Current costs for crowns at local dentists

I read the recent thread about dental implants with much interest since I've had an extraction and bone graft but still need the post (implant) and crown. Sounds like prices at good dentists there are now pretty much in the range of what we pay NOB here in Tucson.

My wife needs a couple of crowns and I wondered if anyone could share recent prices paid for these - and also how long turnaround time is (i.e. assuming everything goes into Guad...we'd book a Lakeside stay of several weeks but am thinking that might not be long enough).

Dra. Consuelo at Chapala Dental was our go-to dentist during our years living at Lakeside and we'd probably check there first but are open to any recommendations. Thanks!

Sorry I don't have a recent price for crowns or implants but it seems many of the businesses around Ajijic have started charging "gringo prices" particularly in the medical/dental field. I've even noticed the local fruit and veggy store near the Ajijic Plaza is charging way more than the Chapala market. It's time for the Ajijic "gringos" to travel afar to do their shopping.

The more people *pay* gringo prices, the more everything will be the same as NOB.  The foci of this is Ajijic.  San Antonio is runner up. You are correct Bob - I will stick to Chapala  & buy direct @Tianguis to the extent possible.  Level of integrity is becoming vastly different..

As for healthcare, I will support providers here for the long haul, like Haro, Camacho, CHOPO lab, and local docs who have had escalating expenses of technology & materials. Just staying in business the last 2 years was a feat.  Dr. Haro has the highest prices for dental care Lakeside, but staff seasoned, results proven.  So if you are living here, you pay the price.  Or listen to referrals made re younger practices. I did fly down once for a simple dental issue - it was easier to come & have a nice week with friends. 

If you have a trusted dentist * AND* are mid-process of the implant process, why would you come here?   I would ascertain first if any dentist would consider your case, since they did not do bone graft. Changing mid-stream raises flags. Good practitioners here have great reputations for a reason. In USA, some physicians (esp. Orthopedic bone issues) will not work on cases where they did not do initial treatment.  Risky for outcomes as well as liability.

caligirl108 wrote:The more people *pay* gringo prices, the more everything will be the same as NOB.  The foci of this is Ajijic.  San Antonio is runner up. You are correct Bob - I will stick to Chapala  & buy direct @Tianguis to the extent possible.  Level of integrity is becoming vastly different..

As for healthcare, I will support providers here for the long haul, like Haro, Camacho, CHOPO lab, and local docs who have had escalating expenses of technology & materials. Just staying in business the last 2 years was a feat.  Dr. Haro has the highest prices for dental care Lakeside, but staff seasoned, results proven.  So if you are living here, you pay the price.  Or listen to referrals made re younger practices. I did fly down once for a simple dental issue - it was easier to come & have a nice week with friends. 

If you have a trusted dentist * AND* are mid-process of the implant process, why would you come here?   I would ascertain first if any dentist would consider your case, since they did not do bone graft. Changing mid-stream raises flags. Good practitioners here have great reputations for a reason. In USA, some physicians (esp. Orthopedic bone issues) will not work on cases where they did not do initial treatment.  Risky for outcomes as well as liability.

It's not like I don't know the general lay of the land at Lakeside, having spent 5 years living there since we first moved down in 2009. But I'm rusty because of not having been down for a couple of years, thanks to COVID-related travel shut-downs.

The gringo price thing has been going on forever, exacerbated in large part by folks who don't know or care about local food and culture - most of whom of course live in Ajijic. Chapala and Joco are a lot more real but even there one has to be cautious. We spent our last couple of years there living in Chapala centro and I remember a guy at one of the produce places in the Chapala mercado where I shopped regularly telling his co-worker one day (in Spanish) "charge him the gringo price." Naturally I replied (in Spanish) "you should be ashamed of yourself and I'm done here."

We have decent dental care in the U.S. but have really missed our Lakeside dentists - not just for cheaper prices but much more for the quality of their work and the lack of the endless red tape and bureaucracy that is unavoidable with any kind of dental or medical care NOB. We want to spend a month or two at Lakeside anyway and especially with my wife needing a couple of crowns thought it might make sense to have the work done there. We'd much rather pay cash for great care there than pay more for inferior care here and have the insurance companies siphon off much of what wee pay. Tellingly about half of the folks we know here in Tucson go to Nogales for dental care not just because it's cheaper but because of the level of unhurried personal care they receive.

Haro has been charging NOB prices forever but I don't think there's any way in the world he's doing better work than Dr. Barragan or half a dozen other dentists there. That said, I understand that prices for raw materials and everything else have been going through the roof everywhere and of course with a weak peso and all of the pandemic-related supply chain issues it's got to be even tougher there than here. No big deal if we just enjoy spending a month there without taking care of any dental work but I am just looking for a reality check on current prices from good dentists.

Dr. Barragan's and Dr. Haro's pricing has always been about the same. They, imho, are the best Dentists around. That said, Dr. Barragan missed the cause of the problem which caused my front teeth to buckle... a wisdom tooth growing sideways. He also wanted to give me a bone implant because he assumed that, being over 60, I must have Osteoporosis... NOT. As a result of all this, I lost another tooth from the bridge that he provided. Uncomfortable for a few months, I went to Dr. Haro. Revelation! And I am more than happy with the three implants that he (his surgeon from Guadalajara) did for me. No problems... and I also had the sideways wisdom tooth removed after if finally poked through so they could get hold of it to extract it.
I have friends who swear by Dr. Barragan as well... one friend came from Canada every winter for four years and Dr. Barragan did beautiful crowns for him. He just didn't work well for me but a nicer, gentler Dentist you couldn't ask for.
I suggest that boots on the ground would be the best idea for you both. Make appointments NOW to be assessed by whichever Dentists you choose to get pricing and timing for the procedures that you will need. Crowns are fairly fast but implants need time for the bone to heal around the implanted post before the final tooth can be put in place.
My three implants were done in 2013 by Dr. Haro's office. NO problems since.

Thanks very much ferret for sharing your experience and wise advice.

Hello, I'm a brand newbie here doing research and exploring costs the past week or two. Crowns are one of the costs - IDK re NOB but in SC they generally run $800 (prob. lower end material) to $1000+. A friend in Palm Desert CA said $2k for one tooth, but it's unclear what kind of work he had done.

Checking recently in Los Algodones pretty sure I saw $450-$550, but they seem to now charge a consultation fee too.

This may provide a kind of a starting place . . . in 2017 Dr Candy quoted on video $195-315.

Hope that helps.
Kathy

Thanks klindner!

We pay around $500 for crowns here in Tucson. Did contact our favorite Lakeside dentist where we've both had lots of work done and current price is 8000 pesos. So still cheaper than NOB but no longer the kind of cost difference to inspire "dental vacations."

You could try contacting a dentist in Chapala or Jocotepec. They are likely quite a bit less than Ajijic/SAT. I have a friend that goes to a dentist in San Nicolas who is half the cost of anyone in Ajijic. I will try to get his name and number.