Desperate U.S. dental patients cause boom in Mexico town
LOS ALGODONES, Mexico ― The billboards that line the stretch of California’s Interstate 8 headed toward Los Algodones make it clear travelers are not on their way to a typical tourism destination.
The clinics are the main reason Americans and, to a lesser extent, Canadians, travel to this village. There’s not much else here. The few restaurants in town close early, and the nightlife consists of two strip clubs. The residents are poor, and these dental clinics aren’t for them. Although the medical tourism boom has provided jobs to many area residents, others hustle as jaladores for tips from clinics and other businesses for luring pedestrians to them.
Story continuesThe Richardsons don’t have dental insurance. “By the time you pay your premiums for a year, what it gives you is just it helps with the cleaning but it doesn’t do anything for the major work,” he said. Dental tourism destinations like Los Algodones also attract Canadians, because that country’s national health care system doesn’t include dental coverage.
“All of this has to go with our incredibly broken health care system. Nobody wants to travel for care to a far-flung land and be in pain without relatives and loved ones around,” he said. “They’re being forced into it financially and by the shortcomings of the system.” Dental care is less expensive in Mexico for several reasons, said Deepak Datta, the CEO of Dallas-based Medical Tourism Co., an agency that connects its mainly American customers to treatments in countries including Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand and India.
Aging populations in the United States and Canada, the professionalization of dental practices in Los Algodones and the wider availability of internet resources for patients have helped the village and Sani Dental Group grow, Gutiérrez said. Former patients refer 70% of their new customers, he said. 1,000 Miles For A CheckupDonnette, 75, and Dan Brower, 77, did just that, however. The couple flew 1,000 miles from Spokane, Washington, for cleanings and X-rays. This was the retirees’ fifth trip to Los Algodones for dental care, including a previous visit when both had substantial work done to restore their teeth. Their local dentist charges $332 for a checkup, Donnette said, compared with $90 at Sani.
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