EDITORS NOTE: I finally got around this week to changing the name of my blog from "My Dental Complaint" to the much more appropriate, "My Dental Health Companion". Also, I encourage everyone to download my new special report titled Tips For Lower Dental Bills
ADA Hosts Summit On Access To Dental Care
This past week, the American Dental Association (ADA) convened a summit of almost 150 non-profit groups, government agencies and private industry leaders to discuss creating improving the oral health of under served populations in the US.
"We are very pleased with the success of the summit, which will serve as a milestone toward our common goal of improving access todental care," said ADA president John S. Findley, D.D.S. "We are committed to finding common ground and shared solutions to address the oral health needs of the most vulnerable among us."
The only aspect to this "Dental Summit" that I found interesting was that summit was underwritten primarily through sponsorship from the William Wrigley Jr. Co. was main product -chewing gum- does more to ruin healthy teeth than any other product. I remember years ago an old college buddy of mine -who was in dental school at the time- telling me that they could not create a better tool to destroy teeth than chewing gum.
Mexican Town Popular Due To Dental Tourism
From the files of "What's Wrong With You America?", there is a report out this past week that the Mexican border town of Los Algodones has become the latest boomtown for dental tourism thanks to all the Americans who go there to get cheaper dental work done.
According to the Chicago Tribune, there are almost 350 dentists in Los Algodones providing dental care for prices that are as much as 70% lower than what U.S. residents typically pay.
Is also been reported that dental offices have replaced many bars in Los Algodones. Talk about finding a small silver lining is a huge storm cloud!
Some critics of this "make a run to the border" dental care solution caution patients about the quality of care being offered in addition to the fact that Mexican dentistry operates in an unregulated environment where substandard dental practitioners can hang their shingle without anywhere without anywhere near the oversight that exists in the States.
If you're thinking of using dental tourism to save money on dental care, don't go out of the country. Get some type of dental coverage like dental discount cards or even traditional dental insurance but stay in America!
Question to "Dental Tourists": Does your health really mean so little to you that you would risk it just to save a few dollars?
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