Americans Are Going to Juarez for Cheap Dental Care

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Every workday, Dr. Jessica Nitardy leaves her home near El Paso, Texas and drives for more than an hour to the Mexican border. She crosses immigration and heads to her dental practice in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which until recently was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

But the patients she sees aren’t Mexican—almost all are American.

“I can count my Mexican patients on my fingers,” she told me in a phone interview. “No, they all come from Austin, Houston, even Florida, Colorado, Alaska ... ”

The reason they flock to her office, congenially named “Rio Grande Dental,” is laid out in a neatly organized table on Nitardy’s website:

Rio Grande Dental

A dental implant that runs $1,500 in the U.S. costs just $549 in her office. Crowns and bridges, two of the most expensive dental procedures, are also a third of the price.

Pair that with an El Paso hotel at $100 per night, and Nitardy’s patients still save a bundle. She even sends a complimentary car to pick them up at the airport. (Most patients are unnerved by the thought of an overnight in Juarez, even though the city is much safer now.)

An estimated 42 percent of Americans don’t have dental insurance. More than a quarter of peoplewith employer-provided insurance don’t receive dental benefits, only 16 states provide dental benefits through Medicaid, and most Obamacare subscribersdidn’t sign up for a separate dental plan. More than a third of Americans didn’t see the dentist last year, and those living in poverty were more likely to skip visits.

Even with insurance, procedures like implants and crowns can cost thousands, and plans don’t always cover the most modern coatings and materials.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/05/americans-are-getting-dental-care-on-the-cheap-in-juarez/361727/

Edited May 6, 2014 by Porterhouse

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

They are also flocking to Costa Rica

Dental care is fast becoming unaffordable for the average american. Most dental plans only cover 1000-1500 per year. One root canal and crown and you are done plus 400-600.

I honestly don't know how your average family affords it.

I need a cap on one tooth. 1000 dollars

I think I am going to wait until I go to the PI and get it done for around 100.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Dang. Now if they would just improve their economy, Americans would cross the border for jobs too, lol.

Glad to know I can cross the border right quick for some cheap dental fixes though. I will look into this before spending thousands on dental care.

[deleted-05292014 331]

They are also flocking to Costa Rica

Dental care is fast becoming unaffordable for the average american. Most dental plans only cover 1000-1500 per year. One root canal and crown and you are done plus 400-600.

I honestly don't know how your average family affords it.

I need a cap on one tooth. 1000 dollars

I think I am going to wait until I go to the PI and get it done for around 100.

Yeah and you'll end up catching MRSA or the clap in the mouth and end up dying saving yourself a few bucks.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Dentists be hating dental insurance, because they keep the price of dental work down. My dentist was a PP with Delta Dental, and left, because she didn't want to honor the contract schedule of services. Her practice plummeted. I went back to my old dentist who is a Dental Gold provider, not as good a deal as the PP (90% vs 100% for preventative procedures). We have a great plan through my wife's work. I used to have a crappy plan I bought on my own years ago, that only paid about 20%, but usually cut my patient's share in half, by forcing the dentist to only charge the contract amount.

So, if you want to pay Mexico prices in the US, get dental insurance, even a cheap, crappy plan administered by a large regional dental network. Then you may not have to risk getting substandard care in some place like Mexico, or the Philippines, or some european country.

Yeah and you'll end up catching MRSA or the clap in the mouth and end up dying saving yourself a few bucks.

There is good dentists, and bad dentists, everywhere, even in the US. You can get quality dental work in other countries, but usually the cost is comparable to what you would pay in the US, if you have insurance.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Dentists be hating dental insurance, because they keep the price of dental work down. My dentist was a PP with Delta Dental, and left, because she didn't want to honor the contract schedule of services. Her practice plummeted. I went back to my old dentist who is a Dental Gold provider, not as good a deal as the PP (90% vs 100% for preventative procedures). We have a great plan through my wife's work. I used to have a crappy plan I bought on my own years ago, that only paid about 20%, but usually cut my patient's share in half, by forcing the dentist to only charge the contract amount.

So, if you want to pay Mexico prices in the US, get dental insurance, even a cheap, crappy plan administered by a large regional dental network. Then you may not have to risk getting substandard care in some place like Mexico, or the Philippines, or some european country.

There is good dentists, and bad dentists, everywhere, even in the US. You can get quality dental work in other countries, but usually the cost is comparable to what you would pay in the US, if you have insurance.

Most plans I have been part of make the patient pay if the dentist is above UCR.

One thing gripes my but is most are buying Chinese crowns at really cut rates but still charging $$$$

We do have a dentist in these forums and I think he will tell you, his overhead is staggering

[Karee 4,190]

My ex girlfriend was from El Paso. Her and her whole family would get their dental work done in Juarez. She even got Lasik done down there. All super cheap.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

####### is UCR?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

If a dentist is outside the network then they don't have to accept the contract amount. But they lose patients to those dentists in the network. It is a trade-off.

Edited May 6, 2014 by The Postmaster

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

####### is UCR?

Usual Customary and Reasonable

####### is #######

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Usual Customary and Reasonable

####### is #######

GIYF

I did. It wasn't listed.

No usual and customary about it, hence the reason the dentist all whine about it. It is a schedule of services the dentists have to accept, to be part of the network.

Since they are regional networks, I imagine YMMV.

Edited May 6, 2014 by The Postmaster

[TBoneTX 45,266]

Medical tourism is big and getting bigger. I haven't been to a U.S. dentist in years. Most recently, a Mexican dentist made me a mouth appliance that would have cost three times as much (at least) here. Examination, dental impressions, shipment to their lab in the U.S. (!), and direct shipment of the appliance to me, for $350 (vs $1,000 or so if done by a U.S. dentist).

A professor at a small college in, I think, Illinois actually focuses his research on medical tourism. I'll see if I can find the details.

Edited May 6, 2014 by TBoneTX

[TBoneTX 45,266]

Here it is, about medical and dental tourism:

http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/teg8JiQ8PDVc7pbb34u8/full#.U2ha5ChBDHg

At the bottom of the Abstract on the left, click "view full text." Very interesting to me, and highly readable. Your comments on it would be appreciated.

Edited May 6, 2014 by TBoneTX

[milimelo 4,477]

I'm also using overseas dentists - just recently had a crown done and experience is so much better from what I had in Illinois. My dentist is British trained, has spotless clinic, uses high quality German materials and has a great lab that does a perfect job - no adjustments to the crown needed- it fit perfectly. All prep work done in 1,5 hrs and the dental crown was done in a week, for total of $280. I don't have dental insurance overseas - it's just cheaper to pay out of pocket and get it all reimbursed by our FSA.

When I did the root canal plus crown on it in Illinois the crown was done so bad I had it sent three times back until in the end I gave up and just told the dentist to grind off the extra porcelain layer that was preventing proper fit of the crown - I'm a dental technician and know how crowns are supposed to look and feel. What the lab in Illinois did was horrible. Even with reasonable dental insurance I was still out of pocket $500-600 and it took more like 3 weeks to get the work done.

Both places did the porcelain fused to metal crowns.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Your comments on it would be appreciated.

As far as cancer treatments, several clinics in Mexico are offering treatments not available in the US at any price. My brother was diagnosed with prostate cancer and even after his prostate was removed, he still showed a high PSA, where it should have been zero after the surgery. His prognosis was not good. After spending time at a clinic in Tijuana, his PSA dropped to 0 and he was in remission for several years. His doctors here still monitor him. His PSA has just started to show positive again, though still at a low level. He still has one more option that will give him 5 more years, but he wants to avoid that, as that would be the end for him. He may or may not go back to the same clinic again to see what they can do. The treatment were outside what his medical insurance would cover, and they are not cheap - $40,000 for the 2 weeks.