@Papa-pepper is not exactly a fan of certain things.
One such thing is paying foolish amounts of money to people when you don't have to. First off, oral health is important. I hear that if it gets bad enough, it can kill you. Yet, you need a separate insurance for your teeth, as if they weren't part of your body, LOL. After the life I once lived, I'm glad to still have teeth, but that's another story for another day. Additionally, I think that I will be doing some research soon, because I have a hunch that "The Food Pyramid" is a scam.
Anyway, over the years, I've spent a lot on dental work. During one such incident, I went to a dentist with the intention of having him pull a tooth. Instead, I let him upsell me into a root canal that not only cost me thousands of dollars, it also didn't take. After paying for the procedure, I still wound up at a funeral in south Texas with an incredible problem. Thankfully, I was only about fifteen minutes from the border of Mexico, so I crossed it and went to find a dentist. $300 later, the problem was solved.
Isn't that interesting. Somehow I allowed myself to get talked into spending thousands of dollars out of my own pocket for a procedure that did not work. Then, for just a few hundred dollars, I had the same procedure done better in another country.... Thus began my love affair with buying things in Mexico, even teeth!
Since @mama-pepper has family members in south Texas down near the border, it only takes us a few more minutes to head into Mexico. Since this is one of those borders that people have put up around the world, there are checkpoints. For this reason I park on the United States side and walk across into Mexico. Trust me, it takes a lot less time to search me than it does to search my vehicle.
Earlier today, I took a stroll into Mexico by myself. I would bring some of the @little-peppers, but when I am going for dental work, the potential for certain things is on another level. For one, a dentist could choose to put me under against my will. Now the place that I go is one that I have been to three times already, but still. Any time you let someone inject something into you, you are taking a certain risk and choosing to trust them. If @papa-pepper gets unintentionally put under, it's one thing, but if I get put under while I have @little-peppers with me that's a completely different situation.
Again, I'm not saying that anything will happen to me like that, just that it is a potential possibility, and one should at least attempt to be intelligent in certain situations. I'm sure plenty of people would also suggest not travelling alone in foreign countries, but sometimes options are limited.
THE ACTUAL BORDER CROSSING
To cross into Mexico via the international bridge, the first thing that you need is 50 cents. Yes, without paying 50 cents, you will not be able to legally make it past this turnstile.
Since quarters are the acceptable tender here, your 50 cents should look like this. If you are unable to come up with two quarters, you may have to change your plans.
You will also want to keep in mind that it costs 25 cents to get out of Mexico. I guess that they sort of treat it like a bad amusement park; 50 cents to get in and 25 cents to get back out again. Please remember this when you are making your travel plans. If your goal is simply to head into Mexico, you will want to budget about 50 cents. However, if you want to come back from Mexico, make sure that you have an extra quarter, or 75 cents total. This will be important. Also, please remember that the extra quarter does not guarantee that you will return from Mexico, it'll just help you when you reach the turnstile on the way back. If you want to make purchases besides just the admission fee and the exit tax, like perhaps teeth for instance, you will need to save up more than 75 cents to be able to go to Mexico.
If you follow the international bridge over the Rio Grande, then you know that you are heading in the correct direction, and Mexico should be in your immediate future.
Halfway across the international bridge, there is a sign letting you know that only half of your body has successfully made it into the unseen, imaginary lines that only shows up on maps. If you continue in the direction that you were going, the rest of your body should follow you out of the United States.
At the end of the bridge, there is now a convenient sign like the one above. It did not use to be there, so I'm not sure what tragedy occurred to inspire the implementation of this sign. I'm guessing that someone accidentally got turned around and walked back into the United States, thinking that it was Mexico, and rather than coming to the realization that perhaps they need to put down their smart phone, stop texting their friends and taking selfies, and pay attention to where they are walking, they probably just sued Mexico instead because they did not have a sign with that arrow thingy pointing which way they were supposed to go. Thankfully, the sign is there now, so I was successful.
The arrow thingy on the sign points into this room. Yes, it has a metal detector/x-ray thingy machine or something and a chair in it with a monitor, but the chair is currently empty. I was probably part of some sort of "upgrade" to Mexican border security which got put into their budget. Now, rather than walking up the sidewalk into Mexico like I used to, I get to look at this machine and chair on my way in. It definitely makes me... something... I'm just not sure what yet.
WELCOME TO MEXICO
If you complete all the steps in this process, then you will successfully be on Mexican soil. For those of you who need a refresher, here are the steps to the entry process.
- Save up a minimum of 50 cents.
- Use the 50 cents to pass the turnstile level of border security.
- Begin walking across the bridge that spans the Rio Grande.
- Once you reach the halfway point, keep going or it will not work.
- Follow the sign with the arrow thingy on it into the security room.
- Walk past the chair and the machine thingy.
TODAY'S AGENDA
Most of my agenda today was business. Well, the first time I went my agenda was business, but then I got back to America and was hungry, so I went back across for dinner, but that too is another story. Anyway, my business was mostly dental and vision care.
With no appointment or referral, I walked into a dentist office that I had not been to in years. Amazingly, they skipped the whole "You missed your six month checkup so I'll have to charge you extra this time" mantra and let me head right in and grab a seat. This seat was different that the ones in the United States though, as it has all sorts of dentisty things around it. I was formerly used to the seats with small tables covered in magazines and root canal brochures. I guess that these dentists do not realize that making customers wait can make the business seem more important, and therefore worthy of higher prices. LOL - foolish foreigners!
In no time the dentist was hard at work evaluating the situation. Today I needed an extraction so that I can get an implant in a couple months, so the dentist numbed me up and got to business.
This tooth had been a problem tooth for me for some time. Thankfully, it is gone now.
I have a whole where it used to be, but I hear that once that hole heals, the dentists down here can put a new on in for me real cheap. Honestly, it is cheaper for me to drive to Mexico, go shopping, stay in a hotel, check out the zoo, hit South Padre Island, eat some delicious food for a week, and get my teeth fixed in Mexico than it is to have the same work done in the United States, depending on what the actually job is. If I choose to have some work done in the United States, it costs me more, I have to wait longer, and no one gets to have any fun.
Once that tooth was successfully ripped out of my mouth, we were all very happy.
Even the teeth and turtle on the wall were happy about this one!
VISION CARE
Sometimes, having an eye exam can help. Other times, people know that their prescription has not changed and that an exam may not really be necessary, at least for the customer. In Mexico, they make it easy... almost too easy.
They put little neon signs in front of certain buildings. If you are intelligent enough to navigate your way into the correct building without the help of one of those arrow thingies, then they will do business with you. It kind of made me feel like I had somehow managed to make it past their rigorous entrance into their secret club. Yeah, the clever lack of the arrow thingy didn't fool me. I know what big pictures of glasses meant!
Without an appointment or exam, I was able to simply tell the employee my needs and they produced the goods! Look at that, a whole pile of -3.75 and -2.25 contact lenses, lying on the counter within seconds!
CUE THE DISTRACTION
Since this completed the business part of my international journey, it was time for me to hit the streets! Lots of people kept asking me if I needed a dentist, and many others asked if I needed a pharmacy. The pharmacy guys are funny, because they start off slow, and mention things like antibiotics and heartburn medication. Then, as you get farther away, they try harder and shout louder, "Vicodin, Oxycontin, Morphine!"
The pharmacy guys are not alone. Plenty of people are hard at work attempting to sell their goods or services. Often, I will humor them although my actual need may not exist.
The thirteen year old who shined my boots for me did a great job. He was actually trying to provide a service rather than just begging, and I paid him well for his effort.
With so many great things for sale, it is hard to stick to the plan. One good thing to remember is that in the store, things have price tags, and usually that is how much the item costs. It kind of reminds me of stores back in the states. On the street, however, the prices change rapidly. If you are offered something for $45, you may want to stop, look at it, and keep walking. Sometimes they will give you an instant discount for every few steps you take away. To maximize this discount, make sure to stop every time that you hear a new price and look back at the item. As long as you keep turning back away from the item and walking, the price may continue to have an instant discount applied to it. I think that stores in the United States should try this. I think that they would sell a lot more items. I certainly bought a lot more items this way.
Eventually, my purchases looked like this. This is when I began to miss the @little-peppers and regret travelling abroad alone. Soon, a solution presented itself. Four young people offered their services to me. Although we agreed on a set price, they allowed me to pay them four times as much.
My favorite part was when we passed the restrooms at the beginning of the bridge. They all spoke rapidly in Spanish to me, set down my things, and ran into the restrooms. Upon returning just moments later, they began to pick my things back up. Quickly, I told them, "Eh! Todos los empleados tienen que lavarse los manos antes de regesar al trabajo."
They looked at me and immediately ran right back into the restrooms as quickly as they had the first time. After a few seconds they all returned again, but this time with wet hands.
What I thought was really cool about my hired hands is that the Mexican border police let them carry my things all the way onto American soil on the other side of the bridge. From there, I was on my own though.
BACK TO MEXICO
As a surprise for my lovely steemians out there, I started a business deal south of the border today. I've got to rendezvous with a man in Mexico at high noon on Friday, and pick up the goods. He has been given a deposit and shown that he is capable of producing what I desired, so I think that the deal will be successful. For now, let's just say that Papa has a little gift for you. I'll keep you posted.
TL;DR
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-mexico
Until next time…
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Enlightening. Great post. For medical procedures, India is also popular for this type of medical tourism. The prices are downwards of 10% or less.
Cool, i did not know that!
I have seen good articles
I am glad that you liked it!
Great post
This post received a 1.2% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @leejin-33! For more information, click here!
Oh, ye fabled good articles. Where hast thou seen them? Above is one assuredly, but hast thou partook of another?
I have to have an extraction next week and having seen your pictures I'm not looking forward to it! :(
I am also looking at an implant but as I live in the UK, Mexico is not an option. Iam looking at the equivalent of $3400 for the implant!! Not looking forward to that either.
I would not look forward to the bill, but the extraction went well. I did not feel a thing, have taken zero medication (painkillers) and feel great.
Not to scare you, but as a word to the wise, make sure that you trust the dentist and their abilities. If the tooth is on the lower side, there is a potential risk of breaking your jaw. I have had to switch a dentist before because I figured that a certain one I knew just might have the "skills" to break my jaw.
Thanks for the tip. It's a large molar half way back. The dentist is a very petit Spanish lady and she is really nice, so I'm hoping she doesn't break my jaw! If nothing else, it would be rather embarrassing!
It's out and jaw still intact!!
Just got to start saving for the implant now!!
OK so upper side is safe in terms of jaw breaking?
this is great! Why not take advantage of a low peso versus USD? I used to buy a certain high cost med in Mexico and transport it across the border. The border agents were fine with it as long as it was a 30 day supply. Compared to buying it at the local Walgreens it would have been $600 with insurance in Mexico it was less than $200. It was fantastic being able to save $400 by just driving to the border and crossing. It cost $5 to get in a taxi and drive to the closest pharmacia.
Yes, the cheaper pharmaceuticals are also very popular there, especially for the "winter Texans" who are basically older, retired Americans who move south fro the winter so they don't have to deal with the snow further north.
How does it work in terms of being dangerous to your health if you have bad oral health? I have heard that too do you know how it works?
https://steemit.com/mexico/@zammie/invading-molar-city-mexico
I love that mentality about the racket that is american dentistry
@Papa-pepper this is an interesting read and a guide to many that are close to the boarder and need dental help.
Now if POTUS happens to read this your post, and see how you got all stuffs cheaper, we will actually build the walls higher and make Mexico pay for it!!! haha
Here in Belgium, the situation is quite similar (with some differences of course :)) . More and more people are going to have their teeth treated in Hungary (still 1300km). The prices in Belgium are enormous and it is increasingly interesting to be treated abroad. Same with eye corrections (laser), then is it Turkey :)
I particularly liked the way you wrote your article: facts, humor, ...
Go on ... or better said STEEM ON :)
Take care.
Easing the fear of visiting the dentist and providing an affordable solution, rocks @papa-pepper! This is valuable information you've shared. Thank you.
u need to came to indonesia sometimes..Aceh especially.. :)
I would like that very much.
up vote all my post and i will do same to yours ??
Hey @chidiband too many of those comments can really effect your credibility here on steemit. For example you are at 10 which sugests maybe someone hasn't mentioned that the comment you just made to papa-pepper can at times be considered spam. A lot of people flag comments like that and then it effects the persons credibility. My best suggestion for promotion is perhaps checking out the chat section here on steemit. You can find threads there to help promote yourself. Save comment sections on steemit for connecting to people the best you can instead of promotion. If my advice doesn't help you I will eat my own hat.
Dentists are the devil! Scary bastards LMAO. Are you a chilihead too? You might want to check my introduceyourself post to see some of the peppers i grow. Mexico is pretty much heaven for chiliheads, and the dental job is so much cheaper for the same service!
Oh my god! Dentist! My biggest nightmare dear! I had one extraction made last month, oh man it was so painful! It was the 3rd mollar, the dentist had to numb me 3 times before extracting! That sensation is quite exciting though!
When he was extracting, the tooth broke and he had to dig deep inside to get it out!
I suffered for nearly 3 weeks mate!
up vote all my post and i will do same to yours ??
Yeah, my new dentist is in Nogalas, MX. It is way better over there. American dentist are scammers.
Going the dentist myself this afternoon hate going. Cheers mike
Hope that all goes well for you.
Just a clean I hope . Cheers mike
Nice teeth story. Presently my teeth are working fine may be need in future.
Thanks!
I spent over a thousand dollars on a single crown here in the states so I know what ya mean about the cost of dental! Buen viaje! @papa-pepper
I know all too well. I'd rather have mine be imported.
Yeah that sounds a whole lot easier, too! I agree! @papa-pepper
Routine dental examination will make us feel younger.
Wow. What a beautifully written adventure. I've always wanted to go to Mexico and this really gives me an idea of what it's like. Thanks for sharing, @papa-pepper.
Just make to save up 75 cents first if you want to come back.
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One of my best friends had extensive work done in Mexico here it was gonna cost around $10K and she had it done in a resort town for $1200 and that was including her week hotel stay. Yeah if I need expensive work down I will be doing the same.
I think it's the best idea.
It is a no brainer to me, if I got to pay that much I might as well get a vacation too out of it. From what I understand many get better treatment too, besides getting better prices.
Save money even with a vacation? Yup, no brainer indeed!
Great post.... You are one of best earner in steemit.
up vote all my post and i will do same to yours ??
yup, dental care is quite affordable down here, and Dentists and all sort of health professionals are very, well, professional.
Indeed they are! Thank you.
Good information. Haha. Cheaper and somewhat trustworthy, compared to our dentists maybe a bit more than that. Lol. I have a friend that went to Brasil for a hemorrhoid removal because it was way cheaper and got the job done. Good post. Can't wait to see your present!
Ah yes.. the presents!
I've heard about "medical vacations" before, but wow that looks super easy. How did you find your dentist? Did you get a recommendation or just kind of wander around and check places out until you found somebody you liked? As somebody who has gotten really screwed by the US health care industry in the past Mexico is starting to look like a really great place. I need to learn some Spanish like yesterday.
I also like this idea
Man I hate paying a visit to the dentist, and on top of that you always get about a 2months waiting time from the time you're booking your appointment.
PLS YOU HAVE TO TRY
Nice
@papa-pepper I'm glad you showed the proof. I have often wondered if there really was a Mexico of if Texas was playing an elaborate hoax on us. You sir are a gentleman and a scholar. Unless I missed it... did you have to bring a passport now? I went to the Bahamas without one previously but I think all of that has sense changed...
Nice!!! I had a root canal done in Crimea a few years ago. A hell of a lot cheaper than in the states, and a world-class job. Would do again!
Our healthcare system is broken, but you already knew that.
Great post. I have never seen a turnstiles on the border crossing :D
And you even have to put quarters in it. That's so strange!
Can't wait to see what you're up to with your new Mexican friend!
Great post
Even though here in the Netherlands the costs for proper Dental Care is WAAAAAY less than there in the states, it still strikes me that normal procedures are not part of the basic health-insurance. Teeth are important and can make you really sick. (I read that if you have an infected tooth on your upper jaw, it can even endanger your eye..!).
I have weak teeth for some reason, so I'm at the dentist a lot. I feel blessed with the dentist that I currently have.
But those prices in USA are just bizarre... , health is not a commodity. Or at least, it shouldn't be.
I loved reading your adventure in Mexico accompanied with the photo's. Great to see those kids having fun while carrying your stuff too haha.
great post
It's cause it's cheaper for insurance companies or the government to pay for your teeth to be pulled out... same issues here in Australia. You always see many homeless bad welfare dependent people with no teeth. It's a sad state we've come to
The food pyramid IS a scam.
The FDA allows things to be labelled as food, that aren't food.
Thanks for the venture into Mexico.
I find it interesting how different it actually is, compared to the lies we are told about Mexico on the TV. We need more actual reports of what it is like down there.
Yep! Queonda steemit... ;) Im from the gateway city Laredo Texas and i can tell you that its a risk to go across the border for dental work, but the benefit of that risk can be worth saving alot of money. Other medical needs can also be good, but like everything else, careful who you deal buisness with.
Here in Australia the dentist are overpriced as well, I just do my teeth when I travel to Poland, much better dentists and fraction the price.
up vote all my post and i will do same to yours ??
I thought Trump had blocked Mexican American border. Some explanation, sir. Good narrative, I must say.
I wish i could visit mexico too one day
If I only had 0.75c to rub together I could've sent my wife & kids south of the boarder for their dental work... 75c plus air fairs from halfway around the world that is! Hahaha. We have a relative get similar awesome dental work done while they were living in Vietnam recently. Crazy that the industry and the insurance companies get away with stitching people up! I guess it's relative though, as many locals there wouldn't be able to afford that same treatment we'd consider a bargain...
Anyway, hope it heals up nicely for you over the coming weeks!
My friend lives half the year in Cambodia and knows a good dentist. It will cost me $3500(CAD) to fix 3 of my teeth in Canada I can fly to Cambodia get all the crowns i need in my whole mouth and have a nice vacation. A root canal cost $20! As soon as I have an extra $3500 I'm going(two kids probably be awhile.
Good idea!!!
Going to Mexico for various medical and dental procedures makes a lot of sense, @papa-pepper. Back when I lived in Texas, I had quite a few friends who'd go across the border to get things done.
Of course, it's getting more popular now... even the insurance companies will pay to send patients across the border to have procedures done in Mexico because it's SO expensive in the US. And that should tell us a thing or two...
Great post u r best earner in steemit and v good information nice teeth Story i like your blog
Visit Philippines sometimes, dental services there are more cheaper..😉😉
Anyway! Good luck for your implant..
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Very cool post- I'm fascinated who took the photos when you were in the dentist chair- were they dentist selfies or was it the dentist's assistant?
@brianphobos has been making trips over the border to the Mexican dentists too- this must be the way to go if you need dental work without a full wallet extraction.
I'm based in the UK and a few years ago when I was looking to get work done I looked into the idea of flying over to Poland. Unfortunately I ended up staying in the UK for it and going through the painful experience of a full wallet extraction.
very interesting adventure @papa-pepper. funny thing about the bargain you had on those items you bought on your way back stateside. also the kids helping out and not washing their hands after doing their natures thing. anyway,everything went well for you and that's a good thing.
Interesting read
Yup, Health vacations can be a bargain. The only down side is that if you ever have an emergency and can't make it back to the country where you got that cheap job done, many local dentists will not touch the work of others. Its not about health care, its all about GETTING YOUR MONEY!
dude you write such great things, you seem to be super sharp to getting the job done! :)
viajando a mexico por lo barato del peso devaludo
Awesome stories man! Mexico is so amazing, can't wait to go there again! 👊
Good post, how are yau.