Showing posts with label trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trip. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

I will be documenting my trip to Mexico to go to the Dentist... from start to finish. $12,000 (U.S. prices) of dental work for $1500 in Mexico.



I am going to be going to Mexico for a dentist trip.  I had written a little about it the other day, wanting to get donations for another to go with me to do a complete documentary it all.  I took that post down after a few hours, as I did not feel comfortable asking for donations.

I am going to the dentist and will be leaving May 11th.  and will be in Merida Mexico until the 18th.

Merida is the safest place in Mexico.  It is considered the 'medical' city of Mexico.  It has many hospitals and it is a medical tourist destination.

It is on the Yucatan peninsula, four  hours from Cancun.  After doing a lot of searches with my trip for flights and considering going through Cancun and then taking the 4 hour Executive bus ride each way.  I found though the bus is only $35 each way, with a flight into Cancun from Knoxville Tennessee around $598.00 and worrying about the connection times of the bus with a long wait... I searched for flights directly to Merida.  Merida is just as Knoxville, it is a small airport, so it is more expensive to fly in and out of.

I searched expedia and found a package for a hotel and flight directly there from Houston.  I was able to get my flight and hotel (for 7 nights) with taxes and fees for $973.00.

The dentist is Dr. Camara.  I had gone to him in 2007.  At that time I got 8500 to $10000 (U.S. prices) work done for $1200.  I had 4 crowns, 7 old mercury fillings taken out with new composite put in, veneer bonding on a front tooth, cleaning and x-rays for that price.

My mom is going with me.  She needs 2 crowns and a bridge so she is taking the trip with me to get her teeth done and she will video parts of it.

I am videoing the trip.  From the start to finish.

I know I need 3 root canals due to trouble with 3 different teeth.  I have been quoted $3800 just for one tooth.

Here is Dr. Camara's pricing of services:  You can see a root canal cost there is $200 with a crown at $285.  So a root canal and crown for each tooth will be $485.  Three of them come out to $1500.  I am estimating $1500 to 1700 for my dental, add $973 (I got travel insurance at $62.00) so the flight and hotel is $1040. I am thinking $300 for food (but probably less, the hotel provides breakfast and food is inexpensive there).  I am estimating the whole trip at $3200.00 which is still less than what I have been quoted for one tooth here.  I will get three done plus more dental work of cleaning, x-rays, etc for that.

If people believe that a dentist is not as good as one's in the U.S., they are mistaken.  My dentist is excellent.   I have had the best dental work of my life there.

I want to show people how easy it is to get great dental work at a fraction of the cost of the U.S., so people can do it themselves and save money.