Last Friday, May 25, The Volvo took me and another patient on a roadie to T.J. The old gal was magnificent, but then, Volvo’s are created for the road. We left Santa Monica around 6:30AM. Plenty of time to make our 11AM appointments at AmericanBioDental. I expected a few Memorial Day weekend backups, but traffic was light all the way into San Ysidro. More than once, the speedometer was clocking around 80 rpms.

We made a few pit-stops and pulled into the convenient driveway of my favorite, family owned “Mexican Insurance” parking lot at 9:30AM, where I was greeted with a warm, family welcome.

As I was handing over my $5.00 bill, I mentioned that I might stay the night in TJ. In that case, I was told, it’s best to pay $10.00 for 48 hrs., instead of $5.00 for 24, as cars that are not prepaid, and nor displaying proper authorization on the dashboard, are towed every morning at 8AM. GOOD TO KNOW! Glad I mentioned it. Make sure you do too!

A few minutes later, Alessandro, from AmericanBioDental was there to drive us over the border, into TJ, directly to the Grand Hotel, where the staff was waiting for us.

My patient came for a FREE consultation based on an oral exam, and x-rays (=$25.00). He is scheduled for knee replacement in June, and his orthopedic surgeon at UCLA, required a clean report before the procedure. FYI – Oral infections travel to the surgical site. His mouth x-rays showed problems but since he was on a blood thinner, it would take days to wean him off of the drug before any dental could be performed – without probable complications. Just recently, the medical profession has finally admitted that the best outcome of Medical procedures is dependent on healthy oral care.

My dentist, Dr. Sergio Arizmendi replaced a large mercury filling with an inlay ($350.) It was my first experience with dental dams and oxygen during a procedure. Good job we were able to arrive early that morning, as the lab was able to deliver the inlay in a few hours, leaving us with enough time to complete all procedures in one visit. While we waited for the inlay, Dr. Sergio prepped a couple of gum line fillings for $65.00 each. After he fit the inlay, my teeth were cleaned with a sonic instrument. All that work for $500.00! I was walking out around 5:00PM. Plenty of time for a leisurely drive back home the same day.