stingy man ends up paying twice”. So by all means, enjoy your trip south of the border… just make sure to have your dental work done stateside. ☺