FLAMEL STUDENT TIPS: TIJUANA DENTISTS
by a Flamel College Faculty Member Alex Hayden www.FlamelCollege.org
FLAMEL COLLEGE DOES NOT RECOMMEND TRAVEL TO TIJUANA FOR STUDENTS OR FACULTY AT THIS TIME DUE TO HIGH CRIME!
Tijuana is considered to be the dental capital of the world. There are over 3,500 practicing dentists in the city, yet the majority of their clients come from across the border. The same is true on a smaller scale in other border towns such as Ojinaga, Juarez, Nogales, Mexicali, and El Progresso. At some dental clinics, over 80% of the clients are U.S. citizens.
The reason for this phenomenon is obvious. American medical costs are the highest in the world, and dentistry is no exception. At corporate-run HMOs, profits are the primary concern and hospitals and pharmaceutical companies keep prices on a ever-rising spiral. Because of this, American insurance rates are also the highest in the world. Not surprisingly, nearly 50 million people in the richest country in the world do not have health insurance of any kind.
To make matters worse, most dental “insurance” is only a system of reduced fees agreed to by dentists to get new patients. Dental care ranks among the most needed and least funded of any other health service available to Americans. Extensive corrective and reconstructive dentistry can run into the tens of thousands of dollars in the U.S., but the same quality treatment can be found in Mexico (and other countries in the world) at drastically reduced rates.
In August 2004, I was faced with over $5,000 in dental work on my upper front six teeth. I had what I thought was great dental insurance from Blue Shield, but despite the fact I had visible caries and cracked teeth, they refused to cover caps and insisted I continue to repair the teeth with off-color plastic fillings that eventually would leave little good tooth left. I appealed their decision, but after due course the work recommended by my American dentist to save my teeth was deemed “cosmetic.” This is the big loophole in dental coverage, and insurers take advantage of it to deny procedures that obviously make more sense and cause the patient less grief and pain in the long run. Of course, patchwork filling does open up a whole new world of root canals and implants, which can cost up to $10,000 each!
Luckily, a friend
in San Diego told me about the Tijuana dentists. Thousands of San Diegans cross
the border for dental work every year and save millions of dollars. I got on the
Internet and quickly found a few dozen likely dentists, but I really made my
final decision based on direct phone calls. I found many dentists offering $125
caps, but the material turned out to be bonded plastic or porcelain bonded to
steel. I ended up paying $175 a tooth for six caps of porcelain bonded to high
noble metal. He normally charges from $175 to $250 per cap. America dentists
charge from $750 to $1,500 for a single cap.
As an added bonus, the man
doing the work would be one of the best dentists I had ever seen. Dr. Ignacio
de la Vega (shown at left and below right) graduated from the University of Gruadalara and has over 25 years experience in dentistry. His mother is British,
and he speaks perfect English. In fact, he is a wonderful conversationalist, who
makes the work fly by. Intelligent and articulate, he is also humble and caring.
Dr. de la Vega works with a true artist who fashions the porcelain caps. His
name is Antonio Gonzalez, and he is a 30 year
craftsman with a lab in the same building as Dr. de la Vega. They form a great
team who can perform all kinds dental work, including crowns, bridges,
dentures, fillings, extractions, whitening, cleaning, veneers, implants, root
canals, and gum treatment.
My only caution would be that sometimes Dr. de la Vega gets rushed and tries to handle several patients at once, and the same is true of the person who makes the dentures and crowns. The deterioration in quality will be obvious. Also, the city of Tijuana is undergoing a serious increase in crime, and caution is advised when traveling there.
To "cap" or "crown" a tooth, the dentist grinds the original tooth down to a post or cone shape, and creates a sculptured replacement tooth which is cemented to this surface. It took about half a day to accomplish this and make a temporary set of teeth. With the careful injections, I felt no pain whatsoever. A week later, I came back to have the caps clued in place. That was two years ago and I have had no problems at all. Unlike most American dentists, Dr. de la Vega agreed to put in caps that were two shades whiter than my normal front teeth. Then he whitened my surrounding teeth to match as close as possible.
My only caution would be that sometimes Dr. de la Vega gets rushed and tries to handle several patients at once, and the same is true of the person who makes the dentures and crowns. The deterioration in quality will be obvious. Also, the city of Tijuana is undergoing a serious increase in crime, and caution is advised when traveling there.
There are many other fine dentists in Tijuana. But you have to be careful and shop around. Ask questions and use the Internet for your research. Helpful websites are www.DentistasdeTijuana.com, www.Dentimundo.com, and www.Search.Starware.com. Below is Dr. de la Vega’s contact information. When calling Mexico from the United States, dial the international code and country code, 011-52, then the 2 digit city code and 6 digit local phone number.
Dr.
Ignacio de la Vega
Calle Quinta 7396 (7396 Fifth Street)
Entre “F” y “G” (Between “F” and “G”)
C.P. 22000 Zona Centro (Downtown)
Tijuana B.C., Mexico
Office Telephone: 685-4406
Email: nachonova@yahoo.com
USA Dial: 01152664
US Pager: (619) 491-8883
Traveling to Tijuana
The
border crossing at San Ysidro is less than 20 miles south of downtown San Diego
and is open 24 hours a day. The San Ysidro parking facility houses an
information center for Tijuana/Baja California bound travelers and also serves
as a Tijuana shuttle terminal. Farther east, the Otay Mesa crossing is open
daily from 6 A.M. to
10 P.M. A third
border crossing in Tecate, California, is open from 6 A.M. to midnight. Visitors
to the northern part of Baja California do not need passports or tourist cards
if staying in the country for 72 hours or less. If you plan to stay longer or
travel beyond Ensenada, you'll need to obtain a tourist card. This document is
free of charge; proof of U.S. citizenship is required. The three most popular
ways to get to Tijuana from the United States are:
Bus: (800) 231-2222. Greyhound Bus Lines offer daily service from San Diego to Tijuana. Costs between $5 and $9.
Car: Drive to the border, park at one of several pay parking lots on the U.S. side and walk across. Parking rates average $2 per half-hour or between $6 and $10 for 24 hours. If you plan to take your car into Mexico, you must purchase Mexican automobile insurance prior to crossing the border. Most U.S. policies are not valid in Mexico. In the unfortunate event of an accident, only a Mexican insurance policy will be recognized as valid. You can get insurance by phone at Border Insurance Services (800-332-2118). It is the largest and most reliable Insurance Company in Mexico.
Trolley: (619) 231-8549. The San Diego Trolley is an excellent alternative; regular service is provided from downtown San Diego. The trip takes approximately 45 minutes and the cost is $1.75.
Helpful Information
