1500 Miles to the Dentist

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by david290361

Good on you!

I recently had a quote for 12 implants and two ceramic bridges from an Australian dentist. $35,000!

I thought stuff that, and went on the net. I ended up having it done in Hungary over two visits. The first they extracted all my teeth and did the implants in the morning, came back around 2.00pm and they put in the temporary bridges.

Scary, but it gets it over and done with.

I'm almost due to go back and get permanent bridges made and installed.

Total cost ?

$16,000, less than half the cost.

Modern equipment, good dentists and I get two overseeas holidays. Sadly, I couldn't ride my bike there.

I have a Yugoslavian friend whose mother and brother are dentists. Their practice in Jacksonville, FL is among the nicest (and most expensive!) in town.

Before the troubles here on the border you could also go into Reynosa and get cheap dental work, but for whatever reason Reynosa is no longer a destination for the Winter Texans. There really isn't anything wrong with the town, it's just that it's not as easy to cross there, and the streets are more complicated than Progreso.

Los Algodones, the Mexican side of Yuma, AZ, is also another place pretty well known among the retiree/RV crowd for discount dental work. That's a lot closer to the west coast than Progreso is, that's for sure.

[AdventurePoser]

"...I said 'Of course I have a knife. Would you walk around in Mexico without a knife?" And "The girls were sure friendly."

Classic, that one! I loved the laid back writing style of your report.j

Cheers,
Steve

[bk brkr baker]

Well the trip is long over but I was in the garage today and found this.




It's the sprocket I limped home on.I didn't realize how bad it was trashed til I had it off. 23 nubs where there should be teeth.
I was adjusting the chain daily on the way home from Louisiana on and I had felt the chain slipping . I guess I was in denial of how bad things were getting and making up other reasons for that feeling.
Anyway , I feel lucky not to have had the chain come off and do damage.

Next time I'll do better. Maybe.

[SeeRace]

Great RR and very timely as I go in Tuesday for a consult on a dental implant. Just curious if you had any reservations about clean instruments, needles and so forth. I say this as I tell my wife about your trip and she is rolling her eyes. P'Cola Naval Aviation Museum is a good stop. If you hit it on the right day you can watch the Blue Angels doing their show practice.

[Conrete]

I just got three extractions, 19 porcelin crowns and two bridges in Los Algondones. Three days and $3600, couldn't be happier. Rode from Ohio to Yuma in four days. The only thing I did different was ride across the border, it makes the trip much easier. When leaving Mexico the walking line was about 2hours long and the car line was worse. No waiting on the bike, just ride around to the front of the car line, show your passport to the border guards and away you go. Its nice to not have to wait in line when the novacaine starts to wear off.
Great report by the way, maybe I will take the time to write one up one of these days.

[bk brkr baker]

Originally Posted by SeeRace

Great RR and very timely as I go in Tuesday for a consult on a dental implant. Just curious if you had any reservations about clean instruments, needles and so forth. I say this as I tell my wife about your trip and she is rolling her eyes. P'Cola Naval Aviation Museum is a good stop. If you hit it on the right day you can watch the Blue Angels doing their show practice.

Well yeah sort of, but really I went into the clinic with all my sences on full alert. And nothing ran up a red flag.
The clinic I went to was clean and modern, all tile floor, stainless steel work stations and every instrument came out out of hermeticly sealed plastic bags.
Really the only thing that was very different was language and they try very hard to make sure you understand whats happening, I just have some trouble with accents. The other thing that wouldn't be a problem for a patient but, you never see in the US is when taking an X-ray the dentist held the backer sheild in my mouth with his thumb. Twice. In the US everyone scatters when an X-ray is taken,there it was pretty casual.

It's been 6 weeks since the implants were put in and so far so good. I tend to think if there was going to be a problem it would have appeared by now.

[bk brkr baker]

Originally Posted by Conrete

I just got three extractions, 19 porcelin crowns and two bridges in Los Algondones. Three days and $3600, couldn't be happier. Rode from Ohio to Yuma in four days. The only thing I did different was ride across the border, it makes the trip much easier. When leaving Mexico the walking line was about 2hours long and the car line was worse. No waiting on the bike, just ride around to the front of the car line, show your passport to the border guards and away you go. Its nice to not have to wait in line when the novacaine starts to wear off.
Great report by the way, maybe I will take the time to write one up one of these days.

I'm happy you had a good result also.
The first I heard of Mexican dentistry was from an old racing buddy that had all his teeth crowned in Los Algondones. I considered going there because of his experience but went to Neuvo Progresso to save 4000 miles on the round trip.

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by Conrete

When leaving Mexico the walking line was about 2hours long and the car line was worse. No waiting on the bike, just ride around to the front of the car line, show your passport to the border guards and away you go. Its nice to not have to wait in line when the novacaine starts to wear off.

I actually once had a bus driver at the crossing en Laredo get out of his bus and tell me that it's OK for a motorcyclist to ride to the front of the line.

Go for it!

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by bk brkr baker

The other thing that wouldn't be a problem for a patient but, you never see in the US is when taking an X-ray the dentist held the backer sheild in my mouth with his thumb. Twice. In the US everyone scatters when an X-ray is taken,there it was pretty casual.

It's been 6 weeks since the implants were put in and so far so good. I tend to think if there was going to be a problem it would have appeared by now.

I've had my bridge for about 3 years now ... no problem-o.

And yeah ... you can always tell the dental techs and dentists because when the sun goes down parts of them shine green at the local Progreso bars.

[sstodvictory]

This is a great thread. Thank you to the OP and all who responded with additional info about specific dentists. Also, the trip photos and story are excellent!

I visit Nuevo Progreso every few years. Now I think I will schedule some dental work with Dr. Alor for my next visit.

Steve

[Hannda]

When do we get pics of the "results?"

[PirateJohn]

[bk brkr baker]

Well this is my smile , when I'm pulled over by the PoPo , on the return trip in October to get the permanents in.I was trying to get out of the Brownsville area alive , the expressway has entraces and exits every couple of miles.
I got in the center lane and was just pacing traffic when this cop decided I was having too much fun. I wasn't.
He asked what i was doing there in south Tx. and when i told him i'd been to Mexico for a follow up Dental visit he proceeded to warn me off the dangers of entering Mexico. Now this guy had he not been in uniform and speaking Spanish would have been real hard to distinguish from the general Mexican population. And yet he was telling me of the grave danger i had put myself in. WTF ?
Anyway more than a year later , I'm still pleased with the way it all worked out .
Oh, the cop didn't give me a ticket, just a warning. he said he was amused by my mode of transport. I was on this.

[flyingz06]

Bwahahahahaha! As a dentist I must say those teeth look like $hit. You got what you paid for for sure!

Sorry to be so honest but that's the way I am.

[aDave]

Enjoyed your report. Also learned about the discounted dental work south of the border...have not thought of that... Also thanks to PJ for his helpful insight.

It looks like you ride what you have...refreshing.

Dave