I enthusiastically recommend New Age Dental in Tijuana. I live in LA and in the summer of 2023, I broke a tooth and my regular dentist said I'd need an implant. I was shocked to learn that in So. Calif., a single implant costs around $5000 to $6000.
I'm 76 and my income is modest. This was way beyond my means. Despite apprehensions, I decided to look into going to Mexico for the implant. I did massive research. Reviews I found on Yelp for New Age Dental were very positive, but I felt anxious about choosing a dentist based on online reviews. However, my impression was that Dr Silvia Guzman & her team had implant expertise and good credentials. And a woman-owned & staffed dental practice was appealing to me. I was also impressed that they use top-of-line equipment, and offer top quality brands of implants.
For my 1st visit, in Sept 2023, I saw Dr Silvia Guzman and an implant specialist she brought in, Dr Alberto Payan. They and their assistants were all very kind, professional and efficient. (Dr Payan speaks little English; Dr Guzman and several of her colleagues others speak English.)
Getting to TJ was an adventure. To avoid the long lineups when driving in or out of TJ, I walked across the border. First, I took Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner train to San Diego's Santa Fe station, then walked across the tracks and boarded the San Diego Trolley / Blue Line to the San Ysidro border crossing. From there it was just a 25-min walk to TJ, including abt 10 mins at Mexican immigration (passport required). Although I felt a bit nervous as an elder woman, nothing happened that scared me.
Estefany, one of New Age's hardworking English-speaking receptionists, was very helpful. She took care of logistics: she had an Uber driver pick me up near the pedestrian entry spot and drive me to New Age. Later she arranged an Uber ride to and from the Imaging Center, for the CT scan.
I was amazed at what Dr Guzman was able to accomplish during my 1st appt. In just 4 hours (including time for a lunch break), I got the CT scan, she did an assessment & took digital X-rays; Dr Payan extracted remains of my old tooth, performed a bone graft, and inserted the implant; then Dr Guzman made & installed a temporary crown. An Uber dropped me off, I walked back across the border, and caught the trolley, which connected me with the last Amtrak back to LA. Pain after anesthesia wore off was minimal.
New Age Dental did an excellent job on the implant - my own regular dentist checked it, confirming that the work looked good and I was healing well. During the 3-month healing and waiting period, Estafany and/or Dania often checked on me by text. I appreciated their concern.
I returned in Feb 2024 for my 2nd appointment. Because LA-SD train service had been suspended, to get to TJ, I drove to a park-and-ride lot at the Palm Ave trolley station. From there, the trolley ride to San Ysidro was just 20 mins.
The 2nd appt was to have impressions made; the next afternoon was my 3rd & final appt, for installation of permanent crown. New Age went out of their way to fulfill my request that these appts occur on 2 consecutive days, so I could avoid another long trip. The crown fabricator agreed to a rush job, and Dr Guzman squeezed me in to her busy schedule. I stayed over at a nice AirBnb.
The new crown looks and feels great, and I'm very happy with it. I'm also overjoyed that all told, New Age Dental charged me about 1/2 of what I would've paid in LA. I was also able to get some insurance reimbursement for the implant work.
Muchas Muchas Gracias to Drs Guzman and Payan, and all New Age staff! read more