As a business that relies mainly on local customers, we appreciate and value other local businesses and make an effort to support them as much as possible. When prices get too high, or unreasonable, we choose to look elsewhere for our services and products.
Dentistry costs in Alberta have, unfortunately, risen to the highest in the nation, and consequently many are looking elsewhere for their dental services...including us. With 3 teenage boys all needing their wisdom teeth extracted (not one of them has erupted yet), we started our investigation.
First, we talked to lots of friends about their experiences. Some recovered nearly overnight with little to no swelling while others puffed up like a chipmunk and could only consume pudding and smoothies for close to a week! Prices varied from $1500-$3000 for the surgical extraction of 4 teeth. At bare minimum, we would be looking at $4500 for our 3 boys.
In the spring of 2017, our oldest 2 boys had their teeth cleaned at our regular dental clinic and the cost was about $850 (that included 1 $100 panoramic x-ray). For all 6 of us to get our teeth cleaned, it would have cost at least $1800 (at $300 each, but likely it would have been much higher than that).
It's not rocket science to do the math on this one!
About 5 years ago, I flew to Yuma, AZ. Algodones, Mexico is a 10 minute drive away, and is a central hub for snowbirds to go for dental care, eyecare,and pharmaceuticals. I walked across the border and to a reputable dentist. There I got a cleaning and root canal done for a total of $300. What surprised me is that they were not trying to oversell their services. From Canada, my dentist told me I needed 2 root canals and 2 crowns for a total of $6000. In Mexico, the dentist was confused by this, as he could only see the need for 1 root canal, and no crown, for a total of $300. I took the latter advice, and 5 years later, all my teeth are in excellent shape. The root canal was completely successful, and the 2nd tooth my Alberta dentist said needed a root canal has never given me a problem. Maybe someday it will, but for the last 5 years my teeth and gums have been 100%.
Fast forward to fall of 2017...the minimum cost of our 3 boys getting their wisdom teeth out, and the 6 of us to have a cleaning, would have been $6300 in Alberta. That cost could have been as high as $11,400. Likely it would have been somewhere in the middle. No matter what way you look at it, the cost was more than a great family holiday, and if that was the case, then we were going to choose the family holiday! Of course! :)
We drove from central Alberta to Yuma in 3 days, requiring a hotel for 3 nights. (We added an extra evening and hotel in Alberta to include a family event). We were at the dental office in Mexico by 9:00 in the morning. All the cleanings were taken care of first, and then each of the 3 boys went in to get their extractions. It took longer than expected, but we had nothing else to do, so it didn't matter to us. By middle afternoon, we were done, and on our way to Phoenix where we rented a house for a week to let the boys rest, heal and relax.
Our oldest, at 19 years old, had all 4 teeth impacted with hooked roots. It was a very difficult extraction for the surgeon, who eventually called a specialist in to finish the job. The specialist was professional, thorough, and personable, inviting us into the room to observe the procedure. We were beyond impressed! It ended up taking hours to get the first 2 teeth out, and only half an hour for the specialist to get the last 2 teeth out. 2 of the teeth were broken into 5 pieces in order to extract them. In spite of the trauma, our 19-year-old had very little swelling, no bruising, and bounced back the fastest, eating solid food after only 2 days of pudding and smoothies! The younger 2 only ended up requiring 2 extractions each, as their remaining teeth were healthy, straight, and had room to grow in. However, they were the ones that had the most swelling (no bruising) and needed an extra day on soft food.
The total cost of 6 cleanings, and 8 wisdom teeth surgically extracted from 3 teenagers: $1100.
The cost of our hotel rooms, rental house, gas and dental bill was less than the minimum cost of dental work alone in Alberta...and we got a 16-day holiday out of it...and Grandpa and Grandma flew in to spend a week with us as well. :)
So, the big questions: Would we do it again? Was it worth it?
As much as I want to keep our money in Alberta and support our local economy, I would have to answer 'YES!' to both of the above questions. When our boys were asked the same questions, they also answered 'yes'.
Is an experience like ours also one for you? Well, only you can answer that, and perhaps the following questions would be helpful in determining that answer for you:
1) Do you have a dental plan? We do not have a plan and so every penny we spend on dental comes straight from our pocket. There are some great dental plans out there, and if you have one, perhaps the convenience of staying at home suits you better.
2) Do you have a reliable vehicle to go a long distance? A plane ticket is an option, and that's what I did 5 years ago when I went for a root canal. I found a great seat sale, and rented a car for the 4 days I was there. For a family to fly might cost more than the anticipated savings.
3) Are you physically able to make the journey? Our drive was about 25 hours each way. We planned as a family how we would endure the long and boring hours, and what we would do to make the time go faster. Because we were taking time off school for the trip, only educational movies were allowed, and we only watched about 7 hours total on the entire trip of about 50 hours.
4) Do your research! Talk to lots of people about their experiences, check out dentists on-line, research lots of options for house and hotel rentals, and be creative with your resources.
Finally, make it a fun, family event. Few enjoy a trip to the dentist, so might as well make the best of it! A trip to Krispy Kreme also helps a lot! :)
Dentistry costs in Alberta have, unfortunately, risen to the highest in the nation, and consequently many are looking elsewhere for their dental services...including us. With 3 teenage boys all needing their wisdom teeth extracted (not one of them has erupted yet), we started our investigation.
First, we talked to lots of friends about their experiences. Some recovered nearly overnight with little to no swelling while others puffed up like a chipmunk and could only consume pudding and smoothies for close to a week! Prices varied from $1500-$3000 for the surgical extraction of 4 teeth. At bare minimum, we would be looking at $4500 for our 3 boys.
In the spring of 2017, our oldest 2 boys had their teeth cleaned at our regular dental clinic and the cost was about $850 (that included 1 $100 panoramic x-ray). For all 6 of us to get our teeth cleaned, it would have cost at least $1800 (at $300 each, but likely it would have been much higher than that).
It's not rocket science to do the math on this one!
About 5 years ago, I flew to Yuma, AZ. Algodones, Mexico is a 10 minute drive away, and is a central hub for snowbirds to go for dental care, eyecare,and pharmaceuticals. I walked across the border and to a reputable dentist. There I got a cleaning and root canal done for a total of $300. What surprised me is that they were not trying to oversell their services. From Canada, my dentist told me I needed 2 root canals and 2 crowns for a total of $6000. In Mexico, the dentist was confused by this, as he could only see the need for 1 root canal, and no crown, for a total of $300. I took the latter advice, and 5 years later, all my teeth are in excellent shape. The root canal was completely successful, and the 2nd tooth my Alberta dentist said needed a root canal has never given me a problem. Maybe someday it will, but for the last 5 years my teeth and gums have been 100%.
Fast forward to fall of 2017...the minimum cost of our 3 boys getting their wisdom teeth out, and the 6 of us to have a cleaning, would have been $6300 in Alberta. That cost could have been as high as $11,400. Likely it would have been somewhere in the middle. No matter what way you look at it, the cost was more than a great family holiday, and if that was the case, then we were going to choose the family holiday! Of course! :)
We drove from central Alberta to Yuma in 3 days, requiring a hotel for 3 nights. (We added an extra evening and hotel in Alberta to include a family event). We were at the dental office in Mexico by 9:00 in the morning. All the cleanings were taken care of first, and then each of the 3 boys went in to get their extractions. It took longer than expected, but we had nothing else to do, so it didn't matter to us. By middle afternoon, we were done, and on our way to Phoenix where we rented a house for a week to let the boys rest, heal and relax.
Our oldest, at 19 years old, had all 4 teeth impacted with hooked roots. It was a very difficult extraction for the surgeon, who eventually called a specialist in to finish the job. The specialist was professional, thorough, and personable, inviting us into the room to observe the procedure. We were beyond impressed! It ended up taking hours to get the first 2 teeth out, and only half an hour for the specialist to get the last 2 teeth out. 2 of the teeth were broken into 5 pieces in order to extract them. In spite of the trauma, our 19-year-old had very little swelling, no bruising, and bounced back the fastest, eating solid food after only 2 days of pudding and smoothies! The younger 2 only ended up requiring 2 extractions each, as their remaining teeth were healthy, straight, and had room to grow in. However, they were the ones that had the most swelling (no bruising) and needed an extra day on soft food.
The total cost of 6 cleanings, and 8 wisdom teeth surgically extracted from 3 teenagers: $1100.
The cost of our hotel rooms, rental house, gas and dental bill was less than the minimum cost of dental work alone in Alberta...and we got a 16-day holiday out of it...and Grandpa and Grandma flew in to spend a week with us as well. :)
So, the big questions: Would we do it again? Was it worth it?
As much as I want to keep our money in Alberta and support our local economy, I would have to answer 'YES!' to both of the above questions. When our boys were asked the same questions, they also answered 'yes'.
Is an experience like ours also one for you? Well, only you can answer that, and perhaps the following questions would be helpful in determining that answer for you:
1) Do you have a dental plan? We do not have a plan and so every penny we spend on dental comes straight from our pocket. There are some great dental plans out there, and if you have one, perhaps the convenience of staying at home suits you better.
2) Do you have a reliable vehicle to go a long distance? A plane ticket is an option, and that's what I did 5 years ago when I went for a root canal. I found a great seat sale, and rented a car for the 4 days I was there. For a family to fly might cost more than the anticipated savings.
3) Are you physically able to make the journey? Our drive was about 25 hours each way. We planned as a family how we would endure the long and boring hours, and what we would do to make the time go faster. Because we were taking time off school for the trip, only educational movies were allowed, and we only watched about 7 hours total on the entire trip of about 50 hours.
4) Do your research! Talk to lots of people about their experiences, check out dentists on-line, research lots of options for house and hotel rentals, and be creative with your resources.
Finally, make it a fun, family event. Few enjoy a trip to the dentist, so might as well make the best of it! A trip to Krispy Kreme also helps a lot! :)
Left: Avoiding the camera and having more pudding! Right: Day 5 and ready for Krispy Kreme. They went down slowly and carefully, but it was worth the effort! :)
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