When I told my friends that I was going to Tijuana my friends told me I was crazy. In the San Bernardino Mountains Tijuana is known as a dirty, drug invested town that is the birth place for wannabe illegal aliens and drunken Americans. Knowing this one would have very little reason it seems to go to Tijuana, but here we are. The question then becomes why are the Pedrozas in Tijuana, Mexico?
Ok, here is the deal. I work for a local city government. When it comes to my paycheck I make very little, but when it comes to insurance I have some of the best in the state of California. I went to my dentist in the USA for my regular checkup and I was told I have 5 cavities. Metal fillings are completely covered under my insurance. Problem is metal fillings to me look horrible. I could go with white resin fillings but they are only 50% covered with my insurance. With the 50% insurance coverage, white resin fillings were going to cost me $200 each. With an extra discount my US dentist was willing to give me, my total was going to be $800.
After mulling over my problem for awhile (talking to friends, searching the Internet, etc.) I started to find myself drawn to the multitude of dentists found in Tijuana, Mexico. In Tijuana the going rate for white resin filling is between $40 and $75 US dollars. After doing some more research and a little bit of email negotiation I settled on going to a place called Sam Dental in the historic center of Tijuana.
The quote I got over my email was $275 for the 5 fillings. Saturday morning came, and after buying some Mexican car insurance, we found ourselves at Sam Dental in Tijuana. I picked this place because it had a lot of good references, it had the latest equipment, and it looked very clean. The first thing the dentist did was look at my teeth and say, “I see some cavities there, but they are really small. We better take some x-rays.” She took the x-rays and she said that she saw the cavities, but they were so small that they were not worth worrying over. In the end she filled one tooth that need two surfaces done and took out an older metal filling and filled it with resin. Total cost was $100, which according to the representative I spoke to at the IRS is completely deductible as a medical expense since we have a receipt. The whole visit took an hour and half. As far as the procedure goes it went fine. The teeth look good and the only thing I felt was a slight prick when they injected the anesthetic.
Something is wrong in the US when I can get better dentist work in a foreign country for 1/8th of the price in the US. I think there are various things contributing to the discrepancy. The major one is malpractice insurance. While doctors and dentists in Mexico have to carry insurance, the laws are much different over here when it comes to malpractice liabilities. In doing my research I found out that if something goes wrong with a procedure it is very difficult to sue in Mexico. The other thing I found is that here in Mexico doctors and dentists education is majorly subsidized by the government. Basically, if you can pass the entrance exam, the government here will pay for your University degree. There are other contributing factors as well: less overhead costs, lower staff costs, and lower maintenance requirements.
Anyhow, we are now here in Tijuana and we will be staying here until Monday. We have decided to make a little vacation out of it. Over the next few days our hope is to show you what we found.