This is not a cute testimonial written by marketing geniuses. I’m a
Journalist living in California and spend a great deal of time traveling
in foreign lands. After 30 years of smoking, drinking coffee, tea and red
wine, my teeth were the color of tree bark. I’m not exactly a poster boy
for good dental care.
I needed a partial for my lower teeth to replace missing molars. I had
cavities and a chipped front tooth. With no dental insurance, I looked
to alternative ways to get my teeth fixed. I tried a dental school, but
being a guinea pig was not the answer. I don’t really recall how or why
I searched the web for Mexican dentists, but am glad I did. I found Dr.
Max and e-mailed him. We set up an appointment for the following week.
Dr. Max is a 5-minute taxi ride, or a 30-minute walk from the
U.S./Mexico border. He has a very clean office in an industrial part of
Tijuana. Since I travel a great deal and like to walk (and get the best
deal), I stopped at a few other dentists first. The lowest price on a
partial was $275, and would be ready in 3 days.
When I told Dr. Max about this price, he said that’s fine, but he charged
$400, and there was no way that he would do it in 3 days. He told me that
the materials at different stages had to set for 24 hours, that it was a
multi-part procedure. In perfect English, he explained what he had to do
to ensure the integrity of his product because he wanted me to be 100%
satisfied, and to be his patient 15 years from now.
He also consulted with me for an hour on what work I needed. He showed
me examples of his work, and the tools he would use. My thought was,
When was the last time a doctor in the States gave me more than 5 minutes!
He took an impression of my teeth and scheduled the next day for my
appointment.
At 9am he started out by bleaching my teeth. It took nearly 2 hours of
tedious work, but man, what a difference! I looked 10 years younger.
Then he fixed my chipped tooth, filled cavities and a few other cosmetics.
We spent about 6 hours that day and I learned a lot about Dr. Max.
In my opinion, not only is he an excellent, courteous doctor --
with an impeccable chair side manner -- but he and his family are welcome
in my home anytime. Dr. Max is a professional and a gentleman. Also, the
best part was not having appointments spread out over the next decade.
I was in and out in one day, then returned a week later to get my partial.
He’s got a lab for manufacturing partials and crowns right there, as well.
And don’t expect to wear a nitrous oxide mask and to be wired up to a
Sony Walkman with models dancing around. This is not a social club.
It is a serious work area. Thankfully.
My fears were Tijuana rinse water ( he uses distilled water), shoddy
materials and workmanship. Now, for someone like me who travels a great
deal, and have met many. Many fine foreign people, I surprised myself
with these biases. Like everyone with prejudices, I could not have been
more wrong.
Now I have white teeth and a jeweler-crafted lower partial made of the
best materials. I have no cavities and unashamedly smile and laugh so
much, my friends think I’m up to something.
I trust Dr. Max. I have paid for his services; so don’t owe him anything
including this testimonial. But, when you find a great deal and a good
man, you just want to tell everybody. If you have a question, I’ll take a
minute to testify on Dr. Max’s behalf. His integrity is beyond reproach,
his work is brilliant, his office is clean, he does what he says he’s
going to do, you know how much it will cost up front... etc.
I don’t know what else to say. My father is 84 and is going down to see
him first of the year.
I wish I knew about Dr. Max years ago. I also wish he was a car
mechanic. I’ve got a Honda that’s been sitting in the back for years.
He’d have it running like a fine Swiss watch.
I highly recommend Dr. Max.