Smiling in Sonora

I have been battling a toothache for several weeks. I kept hoping it would get better on its own so I tried to ignore it. I don't have insurance and knew it would cost tons of money to go to a dentist. Well, last week it became unbearable. I was totally miserable and knew it was time to do something. I guess it was time to bite the bullet (however, it was so painful, there was no way I could.)

I did some research and looked into dentists in Nogales Mexico. I have heard good things about going across the border for any type of medical treatment. I found one online and he looked good so I called. They have an Arizona phone number so I didn't have to make an international call. I called them Monday morning and set an appointment for Tuesday afternoon. I asked for a ballpark figure and they said it would cost no more than $150.00 for an extraction.

Nogales is about 90 minutes south of us. It is an easy drive and we figured if nothing else, it would be another adventure. Getting into Mexico is really easy. There are lots of parking lots on this side of the border. You just walk across the border. No check points or lines or anything. Very easy. You almost don't even realize you have crossed into another country. There was no worry about safety. The only issue is all the guys trying to help you or get you to go into their shops.

We found the office fairly easy. It was very nice, modern and clean. Everybody was extremely friendly and helpful in the office. They gave me an antibiotic pill then took me back and put me in the chair. It was all state of the art. I had a really nice LCD TV over me and was able to watch TV while laying there. The dentist came in and looked at my tooth and agreed that the best course was extraction. He explained everything that would be done.

The first thing they did was numb the area so it wouldn't hurt while he was probing the tooth. He then said they would take X-rays to see how it looked. After the X-rays, they took impressions of my teeth in case I wanted to ever come back and get an implant. After that they cleaned my teeth to prevent infection. Then they pulled the tooth. The whole process took about an hour. Total cost of all that work? $100.00. Unbelievable!!!!! They gave me a prescription for antibiotics and pain killers. The cost for those was $11.00.

I can't stress enough how thoroughly impressed I was. They had better equipment than my expensive American dentist had. They were professional, caring, and gentle. And best of all, they were dirt cheap.

I am so glad I decided to brave it. I will have no qualms about going again for dental work or any other medical treatment. It was definitely worth the trip.

And by the way, 24 hours later, I am pain free and feeling good.