6,000 Americans cross the border from Yuma to the Mexican town of Los Algodones. They are seeking mainly dental care,but also vision care and prescription drugs. And they get it in Los Algodones, where there are more dentists per capita than anywhere else in the world.
Approximately 74 million people in the US (nearly a quarter of the population) have no dental insurance, according to the National Association of Dental Plans. Most dental plans don’t cover much at all beyond regular check-ups, cleaning, X-rays and fillings. Beyond that, patients are expected to fork over much of the cost of large but common procedures like crowns, root canals and implants. Dental plans also generally pay a maximum of $1,500 annually, a number that’s hardly changed in 50 years. And $1,500 doesn’t go far when you consider the cost of major dental work. The cost of a single crown can be as much as $2,000 and the cost of an implant can run $5,000 a tooth.
Dental work in Mexico is on average two-thirds less than in the US and customers may save 80 percent or more on some costly operations. Those savings derive partially from Mexico’s less expensive real estate and labor costs, but also, Mexico’s dentists don’t graduate with a ton of student debt.
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