This is one of the most unflattering pictures of me but within about 12 hours my cheek suddenly swelled up from a tooth ache. I freaked out because it was even worse than what you are seeing in the picture for awhile. The issues with that tooth started several years ago when a scammer dentist said I had cavities when I honestly don't think I did. My teeth never hurt or anything.
If it isn't broke don't fix it!
I was an idiot. I should have never trusted that guy. Back in Indiana you could trust the dentist because they lived and worked in these small communities and seriously anytime any of my family went in the dentist would say how good our teeth were and how we had no cavities. All this made sense. OUR TEETH DIDN'T HURT!!
They say that teeth have stem cells in them as well. I'm assuming this allows them to heal from certain trauma.
But I made a mistake and I let a scammer dentist in Tucson drill on 4 of my teeth for no reason other than that he wanted to pay for Christmas presents for himself. He did a very bad job on the filling and from day one I could tell it was going to be hard to keep food from getting stuck. I did my best but the filling was so crappy that part of it ended up busting out. I put up with the extra space in my tooth for awhile and then a couple months ago I jumped off a cliff at Havasupai Falls and the impact caused further damage to the filling and the tooth. On a couple occasions since then my tooth would hurt but I didn't address it.
Now I have to address the issue.
I researched into it and it looks like the tooth is probably cracked and an infection got down under the roots and caused an abscess. That infection went over into my cheek.
A root canal here in Tucson is going to be $1,200 and there are other charges tacked on because for the initial visit and X-rays would be $150. The other option was to go down to Nogales, Mexico which is a little over an hour South of Tucson.
I have never went to Nogales for dental work but a lot of people from Tucson do go down there. There are quite a few dentist offices within walking distance of the border. Oftentimes US Citizens will park their cars on the United States side and then walk through the gate to shop for pharmaceutical drugs and get dental work done.
I need to get the antibiotic amoxicillin down there as well. From my research I think the root canal will cost between $200 or $300 and I will probably be able to get the Amoxicillin for $20. But I'm not sure. I'm sort of worried that I will get down there and it is going to be more.
I have a friend going with me that grew up in Mexico. She has American and Mexican citizenship and lives in Tucson as well so she is going to help me communicate down there.
I should be OK unless I get captured by a drug cartel down there. Nogales isn't exactly a vacation destination. Let's put it that way.
I just ask that people please upvote this post to help me out with the expense of this procedure. I'm nervous about it from both the drilling standpoint and the fact that I'm going to be in a foreign country in a relatively dangerous border town.
Wish me luck. I will take pictures and video while I'm there hopefully.
Good luck Brian :]
Thanks! Hahah, Yeah If I didn't have a translator with me that could have happened. LOL. I'm doing an update now!
I went to a dentist here in Phoenix who was going to charge me over $3,000 for some dental work. So a few months ago I went down to Algodones, MX to get that work done. On the recommendation of a family friend, I went to see this dentist:
http://www.dentistsofalgodones.com/dentistsnew/bernal.html
I knew I needed a crown and probably needed a root canal, they gave me a quote of about $650, assuming I needed everything done:
Crown = a little over $200
Root canal = a little over $200
Post/build-up = about $200
X-rays = $10 or $20
The antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs they'd have me buy at the local pharmacy were another $15.
The guy who did all the booking, email, and phone communication for the dentist spoke perfect English, and he gave me all the directions I needed to get their office.
When you cross the border into Algodones, everywhere you look is a doctor, dentist, plastic surgeon, prescription eyewear, pharmacies, and so on. A lot of people will talk to you, trying to get you to come into a local shop. These people are paid a 10% commission if you go to that doctor/dentist, so it's best to avoid them and negotiate your own 10% discount.
It was a two-minute walk from the border crossing to the dentist's office. My dentist's office receptionist offered to walk me from the border to their office, so I wouldn't have to deal with people trying to hassle me, but I declined that offer.
I get to the office, and it was as modern any dentist's office I've been to in Phoenix. They had complimentary bottled water, a tv on in English, and gave me their wifi password.
I ended up needing all the work done. Additionally, since they had to manufacture a crown for my tooth, an overnight stay was required (I knew this in advance and stayed in the US, less than a mile from the border). It wasn't fun, but it was what I expected. After all, dental work is never fun, whether in the US or elsewhere. Well, except for that time I was given Percocet for my wisdom teeth extraction. That was fun.
Best of luck! I hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to respond here or DM me in chat.
Edit: I forgot to mention that for the root canal, they sent me to a root canal specialist across the street.
That is great information. I'm working on the update now. I had a similar experience. I didn't get everything done today but have a game plan and had a good time overall. The prices are a lot more reasonable there compared to here in the United States. That is certainly an advantage for people living in California and Arizona. Being able to go down to Mexico for stuff like this.
I thought you had a wall...
Best of success with your dental encounters mate!
Yeah there is the wall / fence. Going into Mexico pretty much isn't monitored. You can just walk right through the fence. When you come back to the United States you have to go through border patrol and have your passport and all that. I guess we are driving across though and going a little further away from the fence. My friend knows what's going on and the dentist we are going to was recommended to her. So we will see. If I determine this dentist to be a scammer like the guy in Tucson I will get the hell out of there. It is always hard to know though. lol
My Sister goes down twice a year. She's had no problems. Her husband has family down there so they know Who the good dentists are. She goes farther south From nogalas though
That is good to know. I'm sure there are some good practices down there and you can get it for 1/4th the cost pretty much from everything I'm seeing. This situation is going to be hard. I hope the tooth can be saved. If it has to be extracted then that is cheaper but to actually fill the spot in with an implant. That gets real expensive I guess. They have to do the anchor screw down into the jaw bone then let it heal up some I guess and then put a fake tooth in there....etc.
Brace yourself. OK, seriously, be careful and good luck with fixing what needs to be fixed.
Thank you. It is worrisome but I feel a lot better that my friend is coming with my and she knows Spanish since she grew up there so there shouldn't be a huge communication issue hopefully. If something doesn't feel right I will Run For the Border. Hahha
You're welcome. It helps when someone knows the local language for sure.
Yikes! hope you get that tooth sorted. We will chat dentists when you get back- I spent a fortune on mine!
You will be fine unless you go down there wearing lots of gold and jewelry, or decide to suddenly become a leader in a cartel. Don't take more cash than you think you will need.
I left my pimp chains in Tucson. LOL
Best of luck.
Thanks! Working on the update now!
Glad to see people are replying to this post with some helpful information. There are some legit places there and some that are not! I was scammed when I took my late husband for cancer treatments. But I don't doubt that there are some places that truly care and give good work. Best of luck to you!
I'm sorry to hear that you and your late husband got scammed down there. I had a big benefit today having a friend with me today who grew up in Mexico. That helped a ton.
I can't wait to hear a follow-up. I live in Phoenix and have heard from acquaintances of ours that they go down there occasionally as well for their dental work. They are all very tiny people though and the mother of our acquaintance family says she can't be seen down there anymore because her mouth is too small for them to work on and she ends up in severe pain afterwards. Personally, I have also had someone give me amoxicillin from Mexico and I think it was a lot cheaper than $20, but that was also 3 years ago so hopefully prices haven't changed too much. Good luck and stay safe! I will Resteem your post even though my rep isn't too high seeing as I'm a new member on this site but I figure it wouldn't hurt either way to attempt to help another fellow Arizonan.
It is good to see another Arizonan on Steemit. I made it back to Tucson and I'm working on the update.
Yeah the Amoxicillin was only like $8 / 15 pills. I got 3 boxes. We ate down there as well which was really good. There are a lot of good Mexican places in Tucson and Phoenix but it was cool to have the experience of eating there. And it was cheap.
This is a link to a blog I wrote "My teeth don't hurt, how can I have a cavity" I have been in dentistry for 10+ years. Hope it informs you some on why a tooth can have a cavity and you not feel any pain.
http://www.hubbarddentalcare.com/blog/my-teeth-dont-hurt-so-how-can-i-have-a-cavity/