DENTISTRY in Merida

Dentistry in Merida, Yucatan

I had heard that coming to Mexico or Guatemala were good places to get your dental needs met at a decent price, considerably less than in the States.  So being in Merida for 2 months, and having some long-overdue dental work that desperately needed attention, I began to look for a dentist.  A magazine that is available in Spanish and English (and on the same page so it’s very helpful for learning how to read Spanish) is the Yucatan Today monthly.  I could not find it in the City Square or Zocalo at magazine stands, but it is found at places that are geared to foreigners (upscale hotels, some car rental spots, the Merida English Library, etc) and you can find it online at http://yucatantoday.com/.

Browsing the pages, I came across ads for and references to a particular English-trained and speaking dentist and orthodontist, Dr. Javier Camara Patron & Associates (drjaviercamara@hotmail.com), located at the Star Plaza under the shadow of the Star Medica Hospital in the Colonia of AltaBrisa.  My host Sam also said that he had a good dentist who spoke excellent English, and it turned out to be the same dentist!   That seemed like a good enough double recommendation and when Sam set an appointment to see him one Friday, I went along for a preliminary exam as well.  Dr. Javier Camara Patron (a solid Yucatecan family name) took a brief look in my mouth, asked what I wanted done, and ordered x-rays.  Then he sent in his Hygienist, who did a much-needed and thorough cleaning of my teeth. Getting a few years of smoking and coffee drinking tartar off the back of my teeth was no easy task, and the instruments soaked my whole face in a wet shower, but the results were quite satisfactory.  Clean teeth at last!

An appointment was set to have a couple of crowns put in the upper right “hole in my mouth” where a tooth and an old crown had been broken over the years.  I had been unable to get them handled while in Crestone due to a heavy work schedule, exorbitant prices and the distance factor from Crestone to my former dentist in Boulder.  For my first visit, the waiting room had been full of mostly expats, but upon my return, there was No Waiting… the lobby was empty!

Dr. Camara Patron was nowhere to be seen (he has several offices across town) but Dr. Perla Moran, a lovely, slender Mexican woman probably in her 30’s, stepped up to serve me and lead me to the dental chair.  Perla was the gentlest dentist I had EVER experienced!  She took her time injecting my gums with novacaine so there was no sting and her drilling was absolutely painless and relatively quick, although sitting in a dentist chair while having 2 teeth drilled is never much fun….  After several impressions in various colored “sticky goo”, she and her assistant constructed 2 temporary fillings and soon I was on my way, to return in ONE WEEK for the crowns to be fitted.  I had the receptionist call me a taxi and for 50 or 60 pesos ($4-5), I was returned safely to my lodging at Evonne’s.

The following week the fitting went well, I set up an appointment to do the same procedure to fix the huge broken filling (too big to replace, so a crown was necessary) that had been catching chunks of food after every meal, like a giant lobster trap.  Again, an absolutely painless drilling, and a temporary crown for a week, another excellent crown was installed.  My mouth issues now corrected, I am almost regretting having no reason to return to visit Perla any more, but rejoiced in the success of long-awaited dental work FINALLY accomplished! And the cost… about $250 per crown so that the 3 crowns, cleaning and x-rays, and a total of 5 visits, cost me less than $1000!  Basically you can come to Merida (flights to Cancun cost about $400 round trip, a luxury bus to Merida costs about $35 one way), rent a place for a month (Evonne's is $700/mo complete with jacuzzi, TV with movie channels, home internet, AC and is completely outfitted - evonnevonboeck@netscape.net), have your dental work done and return to the States after a month’s vacation for less than the work would cost in the States! AND it is quality workmanship as well.  I highly recommend it!