Trip Report -- Algodones Dentistry
The Real Bev
*THE GOOD*
The natives are friendly. Most speak English, and if they don't there's
somebody nearby who does.
The dentists are willing to work for 4 hours or more at a sitting and
will shoot you sufficiently full of lidocaine that you're numb the
entire time AND MORE. I had possibly 9 (I didn't count and don't have a
detailed bill yet) crowns and three fillings. Total chair time 16 hours
spread over 6 days. $2700. Husband has implants, crowns, a root canal,
a bridge and a partial. BIL had crowns, root canals and partials.
Their work required much less chair time than mine. Implant post
insertion and attached teeth still to go in 6 months.
They use bottled water for drinking/dental purposes, but the sinks use
whatever comes out of the tap. Some website said Algodones used Yuma
city water, but the office didn't confirm that.
They had higher-tech equipment (digital x-rays) than the last local
dentist I went to.
If you need a specialist, (s)he will come to YOU, and possibly while you
wait.
Prescription stuff IS cheaper and the big pharmacy is only a few short
blocks from the border. The pet pharmacy is a little further.
August means no crowds. Free parking (when that gets filled up there's
a huge $5/day lot). Short or no pedestrian line to cross the border
back into the US. Don't even think of driving across the border, the
parking probably won't be any closer to where you want to go and you
risk whatever you risk by driving across the border -- not the least
being a LOOOOOOONG wait even in August.
We found an ordinary motel with AC, 2 double beds, TV (HBO too),
microwave, refrigerator and a small pool for $40/night. RegaLodge on
4th Avenue. The Del Sol supermarket is a few blocks away.
I know nothing about silver jewelry prices (they price by weight,
apparently), but the stuff sold by the street vendors is attractive. I
bought a ring for $20.
Lots of opticians too. Even with my nasty prescription, I got my
glasses in an hour. Cheapest: $20 for single-vision or bifocals plus
$10 for tint and $10 for exam. My right lens was better than the one
I'm wearing. The left one wasn't, so the guy made another left one in
my old prescription. An acceptable outcome. If you don't like the
frames this shop has, go to the next. There are hundreds.
*THE BAD*
Had I accepted the offer of a private tour of the Yuma Sewage Treatment
Plant it would have been the highlight of the trip. There is nothing to
do in Yuma that you can't do in the town you left because there was
nothing to do there. Plan on bringing your entertainment with you
unless you're an alcoholic.
Air conditioning is essential. Check out the high and low temperatures
and plan accordingly.
Food quality was not a high priority ("soft" is prime), but avoid the
Jack-in-the-Box breakfast bowl.
If you go in a group, it's probably wise for everybody to go to a
different dentist. There were only a few other patients while we were
there, but the three of us did a lot of waiting while the two dentists
worked on us. I'd recommend bringing some kind of cushion -- my
tailbone is really painful.
I don't know how you choose a dentist. My SIL used one recommended by
someone she knew. I picked ours because they had the most
professional-looking webpage, handled all the procedures we needed, and
responded promptly and in excellent English to my emailed questions.
My tongue is still sore so I can't really tell how the crowns feel, but
they seem a little rough with some unexpected edges. If they don't
disappear with time and usage I'll have the guy smooth them down when we
go back in 6 months.
*THE UGLY*
Yuma. It's not actually ugly, it's just like every other town of
similar size in the US that's REALLY warm.
--
Cheers, Bev
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Why should I be tarred with the epithet "loony" merely
because I have a pet halibut? --Monty Python
hchi...@hotmail.com
Thanks for the detailed info. Makes me remember the glory days of the
MFCL group *sniff*. If we need work, this might be something we would
do. What was the name of the dentist you used? Since the work seemed
to be good, might be nice to have a reference.
m...@privacy.net
<bashley1...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Yuma. It's not actually ugly, it's just like every other town of
>similar size in the US that's REALLY warm.
Thanks for that report Bev!!!
I've give some thought to doing the
Algondes thing as well
However, I always thought Yuma would be
a pretty town! Guess not huh?
The Real Bev
> Just a FYI, your bottom line somehow got posted to the top. :-)
>
> Thanks for the detailed info. Makes me remember the glory days of the
> MFCL group *sniff*. If we need work, this might be something we would
> do. What was the name of the dentist you used? Since the work seemed
> to be good, might be nice to have a reference.
http://www.algodonesdentalimplants.com/
Sister-in-law+husband like http://drconnieayaladds.com/
Big list of dentists plus links to other businesses/services
http://www.losalgodones.com/dental_index.htm
--
Cheers,
Bev
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Calling someone an asshole for being rude to a telemarketer
is like accusing someone who's shot a burglar in his home
of being a poor host." -- W.S.Rowell
The Real Bev
Nope. The high point, tourist-wise, was the Yuma Territorial Jail. We
just looked at the outside. $4 admission. We figured we could get in
for free if we assaulted a cop, but it didn't seem worth it.
We drove around looking for a place open for breakfast and saw nothing
that didn't look like what's known by city planners as "highway
commercial" or residential.
The Algodones dunes, to the west along Highway 8, are spectacular. Our
own little Sahara. Good for ATVs in cooler weather unless the Sierra
Club convinces the asshole politicians that there's some endangered weed
or fly there.
The desert is beautiful, but it's an acquired taste -- especially
without AC. Norther is prettier.
Jon von Leipzig@mayday.com
>
> I don't know how you choose a dentist. My SIL used one recommended by
> someone she knew. I picked ours because they had the most
> professional-looking webpage, handled all the procedures we needed, and
> responded promptly and in excellent English to my emailed questions.
>
Check diplomas on wall, might be from "Pedro's School of Bartending &
Dentistry"
Lots of fake dentists in bordertowns, I hear.
Jon von Leipzig@mayday.com
> Bottom line: DO IT!
>
> *THE GOOD*
>
> The natives are friendly. Most speak English, and if they don't there's
> somebody nearby who does.
>
> The dentists are willing to work for 4 hours or more at a sitting and
> will shoot you sufficiently full of lidocaine that you're numb the
> entire time AND MORE. I had possibly 9 (I didn't count and don't have a
> detailed bill yet) crowns and three fillings. Total chair time 16 hours
> spread over 6 days. $2700. Husband has implants, crowns, a root canal,
> a bridge and a partial. BIL had crowns, root canals and partials.
> Their work required much less chair time than mine. Implant post
> insertion and attached teeth still to go in 6 months.>
Just bein' nosy.....whaddya think it'd cost in LA for all that
work..??
> Had I accepted the offer of a private tour of the Yuma Sewage Treatment
> Plant it would have been the highlight of the trip. There is nothing to
> do in Yuma that you can't do in the town you left because there was
> nothing to do there. Plan on bringing your entertainment with you
> unless you're an alcoholic.
What...no cheap hoes on the street??
The Real Bev
> On Aug 18, 12:07 am, The Real Bev <bashley101+use...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Bottom line: DO IT!
>>
>> I had possibly 9 (I didn't count and don't have a
>> detailed bill yet) crowns and three fillings. Total chair time 16 hours
>> spread over 6 days. $2700. Husband has implants, crowns, a root canal,
>> a bridge and a partial. BIL had crowns, root canals and partials.
>> Their work required much less chair time than mine. Implant post
>> insertion and attached teeth still to go in 6 months.>
>
> Just bein' nosy.....whaddya think it'd cost in LA for all that
> work..??
I was quoted $7500 for less work, some of it deemed unnecessary by the
Algodones guy. A slightly cheaper option was $5500.
>> Had I accepted the offer of a private tour of the Yuma Sewage Treatment
>> Plant it would have been the highlight of the trip. There is nothing to
>> do in Yuma that you can't do in the town you left because there was
>> nothing to do there. Plan on bringing your entertainment with you
>> unless you're an alcoholic.
>
> What...no cheap hoes on the street??
Not that I noticed. It would take a mighty tough streetwalker to ply
her trade in 110*F weather. Anyway, most of the customers are senior
citizens in pairs. The last time we crossed the border, though, a group
of what looked like frat boys crossed ahead of us. I figured they were
on a quest for strong drink or the aforementioned strolling hostesses,
but they stopped at the first available men's room. Didn't see them
again for the rest of the day.
--
Cheers,
Bev
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
'Politics' comes from an ancient Greek word meaning
'many blood-sucking leeches.' -- Mark Russell
The Real Bev
>> I don't know how you choose a dentist. My SIL used one recommended by
>> someone she knew. I picked ours because they had the most
>> professional-looking webpage, handled all the procedures we needed, and
>> responded promptly and in excellent English to my emailed questions.
>>
> Look for signs such as, "We sterilize our instruments"...(??)
More like "digital x-rays".
> Check diplomas on wall, might be from "Pedro's School of Bartending &
> Dentistry"
>
> Lots of fake dentists in bordertowns, I hear.
Given that the entire town exists for the purpose of servicing the
dental and optical needs of uninsured US citizens, generally of the
senior variety, I would think that a certain amount of self-policing
would be done -- the penalty for pissing in the soup is probably severe.
In my research, I didn't find a single negative comment -- just positive
ones. Given that people are far more likely to bitch about something
than praise it, I take that as useful information.
I saw no actual degree on the wall, but there were numerous certificates
for specialized workshops or seminars or whatever else they're called
from USC, UCLA, Loma Linda and a few other reputable medical schools;
the main guy was familiar with the area around USC.