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By Greg Niemann
Unfortunately for many Americans, dental work is rarely covered in employee Group Health Plans. Many people, most notably retirees, are obliged to purchase their own Dental Health Insurance. It is generally not cheap, and there is often a lengthy waiting period before coverage begins. If you’ve got a toothache, you can’t just sign up and expect to be treated right away.
As Medicare and many private health plans do not include dental care, seeking lower costs is especially important to many.
It’s like a crap shoot: simple dental work is usually much cheaper than monthly premiums. However, what dental needs might be projected? It’s no wonder many opt not to buy insurance, instead just addressing expensive dental work “down the road.”
Taking advantage of this dilemma are the dentists of Mexico who “roll out the carpet” for Americans looking to save money. There are many competent dentists in Baja California close to the U.S. Border: in Tijuana, Rosarito, and other places that offer professional services for generally about a third of stateside prices.
Los Algodones (population 5,474 in the 2010 census). English is widely spoken and most prices are posted and/or quoted in U.S. dollars. But most striking—the small town is home to over 40 dental offices, over 900 total doctors, 50 dental laboratories, and a goodly number of pharmacies.
For roughly one-third to one-half of the price you would pay in the U.S. you can get everything in the way of dentistry procedures, prescription glasses, prescriptions drugs, and other types of medical procedures and supplies.
Los Algodones, B.C. is near the extreme southeast corner of California, less than 8 miles west of Yuma. And it is only a half-day drive from either San Diego (165 miles) or Palm Springs (162 miles) and a large, fenced parking lot is designed for day-tourists. You simply walk across the border from California. Or there is ample parking in Algodones.
The town is so small (just several blocks in each direction), it is easy to find your doctor or dentist. Where stateside dentists take a couple of weeks to get a crown made, the dental labs in Los Algodones can create crowns in less than an hour.
I was impressed with the workmanship along with the price, well below what I was quoted in Palm Springs. To give you an idea, even today (2024), Circle Dental in Los Algodones currently charges $35.00 for teeth cleaning, $50.00 for a filling, $190.00 for a porcelain crown, $70.00 for a tooth extraction, $270.00 for a root canal, and $790.00 for an implant.
There are larger and smaller clinics and every type of dental specialty is offered including teeth whitening, orthodontics and endodontics.
Los Algodones doesn’t have a lock on Baja’s Medical Tourism. There are numerous pharmacies and dentists in Tijuana, Rosarito, and Ensenada.
Years ago, when I had a pressing need for a toothache, I went to the only dentist in a small Mexican village. My Spanish wasn’t too good at the time, but the dentist immediately understood the problem. The equipment was not the most up-to-date, but fancy color x-ray photos were not needed for her to alleviate the pain.
I’ve had hit and miss experiences with dentists in Rosarito Beach, about 10 miles away from my former beach house, even within the same dental office. Then again, I’ve had hit and miss experiences stateside too, in both Orange County and in the Palm Springs area.
Washington Dental Clinic, Tijuana
The last few years we’ve been going to a dental clinic in Tijuana that caters to Americans crossing the border, thus saving thousands of dollars. The Washington Dental Clinic, right on Avenida Revolution (Ave Revolucion #1673) is just a block up from the estimable Jai Alai Palace, and has off-street parking.
As we have Global Entry/Sentri Passes, driving across the border northbound is usually not so onerous for us. However, a good many of the Washington Dental Clinic patients take advantage of their free taxi service to and from the San Ysidro International Border. They also offer passes for the border crossing’s coveted and direct Fast Pass/Medical Lane (not offered for cleanings and simple procedures).
If you drive, check Baja Bound's northbound San Ysidro border directions and routes.
If you want or need to spend the night, I recommend the Ticuan Hotel, just one block from the clinic. U.S. Phone: 877-780-8308. They are inexpensive, have large clean rooms, offer free covered secure parking, include a great buffet breakfast, and are less than a three-minute walk. There are numerous other hotel options, including the Grand Hotel Tijuana and the Marriott Tijuana, both about a 10-minute drive up Ave. Revolution, are both very good.
The Washington Dental Clinic, which retains 10 dentists, has a comprehensive English-speaking staff. Several coordinators and administrators are always present, and their main job is to walk tourists through the steps and ensure that everything is understood and there are no delays. If you have to make a return trip (like for implants and crowns) they help you set it up, even though you don’t make an appointment per se. U.S toll free (800) 207-9223.
You often see local Tijuanenses in there for dental work too. Administrator Tony Soria stated that as the Washington Dental Clinic reaches out to Americans, about 90 percent of their business comes from across the border, but added that many locals are regulars.
Just like in Los Algodones, crowns and other devices are prepared immediately, and most procedures can be done in 1 or 2 visits. As we have both had implants done there requiring more than one visit, my wife and I have been treated by the same dentist each time (Dra. Carolina Vasquez).
To give you a rough idea, one of our implant procedures included X-ray, Extraction, Bone Graft, Dental Implant, and Zirconia Crown and came to a total $1,750 at Washington Dental Clinic. In the states we were quoted $7,850 for not even all of those procedures! Sort of covers the gas and hotel bill.
Washington Dental Clinic offers a two-year guarantee on work performed, even providing patients with a Certificate of Guarantee.
The doctors and dentists in both the larger clinics in Los Algodones and Tijuana are highly trained and have completed their studies at major universities and medical schools in both the U.S. and Mexico.
Washington Dental Clinic is not the only horse in the Tijuana dental stable. In the immediate Ave. Revolution (Zona Central) area, there are several of them, all striving for the Yankee dental dollar. Some are larger than others and other than on-line reviews, or anecdotal comments, I can’t say anything about them.
Most seem to provide the same services at similar prices, and some also offer border pickup service. Smile Builders is right on Ave. Revolution and its bilingual staff also offers similar services as Washington Clinic. So does Revolution Dental.
There is also the Smile Dental Clinic in Zona Centro which offers comprehensive dental care at prices they advertise as “70% lower when compared to the United States.”
Other dentists in or near downtown you might want to consider include: Dental Banuelos, Dental Ortiz, Bocca Dental Clinic, I Love My Dentist, Tijuana Dental Clinic, Smile4Less, and Castillo Dental.
Due to proximity to San Diego and Orange County, the Tijuana dental market is probably the best Mexican option and most southern Californians can make the round trip within the day.
It’s all about saving thousands of dollars. However, while you’re in Tijuana, you might also want to walk a couple of blocks down the street and have a Caesar Salad prepared tableside right where the salad was invented - at the Caesar's Restaurant on Ave. Revolution.
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