Thursday, July 30, 2009

ISO a dentist

i didn't have any students today, so i spent my day looking for a dentist in buenos aires.

when i visited the states i made an appointment with my dentist because i was having some pain. an old filling cracked, infected the tooth, so now i need a root canal. i didn't have enough time to get the entire procedure done in the states and i also don't have u.s. health insurance anymore, so i'm opting to do it in b.a.

i started my research on the internet. i read about experiences and some reviews on both the baexpats.org website and the indextar website.

after narrowing down my search, based on location, a dentist who speaks english and what other people wrote, i choose 3 dentist's offices to visit today. i went to see their offices, talk to the dentists, ask them to explain their procedure and also to ask for a quote in pesos.

the first office i visited i spoke with the dentist herself. the office was modern and clean. she gave me a print out of what the entire procedure would cost and explained how it would be done. right away i had a really good feeling about her, but I still went to two other offices.

the next office i also spoke with the dentist. he was nice as well and his secretary gave me a quote. i can't pin point it, but i didn't have as good of a feeling about this office.

the last office i visited i only spoke with the receptionist and it was all in spanish. she told me the dentist that i wanted to see was out of the office due to an injury and that she would be back in the office in september. she also gave me a quote.

here's the range in price that i was quoted
root canal: 290 - 450 pesos ( $76 - $118 usd)
post & crown : 900 - 1050 pesos ( $236 - $276 usd)


if i were to have it done in the states it would easily be over $1000 usd. i'm going to make an appointment at the first dentist office that i visited today. her price was one of the higher ones, but i feel more comfortable with her based on speaking with her, her office and the reviews i read about her.

money spent today
------------------------
17.50 pesos for coffee latte, 3 medialunas and a bottle of water
1.10 pesos for the bus

2 comments:

jenna said...

Sometimes you get what you pay for, and nothing is truly "expensive" if you're comfortable and trust the person treating you, in my opinion. My dentist is considered pretty pricey for basic care, but I'm not going anywhere else for my choppers, no way.

I hope it works out well- glad it's just one problematic tooth, and not a big **problem** if you know what I mean.

yillabean said...

i can't agree more!