Anyone Ever Have Any Dental Work Done While In Ensenada?

[VgsBby]

WIll be on a cruise traveling to Ensenada next week. I have heard that you can save a lot of cash by getting dental work done in Mexico. Does anyone have any personal experience? Can you recommend a dentist? Personally, I need a crown.

[fireman845]

WIll be on a cruise traveling to Ensenada next week. I have heard that you can save a lot of cash by getting dental work done in Mexico. Does anyone have any personal experience? Can you recommend a dentist? Personally, I need a crown.

 

I use to go down to Ensenada alot when I lived in San Diego to relax and had to go to the Hospital once, OMG :eek: I would have been better to risk bleeding to death on the drive back than the infection that sat in, but IMHO, I would have to stick with an ADA (American Dental Association) recommended dentist. Too many varibles to consider and is that much cheaper?

[Sangela]

You get what you pay for. There are a few Baja dentists that went to US Dental schools, and are up on the latest techniques, however, they do not have to abide by OSHA standards regarding infection control. To me, that's scary. I"ve been in the dental field for over 20 years, and I wouldn't entrust my teeth (and my health!) to a Baja dentist.

 

Some people go and are happy with the services, and that's cool. I know quite a few people that have gone and they're very satisfied with the dental work they got.

 

Personally, I wouldn't go, but that's my personal opinion. If you do go, research the dentist and see where they went to school and ask them to show you their sterilization procedures and what precautions they take to eliminate cross contamination between patients.

 

Good Luck!

[3dlinder]

We just got back from a Galaxy cruise to the Cariibean. DH came down with an infected tooth about 2.5 days into the cruise. Knowing him, it had probably started 3 days prior to that, but he's "macho!"

We ended up at the ship drs. office 8am the next morning. $253 later, we were back to our cabin. He had 7 days worth of Augmentin, and a promise from the doctor, that if he didn't feel better, the doctor would get us an appointment with a dentist, 2 days later......in Barbados.......on a Sunday! First he had said the next day, then he realized we would be in Grenada!!

Good grief.....after the doctors prices, imagine what a dentist on a Sunday would have cost...nevermind in Barbados!!!!! Hubby said he would take his chances with the antibiotic, and his OWN infection...never mind chancing another infection from the Barbadian dentist!

His face was swollen, he had a temp, but I had a couple of pain pills he took, and made him double the antibiotic for the first day...and by the end of day 2 on the meds, he was much better.....

We made it through the cruise, he went to his dentist, had the tooth pulled, and got more antibiotics..all for about $30( insurance!!)

I will be submitting the dr. bill to Blue Cross for reimbursement..

long story short...WHY would you chance having something major done in Mexico......My mom had a friend ignore a sinus infection (another macho man!!), he ended up with a BRAIN INFECTION and almost died! Anything tooth, ear or sinus related...infection wise, CAN end up in your brain! :eek:

[KC_fn]

In addition to the OBVIOUS medical dangers, that doesn't sound like a fun way to spend part of your cruise.

 

You might ask yourself just why it's so much cheaper in Mexico.;)

[jnc411]

My first question for you would be .....Have you ever been to Ensenada ?? I really don't think getting dental work there is a good idea. Some people on our last cruise stop there didn't even want to get off the ship.We were only there for a couple hours on our way home from Hawaii. We had been there a couple times , so we got off , but I would NOT get dental work done there.

Cori

[cb at sea]

I don't like going to my OWN dentist--I can't IMAGINE having dental work from a stranger that's not even covered by the United States standards!!!

[dforeigner]

There are good doctors, there are bad doctors and there are quack doctors in Mexico. I would never go to a doctor in Mexico that was not recommended by someone I trust. In addition, lets say you get treated by a doctor in Mexico and later that night you begin to experience some type of complication. Guess what, by that time, you will be out at sea. If the work is poorly done, then it will cost you more when you visit a dentist back in the US.

 

Unless you have an acute (not a chronic) emergency I would not see a dentist while on a cruise.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I don't know anything about Ensenada, having never been there, and I certainly wouldn't want to get dental work done on a cruise unless it was a dire emergency, no matter where.

 

However, I do know that Mexican dentists just over the border in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas do a huge business with the 'Snowbird' senior citizens who need dental work. My own parents and in-laws and many of their friends have had all their dental work done there; there are many dentists in the border towns that cater to Americans.

 

They have always been very satisfied, the offices are beautiful, clean and professional and the prices unbelievably cheap.

 

But, I would never encourage anyone to do something they are not comfortable with, especially in a place you can't easily go back to if something isn't right. I'd only do something like this with a dentist known by and recommended by friends.

[JLC@SD]

WIll be on a cruise traveling to Ensenada next week. I have heard that you can save a lot of cash by getting dental work done in Mexico. Does anyone have any personal experience? Can you recommend a dentist? Personally, I need a crown.

 

....unless the Ensenada dentist has the latest half million computer generated crown machines......the old world process for a crown is more than a cruise stop visit.

[Loki_77573]

Ok, completely off the subject...DForeinger, I love your avatar! What a cute picture.

[yiddishkopf]

My mother lived in Tucson, Arizona for many years and she and all her friends and my aunts and uncles all had their dentures made and remade in Nogales, Mexico. They were all happy with the work and with the dentist they chose.

 

Once, on a visit to Tucson, I lost a lower partial for which I had just paid nearly $800! At the time, my mother was recovering from a broken hip so I was going back and forth from Chicago to Tucson often. I went to the Mexican consulate in Chicago and used their phone book to locate a dentist to replace my partial. The first dentist I called was a graduate of the University of Illinois dental school! He didn't encourage me to try to get the partial made because he said I would have to be there for longer than I was able to stay and he wouldn't do a rush job, but he was very helpful and informative.

 

Man people who live near the border take their children to Mexico for orthodontal work which is about 1/2 price in Mexico and it is in the US. The price is lower there because all costs of living are much lower.

[dforeigner]

Ok, completely off the subject...DForeinger, I love your avatar! What a cute picture.

 

 

Why thank you! Feel free to join my fan club :D

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=723521

[KC_fn]

The price is lower there because all costs of living are much lower.

 

True. And the cost of living is so much lower because the Mexican and US govts work together to keep the standard of living abysmally low.

[cruiserbryce]

Have I?....nope

 

Would I? Not unless it was an emergency

[mokiemokiemokie]

While there have to be dentists in Mexico who are up to the standard of care... the majority of work seen by US dentists that was done in Mexico is actually below the standard of care in the US.

 

Note: Having a denture made in Mexico and having a crown done in Mexico are two completely different animals. And yes, you would have to see a dentist with a CEREC to have a crown made in one day.

 

That being said, I have seen people who have had crowns done in Mexico... and they needed to have them REDONE shortly thereafter due to poor fit, breakage, horrendous gum problems due to placing the crown too far below the gum and near the bone... I could go on and on with the problems that are seen but the take home message is:

 

DON'T DO IT.

[windango]

I agree with Mokie. I've worked in the dental field for the last 19 years and have seen numerous people having crowns, bridges, partials, dentures and fillings redone shortly after having them placed in Mexico. I'm sure you can get some wonderful dental work done in Mexico. But it would take time and research to assure yourself the dentist you're seeing is a good one and that he follows proper sterilization and fabrication procedures. I'd never trust my teeth to someone I'm only going to see once on a transitory basis...no matter how inexpensive it is!!!

[gator9696]

My question is if you can afford to go on a cruise...why would you cheap out when it comes to your health? Things that make you go....hmmm!:confused:

[blindrid]

My question is if you can afford to go on a cruise...why would you cheap out when it comes to your health? Things that make you go....hmmm!:confused:

 

That's what I was thinking.....

[drrich]

Never mind the crown; you should have a quick angioplasty when there; I would.........

[rhgru]

I work for a dentist in florida and we have seen alot of crappy work from mexican dentists. Dont do it.

[natduv]

There are many dentists trained in the US and live on the islands. My sister and I took a cruise to Barbados to visit two of her classmates who were trained at a prestigious dental school in the US and live in Barbados.

[6rugrats]

There are many dentists trained in the US and live on the islands. My sister and I took a cruise to Barbados to visit two of her classmates who were trained at a prestigious dental school in the US and live in Barbados.

 

This has nothing to do with the OP's question which was about having dental work done in Ensenada, Mexico.

[concour]

I have seen excellent work from dentists in Mexico and also have seen work that was very poor. As mentioned before the main problem would be time. The only way a crown could be done in a short period of time would be the computer cadd machines. Cerec is one brand but most dental supply companies are coming out with their own version. These machines are very costly ($100K and up) and are not used widespread in the US. IF you could find a dentist there and can talk to some of his patients that he has treated from the US, IF he has the technology to make a crown in a hurry, IF he could see you while the ship is in port and IF the cost would actually save money then go for it. But that is a lot of big IFs.