Hygienist Session Mexico

Excellent patient care and great work. Clean and dentists are extremely confident.

Very tiny dental office. Four chairs and a couch crammed into a reception area along with a reception counter. The receptionist seemed knowledgeable about the policies and procedures of the office. Both my husband and I had appointments for a consult. We were first seen by a very young general dentist. He seemed knowledgeable. He poked and prodded and took the dental X-rays. He then told me what he thought I needed based on his exam. I then saw the implant specialist. He sent me across the way to have a panoramic X-ray before finalizing his treatment plan for me. (The panoramic X-ray cost me $150. I reasoned that I could use it for all the consults I had scheduled. Turns out the second dentist did a more in-depth 3D scan but didn’t charge me. We’ll see if the third dentist uses it.). In the meantime, the dentist saw my husband, who had requested an implant for a missing tooth pulled this past summer. My husband jumped in with both feet and accepted the offer to get an implant right then and there. He had his teeth cleaned for $30 and an implant inserted for $900 in about a half-hour. He will return in several months to have the crown put on the implant (additional charge). He was given a prescription for antibiotics and pain pills, which he filled next door at a pharmacy for about $15. Oddly enough it was the receptionist who wrote and signed the prescription. My treatment plan was more complex. It involved several implants for long-missing teeth, a sinus lift, new crowns for several front teeth. Some of the work they would do right away and some after months of healing took place. I declined to have anything done as I had appointments with two more dentists for consults. I left with an estimate for $7700, which is a whole lot better than the plan from back home of $22,000. The two things that I was not particularly comfortable with was; 1) When I paid the bill with a personal check, I was asked not to fill in the “payable to” section. I inquired as to the reason for that. I was first laughingly told by the receptionist that it was so she could go shopping. 2). The two exam rooms are barely big enough for a dental chair, the dentist and a dental tech are connected. It’s actually one bigger room set up exactly the same on both sides of a separation wall. You can hear everything that is being said and done on the other side of the wall. But I don’t believe Mexico has a HIPPA law! I believe there was a third small exam room located next to the tiny bathroom. This is just not the office for someone with claustrophobia or privacy concerns. Communication was not an issue, as all staff I had interaction with spoke English. I also observed good hygiene practices. Three of the patients I spoke with while waiting were repeated patients. They seemed pleased with their past results. My husband’s implant seems to be healing well. It required nothing for pain after the first 24 hours. Dental Departures facilitated this visit and sent us several appointment reminders.

chipped molar We were on vacation in Playa del Carmen in September 2014 and my wife found Dr. Pitalua online because I had a molar with a large chip that I wanted fixed while I was there. My wife was hesitant about seeing a dentist in Mexico, until we read the wonderful reviews of Dr. Pitalua. We were able to get in the same day that we called, with no appointment, That same day, he did the molds, and then the next day I had an appointment to remove the temporary filling he put in the day before and have the piece made by the lab installed. Dr. Pitalua and his staff were extremely professional, courteous and very fast and did quality work. His office had modern equipment and was very clean. The price was a tenth of what I would have paid in Texas. Also, I would have had to wait weeks for an appointment if I saw a dentist in Texas. It also took very little time out of our vacation. We would definitely want to see him again. What a person would spend on a dentist in the US, they could spend on a vacation and a dentist appointment and come out ahead!