Author Topic: Any San Diegans here been to TJ for dental work?  (Read 2414 times)

linter

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Any San Diegans here been to TJ for dental work?
« on: January 21, 2020, 05:38:54 AM »
  Anyone here have any experience w/ dentists in Tijuana?  The three I've seen recommended most often elsewhere are: Baja Dental, Washington Dental and Bartell Dental.  But maybe there's someone else you know of?

  Sadly, I need to have a ton of work done -- so much that the doc I saw in La Jolla thought it best to give me a dental plan and price for only the 1 most immediately needed procedure, out of about ten, lest I bowl over from sticker shock and die right there on the spot, not an unlikely happening at my medicare-using age.

That first procedure: ceramic crown, at $1360, with likely need of core build up, at $278, for a total of $1638, which in itself nearly did me in. And, like I said, that's about 1/10 of what I need in all.

So: TJ.

Thoughts? Recommendations there?

Thanks!

iopsailor

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Re: Any San Diegans here been to TJ for dental work?
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2020, 06:31:02 AM »
I can’t offer any help, being on the wrong coast except to suggest that it sounds like a great  topic for a first-person article  for a local publication.  I can only sympathize, being an escaped dental patient myself.

Wetstuff

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Re: Any San Diegans here been to TJ for dental work?
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2020, 07:10:49 AM »
Linter, Eastcoast here, so nothing direct.  I was wandering around Trip Advisor looking into CR and noticed a lot of wailing about some of the 'adventures' people had in CR with medical.  Linter, it might be wise to look in those unexpected places for topics like Medical Tourism.

The other one - there are those 'roadshows' where dentists (kinda like Docs w/o Borders) go into Alabama, etc. and ...line them up and do'm at N/C.  Treat it like The Dead - roadshow!

I have had needed very little work done - my two front teeth were replaced when I passed out in ROTC about 60yrs ago - 'still functioning. Like  you, last year, I needed a crown.. $900. for a root canal and perhaps a little over that for the crown. 'Out of pocket' - the 'third ouch'.

Good luck.   Jim
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surfcowboy

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Re: Any San Diegans here been to TJ for dental work?
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2020, 07:52:06 AM »
Yo, I’ve had several friends do it. Reach out to me. Here’s his report from November 2019

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the well wishes and questions on my trip to Tijuana.
My report :
  Part 1 of the Root Canal went great. I’ve honestly never had a more “pain free” dental procedure. Not even the needles.
Smile Tijuana Dentistry was fantastic. The staff were all super friendly and professional.  It’s located in Zona Norte , which could easily be mistaken for Beverly Hills. Starbucks and Sushi restaurants all over the place.... not that that’s my thing ... but, you get my drift.

Getting there: drive to Chula Vista , Park all day for $8. , walk across the border and take a $5. Taxi to the dentist. Easy peasy.
After you are done, the receptionist calls their taxi driver, who speaks perfect English to take you to the Farmacia  and then back to the border crossing.
It was simple.

I’ll add here that since I made the appointment last week, the receptionist called me no less than 5 times to go over the complete procedure , costs and to consult over the phone once the dentist received my emailed X-Rays from California. They even checked out a few hotels for me in case I decided to spend the night.
 You will not receive service like this in The U.S. ... period.
   
I go back in 10 days to finish up the root canal and take the impression for the crown. Since it’s so affordable, I’m able to get the “top of the line” Cubic Zirconia, non metallic one.

Total price for the consultation, X-rays, Root Canal , post , crown and cleaning:
$1000.

That’s roughly 1/3 of the cost here in California.

Feel free to pm any questions.

P.S. just about everyone in line to cross the border was going to Mexico for Dental care. “

Tom

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Re: Any San Diegans here been to TJ for dental work?
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2020, 08:22:45 AM »
When I lost my dental insurance, I'd go to TJ for cleanings. I need to go four times a year, so it was a huge savings.  I now have insurance so I go to a U.S. dentist. TJ was excellent and I know many of my friends have had excellent work there.  I have heard of one bad experience thought, but that can happen in the U.S. also.

Can't remember my dentist`s name.

linter

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Re: Any San Diegans here been to TJ for dental work?
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2020, 10:34:48 AM »
thanks, all.  and SC -- will PM asap!

Weasels wake

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Re: Any San Diegans here been to TJ for dental work?
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2020, 01:04:35 PM »
I've got a good friend here in SLO county who always goes down to TJ for his dental work, but from now on he's only going to go back for basic stuff.  The last time he went down there for a couple of implant foundations, and they both got infected, he said one of them got drilled out too deep and poked out thru the outside of his gum.  He ended up paying a local dentist for the remaining work needed to complete that job, after they got the infection cured.  But like he said, he will go back just for minor routine maintenance, even though that hasn't happened yet.
It takes a quiver to do that.

magentawave

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Re: Any San Diegans here been to TJ for dental work?
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2020, 02:56:19 PM »
I would check the reviews on yelp first. I took my kids down there (Western, I think) when they were in their early teens and had to get braces. I didn’t get the braces there (because you have to keep going back to get braces adjusted). However, what I did have them do in TJ before getting braces here was to pull their baby teeth and that saved me about $1000.00.

They didn’t quite understand the concept of wearing gloves though. They were wearing gloves but they were opening doors and going through files and doing all kinds of stuff without changing the gloves before working on you. That was quite a few years ago so hopefully that has changed.

Taxis are cheap in TJ but most of the dentists back then would pay for the taxi both ways so be sure to ask them. The other downside was the time spent walking back over the border and then by the time you’re done with that you’ll be hitting a wall of northbound traffic on the 5 and 805 north. Bottom line: plan for a long day but it’s worth it if you can save thousands.
« Last Edit: January 26, 2020, 02:59:26 PM by magentawave »
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