Dr.Ignacio De la Vega surpassed all of my expectations of what I thought I might find in Tijuana,the growing solution to American dentists and their sky high dental bills!On the Internet,the thing that did it for me was reading:THE SECRET IS OUT:TIJUANA DENTISTS by Dennis William Hauck.... THE SECRET IS OUT...
It rang true as honestly written by one grateful client.
After reading it,just to make certain,I spent weeks checking sources on the Internet including web pages that included the most respected Tijuana dentists posted by Tijuana ’s certified board of dentists —their top guys —-and Dr.de la Vega kept appearing.I said to myself after seeing a picture of his smiling face,“That ’s the one,there ’s no question about it.”
I phoned the clinic,set up an appointment,got a Southwest air reservation from Oakland to San Diego,and that was the beginning of a new phase in my life.My only regret is that I didn ’t know about Dr.Ignacio de la Vega and his clinic of talented dentists ten years ago.Let me go back for a bit of perspective.
As an author and head of a Berkeley nonprofit organization,I have had PMI Delta dental insurance for over a decade.One recent dentist was so busy,he let things slide,ignoring signs of tooth pain that led
to the need for a root canal.They were booked up six months ahead.I switched to another PMI/Delta dentist in Oakland who was able to do root canals (the one before couldn ’t)so with all the work I need-
ed,I soon used up PMI ’s annual ceiling of fifteen-hundred dollars of co-payment fee. So the newer Oakland dentist looked at all my teeth —beyond what PMI insurance covered — and came up with a cost estimate at non-discount rates without benefit of insurance what all the work would cost.It was a shocker.
For seven crowns and a root canal the cost was $6,500 dollars,the price of a good second-hand sports car!!!I balked at the assistant on seeing the estimate and said one word in response to the bill:“Tijuana.”
By then I had heard about this option for years —local San Diegans crossing the border and paying only 20-30%of what the same work costs over here.I was now determined to flesh it out.I asked the dental assistant for copies of the work needed as well as my recent dental X-rays and headed to San Diego where
I would visit nearby Tijuana.Dr.de la Vega was my first choice but I had a list of three other impressive winners.
When I entered Dr.Ignacio De la Vega ’s attractive upscale office,
mere walking distance from where the bus that crosses the border takes people to downtown Tijuana,I saw the same radiant smile I had seen on the Internet. Here was a man who was immediately likable and trustworthy with nat-ural cheer and charisma.
Now I was going to learn about the sheer excellence of his work at a fraction of what the dentists were charging on the other side of the
border.A word about his hands:I learned later that Ignacio de la Vega toured with some well- known jazz groups at one time in his life,that
he was a musical virtuoso,and this comes out when he is working on your teeth.He blows away every dentist I have ever been to.
mere walking distance from where the bus that crosses the border takes people to downtown Tijuana,I saw the same radiant smile I had seen on the Internet. Here was a man who was immediately likable and trustworthy with nat-ural cheer and charisma.Now I was going to learn about the sheer excellence of his work at a fraction of what the dentists were charging on the other side of the
border.A word about his hands:I learned later that Ignacio de la Vega toured with some well- known jazz groups at one time in his life,that
he was a musical virtuoso,and this comes out when he is working on your teeth.He blows away every dentist I have ever been to.
When I left with seven perfectly fitting crowns done courtes
y of de la Vega and a root Canal (done by his associate —-the best root canal I had ever had on a tooth that the other dentist was going to pull out and build a bridge)after my second visit to put in the crowns,the total bill was for under two thou-sand dollars,less than one third the US price!I saved $4,500,with at least $3000 left after covering the cost of the whole trip —Indeed,a free trip to a great city and its warm weather in late November with thousands dollars to spare!If your budget is limited like that of most Americans,this makes it all possible.
y of de la Vega and a root Canal (done by his associate —-the best root canal I had ever had on a tooth that the other dentist was going to pull out and build a bridge)after my second visit to put in the crowns,the total bill was for under two thou-sand dollars,less than one third the US price!I saved $4,500,with at least $3000 left after covering the cost of the whole trip —Indeed,a free trip to a great city and its warm weather in late November with thousands dollars to spare!If your budget is limited like that of most Americans,this makes it all possible.Of the various crowns I have had over the years,Dr.de la Vega ’s are by far the best.The color is right to the sub-tlest hue and the fit is perfect.You see Dr.Ignacio de la Vega has one more big advantage over any dentist I have ever visited in the states or Europe who customarily have their crowns made at another location.Doctor de la Vega has a fully functioning ceramics lab connected to his office and the man who does the crowns is a perfectionist.The big advantage to this is on the spot
alterations!!!You get a crown stateside,they force it to fit,you get one here,and they can make changes and put it back in the kiln.We did exactly that.
alterations!!!You get a crown stateside,they force it to fit,you get one here,and they can make changes and put it back in the kiln.We did exactly that.
When friends saw my new ceramic/metal/porcelain crowns,they could not tell them apart from real teeth and saw how elegantly they fit.Gone was all the metal fillings,metal crowns,half crowns and the pain.By the time that he was done,the teeth fit together perfectly and for the first time in years I had a perfect bite.
I now have a new dentist and it gives me an excuse to go to San Diego,hang out,see friends in order to see the real hidden treasure of Tijuana,Dr.Ignacio de la Vega.I would not write this if I were not grate- ful for what Dr.Ignacio de la Vega had done.I paid full cost and did not get a special discount.I am doing this out of sheer gratitude.I am the very writer who won ’t change a sentence for an editor if I feel strong-ly about it —and I have still written two bestsellers.
The other plus is that getting there was easy.You can take t
he trolley from Old Town San Diego to the border at San Yasidro.But I found that it is even easier to drive right up to the border.I made it from San Diego in 22 minutes with little traffic in both directions.
The final exit next to the border is Camino de la Plaza off-ramp,turn right at stoplight,and there on the corner is the large Border Station Parking Lot
with the MEXICOACH with the fast lane access into Tijuana.$8 round-trip.It terminates at the Tourist Center on Avenida Revolucion,the main avenue.
he trolley from Old Town San Diego to the border at San Yasidro.But I found that it is even easier to drive right up to the border.I made it from San Diego in 22 minutes with little traffic in both directions.The final exit next to the border is Camino de la Plaza off-ramp,turn right at stoplight,and there on the corner is the large Border Station Parking Lot
with the MEXICOACH with the fast lane access into Tijuana.$8 round-trip.It terminates at the Tourist Center on Avenida Revolucion,the main avenue.
.................................................BORDER STATION PARKING:
.................................................4570 CAMINO DE LA PLAZA
.................................................SAN YSIDRO CA, 92173
.................................................PHONE:(619) 428-9517
............................TOP 10' TIJUANA DENTIST..........................
