Health Care in Mexico: Root Canals

Many Americans go to Mexico for inexpensive dental care. However, the savings have to be considerable in order to make the trip. Dental implants and complex restorations are usually worth the price. Other procedures, like fillings, not so much.

Root canals are unique in the sense that they fall in some sort of middle ground where it's very uncertain whether or not it's a good idea to make the trip. However, for Americans that live in California, Texas, and Arizona, the distance is short enough that it's definitely worth it.

A root canal is a procedures used when a tooth infection has developed so much that it has infected the nerve, but the tooth still has enough good portions that it can be saved. The infections may be caused by periodontal disease or trauma. It is strongly recommended to take care of it as soon as possible, because it can be quite painful if it's left untreated.

The procedure involves the dentist drilling through the tooth and extracting the nerve. He then disinfects the canal where the nerve was, and fills it with a special type of dental cement. Depending on the severity of the damage, the dentist restores the tooth with a filling or a crown.

It's worth to notice that the technological advancements, both in equipment and in anesthetics, have made the procedure much less painful than in the past. The procedure takes about 20 minutes. If the tooth needs a crown, the dentist will leave a temporary filling while the crown is manufactured.

If you're like to read about implants, a dental procedure that makes the trip to Mexico worthwhile, go here.

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Robert Ervin is a freelancer who writes about healthcare, medical tourism, and living in Mexico.

If you're considering traveling to Mexico for healthcare or retiring in Mexico, you may want to get yourself a copy of The English's Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico, in order to find a good doctor or hospital in the main towns and cities of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, to understand how the Mexican healthcare system works.