Smiles like these...

These are the smiles of Sergio and Kathryn, happy to be back on the Ultramar heading home after three hours in Cancun. They helped me pick out a new living room set. And they have one other thing in common. Both are patients of my island dentist, Dr. Francisco Javier Canales.
Kathryn has been staying at Zina's Guest House while on "dentation." She got a new porcelain crown for 4500 pesos, about $400. Canales was meticulous about it, adjusting the molds in two extra visits. The day we went to get the crown, my Canadian friend ran up to me and said her husband was delighted with his! No fuss, no muss. Bim bam, a "dentation." A vacation with dentistry.

The final step of the crowing is to cure the epoxy with an ultraviolet light. Kathryn really doesn't glow purple!
She said it was the best dental experience of her life. She'll be back in September for bone powder implant to build up her jaw. Canales is from Mexico City and works for the Navy as an oral surgeon. He has an evening private practice in Isla Mujeres Centro.

Tooth and Nails

So, after a lovely lunch and afternoon at Villa Vera, the musketeers accompanied me to the dentist downtown at Xbulu Ha Hotel at 5pm. Dr Francisco Canales Dominguez works as an oral surgeon for the Navy by day and moonlights with his private practice from 4-9.
I thought a tooth implant, much debated in Ohio for being near failing, had failed. It felt wobbly, there was pain and a real bad taste. Dr. Salas, who was off island, told me to start on amoxicillin to prep and take 800 mg of ibuprofen ahead of the appointment.
Dr. Canales started by tapping and became suspicious. He took an x-ray and found an abscess in the first molar, next to the implant. Butted up against my facial sinus. Four more days and on Monday at 6pm, I'll be back for a root canal. His plant is to try to save the crown by first removing it. He'll do the post and build up from a mold of the inside of the crown. Wow. In the states, I've had root canal through a crown, replaced by a new crown. This will be a tremendous saves! Total cost, more or less 1,000 pesos!
I saw some discussion on one of the message boards that the equipment is antiquated. He doesn't have digital xray. His drills are fast, not supersonic. Well, I recall getting really good dental care in the US 20 or 30 years ago without digital xrays. I'll let you know how that turns out.
Afterward, the girls and I came home to change out of beach wear and head for Deisy an Raul's, where we ran into Delfino. He had come by to treat Lora the day before, but being so late, missed us because we were on the rooftop patio and didn't hear him.
So, we made a date for him to come by today. He gave Lora a tranquilizer, muzzled her and still, Kathryn and I had to hold her down for her pedicure.
She got her anti- tick shot and some pills in case a tick carrying heart worm has bit her in the last month. Right now, she's resting very comfortably. She's stoned.