The Dentist

We didn't blog yesterday because frankly the only thing to blog about was the weather.   It was unbearably hot and humid.  90 degrees in the shade, no breeze, the air was so thick it was hard to breathe.    We stayed indoors with the air conditioning on and watched television.    

I woke up to rain this morning, and was never so thankful for nature's showers.   It rained off and on all day and a lovely breeze blew in from the south-east.    It is still hot, and the humidity is still high, but after yesterday I have no complaints!   We all got a bit damp during happy hour today....but it's all good.   :)

Gerry did venture outside for his nicotine fixes yesterday and saw this amazing bird.   So beautiful!   No matter how much he tempted me to come out and have a peak, I could not be convinced.   When I saw the picture on the camera today....I was sorry I didn't!!!!!

Ok, all you bird lovers out there, will someone identify this beauty for me?  Is it a Baltimore Oriole?

For Morgan's benefit, I am talking about the 3 pictures directly below.   :)       

I don't know if it was sitting in that tree because it loves the hot humid days, or because this huge termite nest looks pretty tasty to it.  

Today we took a trip to the dentist.   I have to admit, I was somewhat trepidatious about it.  I was concerned about the hygiene, and perhaps the equipment, and wondered if it is true that the dentists in Mexico get the exact same education as the dentists in Canada and the U.S.    

The equipment looks exactly the same as the equipment back home.   The waiting room was spotless, the examination room was spotless, and the dentist wore a mask and gloves.  He spoke English fluently.   I forgot to look at his education certificates hanging on the wall, but plan to have a good look next time I go.

  The big difference I think is in the overhead for the building, and of course wages and cost of living (not to mention standard of living) are a lot lower here.     His office was very humble.     I didn't bring my camera, but we will take some pics when we go back.

   One of our neighbours, also named Gerry, has been seeing a dentist in Playa del Carmen to treat an infection and get a root canal and crown.    He had already spent thousands of dollars trying to get it done at his own dentist back home before he came south this winter.   They didn't have time to get the crown done and it was going to cost him yet another thousand dollars or so, so he  decided to finish it up in Mexico.   Total cost?  Around $300.00 U.S.   

I love my dentist, and most specifically I love my dental hygienist back home, but, my dental plan does not cover crowns 100%, and I am on a pensioners budget.   I had an estimate done at home and my co-pay is about $600.00  cdn.    It took the dentist about 10 seconds to peak inside my mouth (I didn't even sit in the chair) and he was able to give me an estimate which he is emailing me so I can send it to my insurance company before starting the work.

I have 3 choices in crowns which range from 2,500 pesos to 6,000 pesos.    My co-pay is about 50%, so I will end up paying between 1,250 and 3,000 pesos.    I'm not sure which one of the 3 is comparable to what my dentist was planning to do, but even if it is the most expensive one, it will only cost me $230.00 cdn at most.   

Gerry (my Gerry) lost a filling on the way down on the side of the tooth between the front teeth and the eye tooth.   It is quite obvious and he has been self conscious about it.  He doesn't have a dental plan.   The dentist feels the best option for him is to put a cap on his tooth, rather than filling it again.    He took a mold of it today and will be capping it on Saturday morning.   Cost?   3,500 pesos.   That's just under $300.00 cdn.    Good deal.            

When we got home, we were between thunder storms so we went down to the beach to have a look.   It was almost deserted except for this one die hard kite surfer.   We see a lot of them on this beach, so I was curious what it costs to rent one.   YIKES!!!   $80.00 U.S.  per hour.   If you buy  8 hours they give you a break...$500.00 U.S.   At least it includes a lesson.