Our First Mexican Dental Check Up
10 April 2012 | Puerto Vallarta
Camelia
Being retired and having no dental plan is a scary thought if one needs to have any amount of work done. Actually it’s the cost that is scary! We were over due for our regular 6 month check up, plus a couple of weeks ago one of my capped molars decided to lose a chip of enamel. We asked some of our cruising friends who have been here for awhile if they could recommend a local dentist. Well, wouldn’t you know it, s/v Toothpick, was named by her captain Jimbo, who is a dentist and happens to know a dentist in PV. We booked an appointment for both Bob and myself for a check up and a cleaning.
Today was our appt. so we hopped on a bus that took us directly to the hospital that the dentist has her office. The Cornerstone Hospital doesn’t appear to be very big however there are all kinds of specialist working there.
We completed some personal information forms for each of us and then I went in first. A very pleasant lady who did all the work herself. She examined,cleaned,polished my teeth, took 2 x-rays of a tooth this is starting to give me a bit of sensation and then a fluoride treatment. It didn’t take very long for Maria to complete the whole procedure and I stated that at home it takes much longer for them to clean my teeth even though they say I have very little plaque. Maria, said that I have hardly any so there is nothing much to clean. She will email me with the results from my x-ray. Marie, has been a dentist for over 25 years and her mother was also a dentist. Marie says she spent a lot of time helping her mother when she was young. I mentioned that in Canada most dentists have dental assistants and dental hygienist. Maria said yes some dentists in Mexico have them also however she has chosen to do it all herself as this is what she has been trained to do. She runs a small, one office business of her own.
Next was Bob who had the his teeth examined, cleaned and polished. He opted out for the fluoride because he says that is one of the things he hates the most about going to the dentist. No issues with him so no x-rays needed.
Total bill for the two of us $1000.00 pesos or $80.00 Canadian dollars. Go figure! I think that in Canada because of all the insurance coverage and packages,etc the dentist are making a killing on everyone. Even people like us who no longer have a policy.
With brushing and flossing twice a day and regular check ups we hope to keep the rest of our teeth as long as we can.
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