Originally published at: Dental Tourism Is Booming Amid Trump Admin Medicaid Cuts - TPM – Talking Points Memo
Isabel Flores used to have nightmares about her teeth falling out when she was young. To this day, the 56-year-old Arizonian does her best to take care of her teeth to prevent that from happening. But her teeth are very sensitive, and her past struggles with substance use weakened them. Around 10 years ago, a…
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The Iran War has already generated direct costs to the US taxpayer of $120 billion. That could buy dental care for all for life plus a load of dental school upgrades and expansions. BTW, who can blame Americans for choosing Mexico (or Canada), both of which have better teeth nationally than the US.
• Denmark: In the top spot, with an impressive DMFT Score of 0.4 At the very pinnacle of the list have Denmark. The data indicates Denmark has the best oral health of all the countries in the entire world. If you are looking for the country with the best teeth and oral hygiene, then we gladly announce that your search could end in Denmark. Realistically speaking, achieving a DMFT score even lower than 0.4 is next to impossible.
• Germany: Thanks to a super-low DMFT score of just 0.5 on the DMFT index. Germany takes second place on the list with a DMFT score of just 0.5. That means, of all the subjects who underwent an oral checkup most had half a tooth with serious issues. Can you Imagine, just half a tooth? The most remarkable thing about this is that even with such a great DMFT score, Germany has only been ranked number 2 on the list. In other words, the country that topped the list today has an even lower DMFT score than that.
• Finland: Third place on the list, with a stellar DMFT Score of 0.7 thanks to quality dental care available throughout the nation. They are now venturing into the top 3 territories the most prestigious position to be in, on the list. So basically talking about the third position on the list of top 10 countries with the best and straightest teeth and oral health in the world, and that honor goes to Finland with a DMFT score of 0.7. First of all, congratulations to Finland for making it so far up in the list, and we are quite optimistic that Finland is more than capable of moving even higher on the list in time
• Sweden: With a DMFT score of 0.8, Sweden scores a spot among the top five. They are halfway through the list of top 10 countries with the best and straightest teeth and oral health in the world, and at number 4, to push it even further takes a lot of dedication and self-restraint. Sweden seems to be doing it the right way.
• United Kingdom: The U.K. shares an identical DMFT score of 0.8 which is identical to Sweden. This score is particularly interested because of the old (now untrue) stereotype of British citizens with bad teeth. So basically, it could swap these two countries in the list and everything else will remain the same.
• Switzerland: Not surprisingly, Switzerland scored high, thanks to its advanced medical and dental programs. DMFT score was 0.9, which means that the average citizen included in the DMFT survey had less than one tooth that had issues.
• Canada: The seventh place with an excellent score of 1.0. It ranks above the United States in this area of its healthcare provisions. Not only did the country receive a good DMFT score some studies and reports showcase its population’s teeth as some of the whitest and straightest in the world.
• Mexico: Budget isn’t an ample one, but its dental care system seems to be effective. Mexico manages a 1.1 DMFT score. Despite a constrained healthcare budget, oral health and hygiene in Mexico are arguably better.
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“It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.” ― Hubert H. Humphrey
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when a country is governed by the EPSTEIN class…what do you expect??? nothing !!
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Conclusion: The current administration fails any moral test.
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I’ve been to Los Algodones a few times. It’s virtually nothing but dentists, doctor’s offices — little more than low-cost script mills; you had to (used to?) have an RX from a Mexican doctor to get a prescription filled — and pharmacies.
Hot tip: Never go just after the first of the month as the place is mobbed by seniors and it’ll take an hour+ to get back across the border.
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I crossed into Mexico from El Paso to look for dental care. OMG! None of what I saw had the trappings of professionalism and adequate sanitation. I am aware that there are people who have received acceptable dental care in Mexico, but without a referral from a trustworthy source, I cannot imagine risking care from what I was seeing.
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The average DMFT (Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth) score in the United States is roughly 1.2 for adults.
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When I lived in Tennessee (outside Knoxville), we had an annual traveling clinic that offered no cost/low cost medical and dental services. People camped out in the wee hours of the morning to ensure a place in line.
The need was astounding then. It’s worse now which makes all this waste and government looting utterly obscene.
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An uncle who lived in San Diego was crossing into Tijuana for dental care in the 1980s. We were visiting and he took us along for one visit, but I didn’t see his dentist’s office. He left us downtown so we could look around while he was at the clinic.
I do remember that the highway from the border crossing into Tijuana was crowded with people advertising auto body repair, as well as dentists.
He also bought a bag of sugar because it was much cheaper there. I bought a souvenir in the Tijuana Woolworths - only a dollar at the current exchange rate.
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The only politician that I have ever heard argue that dental care should be a part of Medicare is Bernie Sanders. I have never heard an American dentist advocate for lower-cost treatments, nor have I ever heard any of them publicly advocate for their services to be included in Medicare. Conclusion: Anyone who can do something about dental care for us old people really doesn’t give a shit.
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I’ve been to Algodones several times with friends, but it’s been a few years. At that time we never encountered long lines as we parked on the US side and walked across and back, though cars coming back were often backed up a long ways. If they have sparse agents for people walking back now there’s no excuse for it with all the $$ that have been allocated to CBP/ICE.
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While several states do offer adult dental benefits through Medicaid, it’s not required — already, several legislatures are [eliminating or reducing dental coverage] to trim their budgets.
Let me guesss—Red States!
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As I noted, the real crowds are at the beginning of the month when the government checks arrive.
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And auto upholstery. They did great work provided you stayed and make sure they didn’t use questionable materials* for padding.
*Not drugs, but straw/hay, etc.
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Gift link:
NEVER blindly follow a tout who intercepts you at the border crossing.
I’ve been getting dental care for the past 10 years in Nogales, Sonora at a dental clinic that is only a 3 block walk from the border crossing. My dentist has a US telephone number with an Arizona area code that you can use to manage and set up appointments. All the staff speaks excellent English. (But it doesn’t hurt for the dental client to speak a bit of Spanish, either. I ask them to let me practice speaking/comprehending it when I’m in their office. They appreciate the gesture. For the amusement value, if nothing else.)
One time I couldn’t get an appointment that I wanted because my dentist was in San Francisco USA at a seminar on implant technology. I started up with his clinic when my US quote was $15,000 per quadrant, i.e. $30,000. He did the work for $6,000. Only downside is no insurance accepted. It’s all cash, but they do accept credit cards.
Clinics in the larger border communities are always going to offer a wider variety of options than Algodones. Drive the extra 45 miles west, to Mexicali.
And do a little research first. There’s this thing called the Internet which allows you to find associations and consortia of practitoners on the other side of the border who specialize in medical/dental tourism and have no reason to shit in their own messkits by providing substandard care.
And if you do get substandard care, there’s the Mexican federal consumer protection agency, the Procuradoría Federal del Consumidor (PROFECO), which takes complaints online in English.
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