Saving Money with Dental Work in Mexico

ABC NEWS Drills Cabo Dentist….

By DAVID MANDICH - Medical & Dental Tourist Advisor

When a producer for the ABC news show Good Morning America contacted Dra. Peña at Angels Touch Dental in San Jose del Cabo several months ago to ask her some questions about her dental practice, she thought that this must be a joke… it wasn’t. An ABC News producer was planning a feature news story on the growing worldwide phenomenon of Dental Vacations.

Every year thousands of Americans fed up with the high cost of health care step on a plane and head off to exotic places for treatments for everything from heart, laser eye and hip surgeries to complete cosmetic dental make-overs.

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ABC wanted to film a patient who would come from the States to get treatment – AND they wanted to talk to some former patients for their opinion of the work they had done here. “I’d never heard of such a request!” she says. “After all, Doctors are supposed to protect a patients privacy!” She decided not to return the producers call. But, after some loyal patients heard about ABC calling her, and after they told her that ABC doesn’t call just anyone, or everyday for that matter – she called them back.

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ABC in an attempt to present a fair and balanced story had a New York dentist drill Dra. Rosy Peña by telephone and email asking a variety of questions testing her dental knowledge. The doctor passed the tests with flying colors! Why not? She has been practicing dentistry longer than the NY dentist, she is an endodontist and cosmetic dentist, a recipient of a national medal in dentistry, former President of the Baja Dental Association and graduated from the Dental College at the head of her class with High Honors!

When the show was finally aired, the NY dentist commented that Mexican dentists can be very professional with the same level of expertise and training as dentists in the USA. And she added… “But most people don’t have a month to take off work to go see a dentist.”

Dra. Peña Then she emailed some recent patients and asked for permission for ABC to contact them for references and also suggested a few potential patients who had already scheduled treatments as possible “Stars” for the news story. ABC selected Brenda Patton of Washington who was planning on a trip for a full mouth restoration. 27 crowns.

The 40ish year old woman, a doctors wife, mother of six teenagers was selected by ABC as they thought they’d be a good “…typical American family who goes on this Dental Vacation.”

Ordinarily someone having 27 crowns set would come for a week, have the prep work done, impressions made and leave with their temporaries in. Temporaries are acrylic crowns that the dentist makes in the clinics lab while they wait. They are temporary until the outside dental laboratory technicians complete their work casting the permanent porcelain crowns.

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Normally, the patient having a full mouth restoration stays a week, and leaves with their temporaries in. They then return for a second Dental Vacation a few weeks later. This works better than one would imagine given the low plane fares to Cabo (approx. $250 – $450r/t) and hotel rooms ranging from $50 a night on up. With Cabo as close as two to four hours away by air from most major cities in the USA – a trip to the dentist is as good an excuse for a golf or fishing vacation as any.

The second trip to Cabo need only be for a few days. Enough time to remove the temporaries and set the new porcelain crowns and maybe to return to the clinic to check the bite before leaving for home. Patients having only three or four crowns can leave with their permanent crowns in less than a week and eliminate the 2nd Dental Vacation.

But Brenda Patton had other ideas. She decided to have a month long full blown Dental Vacation in Baja Sur with the whole family. They rented a house in the Sea of Cortez fishing village of Los Barriles about an hour north of Los Cabos. Two stories right on the beach for about $1,000USD.

The kids and Dad all had checkups and minor treatments, but Mom was the real winner. She finished up smiling like she just won the High School Prom Queen contest. “Put on your shades everyone” someone said as she entered the clinic waiting area nearly blinding everyone present with her new pearlies. Later during her TV interview on ABC, a teary eyed Brenda described how she was always embarrassed by her bad teeth and afraid to smile or hardly open her mouth during conversations. Now, thanks to the beautiful smile Dra. Peña created for her, she’s very happy and feels full of self confidence.

Brenda Patton didn’t need a month, only one week for the temporaries and another three day weekend to receive the crowns. She CHOSE to have a month long family vacation. While in Baja the kids enjoyed snorkeling off a pirate ship in the Santa Maria cove game preserve, driving real off off-road racing vehicles on a closed desert racetrack, exploring East Cape back roads leading to hidden waterfalls in the mountains on ATV’s and lotsa loafing in and around their beach house.

Mrs. Patton saved over $20,000 on getting her crowns at Angels Touch Dental in Los Cabos. That fact wasn’t mentioned by the NY dentist for some strange reason… Let me guess why… Crowns go for $1,500 to $2,000 each in NY, NY. 27 crowns x $1,500 means Brenda would have paid $40,500usd for her Dental Make-Over in NY vs. $12,000 at Angels Touch. Go figure.

Read Brenda Patton's letter to Angels Touch:

Brenda Patton – Doctors Office Manager, Washington State as featured in a recent ABC TV Good Morning America News story.

"My name is Brenda Patton. Early this year (2005) I went to visit my dentist and found that in order to correct my cracking, cavity laden teeth I would have to pay $25,000 to $35,000.

After my husband pulled himself off the ceiling from hearing that news, he suggested I look at going to another country to get my work done.

I looked around on the internet and found Angels Touch as well as other clinics. Angels Touch seemed to be the best choice.

I went to Cabo for one month, during which time I had one to three visits per week. They did a very good job replacing all my teeth (27 crowns) and giving me a beautiful new smile. The cost was about a third of what I would have paid in the States.Rosy is a wonderful person and has become a great friend!"

Angels Touch Dental Clinic does General and Cosmetic Dentistry including Crowns, Veneers, Dentures, Implants, Bondings, Mercury Amalgam Removal, Zoom Whitening, Sleep Dentistry for patients with special needs and more. Angels Touch has all new equipment and facilities and award winning English speaking dentists and specialists.

Cosmetic Dental Spa Make-Over Packages are available at Angels Touch Dental Clinic including hotel, airfare, ground transportation, spa treatments, golf & fishing. The clinic employs three full-time Dentists, and four Specialists including an Orthodontist, Periodontist, Anesthesiologist, and a Board Certified Maxillo-Facial Oral Surgeon.

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