BTilke

The clinic is Sexton Dental Clinic in Florence, SC. Their web site is www.sextondental.net and their phone number is 843.662.2543. Their web site has a price list, so you should compare the prices for their work PLUS the cost of getting to/from Florence and accommodations, etc., with the cost and convenience of having the work done at home. For people who live within driving distance in the southeastern US, it can be cost-effective; if you're coming from the west coast, it might not be.
My mother said get there early in the morning and don't be surprised if you have to wait for quite a while. You will probably find yourself sharing the waiting room with 50 other patients. Think of the clinic as the Southwest Airlines of dental care.
FYI, here is an article in one of the local papers about the clinic:
http://www.morningnewsonline.com/ser...6146&path=

If you can work the dental care into a vacation in the Southeast...maybe Hilton Head or Charleston, it might make sense...perhaps you could do a few days touring around Charleston, then have the procedures, then go to Hilton Head (or other beach resort), take your painkillers and watch the waves. Don't plan on flying home the day after the procedure...you do NOT want to risk flying across country with a post-procedure infection.
Anyway, good luck!

JamesA

Good point of previos poster about flying, you need I think to check with them in advance about flying as I 'think' something about the pressure, best to check

ejkonz

Have not had any personal experience with "foreign dentistry", however, my parents have been "winter texans" for years and swear by the dental work they have had done in Mexico. It is cheap, the dentists and their office staff speak perfect English, the facilities are clean and professional and they have been very happy with the work done at a fraction of the cost here. Several years ago after receiving some fairly extensive work done down there my mother had occasion to visit a dentist here in Chicago ... fortunately for a routine cleaning. Upon inspection of her teeth he commented on the "beautiful" job that was done on her during the winter (I think it was some sort of grafting procedure). At any rate that is an option to consider. I also have an Aunt and Uncle in upstate NY who routinely visit a dentist in Montreal where work is also significantly cheaper than here in the US.
Good Luck ... I don't envy you!

mm

The U.S. t.v. show "60 minutes" had a story on this subject last night.

A written version is located at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in689998.shtml

Be sure to enter the link as a single line.

mm

GSteed

Too much anecdotal bits. I have been in Poland for more than ten years. My first experience with Polish dental care was USA Peace Corps directed with Warszawa dentists. Later as a teacher and resident I have had more work done. It is at least the equal of any USA supplier. The hygiene is superb. The prices amazingly low compared to the USA. Suggestion, base in Warsaw, get work done there. Travel about between sessions. In the next few days I will ask my dentist for current procedure prices. I live in Lodz.

GSteed

Update: Today I was at my dentist. Lodz, Poland. Dr. Elisabeth took 30 minutes to replace a lost filling. $25. Clinic is equivalent of any in USA. I checked prices for crowns, $110. A root canal is $37. An X-Ray of a single tooth on site is $3. An off site 'panorama' is $15. Come to Poland...All large cities will offer similar services and prices.

metlc

flcrickets,

ejkontz has is nailed: Mexico is THE place to go for dental (and other) work.

I have several friends who go to Mexico for their dental work EVEN THOUGH they have "insurance" coverage to have it done in California. They swear by it. In fact, I would recommend Mexican dentistry over California regardless of cost (and my cousin is a dentist in California).

Slightly off topic, but my mother needed emergency colon surgery (anastamosis) while vacationing in Mexico. She got better treatment than I believe she would have received in the States (Blue Cross eventually reimbursed her), and the total cost was around $8,000 for services that would have run over $50,000 stateside.

P_M

Thanks for the info on the clinic in SC. My husband will require some expensive dental work and our lousy insurance only pays $1000/year, in total!! Besides, I have always wanted to visit that part of the country, so we could make a vacation out of this.

BTilke

Normally I don't think "dental work" and "vacation" belong in the same sentence...but if you do make it a combined trip, leave the days after the work as very easy, just hanging out days staring at the pool or ocean. If your husband feels fine afterwards, great, you can find some activities. But if he's not 100%, the last thing you want on your (dental) plate is sightseeing. And also, I can't stress enough, don't plan to fly immediately after the dental work. It's a bad idea especially if there's even a slight chance of an infection or other problem.

P_M

Excellent points, BTilke, especially the part about flying. If we do this, the procedure will come first and we will spend the rest of the week doing whatever he feels up to.

ekellyga

This is an interesting "thread". I've been practicing dentistry here in the US for 25 years. I'm not trying to knock the idea of having dental treatment, or other medical treatment, done overseas to save money. However, I have a lot of concerns. Too many to mention here, but let me post a warning on just ONE topic.

Regarding root canal treatment (endodontics). In the past, European dentists used a method called "the Sargenti method". It was common and accepted in Europe. Using Sargenti endodontics in the US is a sure way to lose a big malpractice case. The method is not a good way to have a root canal done. I wonder if these very low costs quoted for root canal treatment are for "Sargenti" root canals. Beware!

5alive

My brother lives overseas. It has been difficult finding proper dental services. He prefers Europe to South America.

But even in Europe, it was his experience that the dentist skipped X-rays and recommended a cleaning. My brother didn't realize that X-Rays can help spot cavities etc, and went along with it.

He had much better experience with an optometry appointment, although the prices were very comparable to our region of the USA, just a different distribution in cost of exam vs contacts and glasses.

I generally like Clark Howard. (For those who don't know, he does a syndicated radio show on saving money and consumer advocacy.) But I'm a little doubtful you'd want to do this overseas medical trip.

mikemo

Dental x-rays in asymptomatic patients have been documented to be a waste of time, money and exposure in
many Peer reviewed studies in the US "medical" literature.
Dental care in MEX (city) is first world, but not inexpensive.
I would not have elective dental surgery here in SMdA.
M

ekellyga

MUCH disagreement with the previous posting about dental xrays being shown to be a waste in an asymptomatic patient.
After 25 years of practicing dentistry full time, I could show you thousands upon thousands of cases where routine radiographs have uncovered pathology that needed treatment, LONG before symptoms occur.
We don't take xrays willy-nilly. Xrays and tests in medicine are scheduled along some logical guidelines, to discover pathology that is common in certain tissues. PAP smears, cholesterol and LDL levels, glucose testing, glaucoma testing, and radiographs to detect decay are logical. However, we don't do treadmill stress tests, or lung xrays without symptoms (usually).

Christina

I wonder how this thread came up. I don't know about whether routine xrays are worthless--I know my dentist takes them, but not that frequently. Sometimes I think they do come in handy to have a benchmark when questions have arisen.

However, that wasn't really the point of this post where a couple of people had let their teeth rot and deteriorate for years without being treated, it sounded like. I am also surprised at the people proposing going to Mexico -- I have heard first-hand experiences of the very bad medical treatment in that country, even in Mexico City. I can't imagine going there intentionally.