Enjoy a vacation in Cabo when you see my Dentist..... Dra. Marta Cruz is wonderful!
My wife Teena introduced me to Marta more than 10 years ago and we consider her to be a friend. She is warm, understanding and kind. She is also very good at what she does and we both trust her.
Dr. Marta Cruz is my dentist, and her office is in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
On July 9th I had a last minute appointment to get my normal check-up and cleaning less than 48 hours before my return flight to Washington. The timing never occurred to me as potentially problematic. You see, I have been blessed with strong teeth and disease free gums throughout my life, so “normal” for me is a simple, painless cleaning and the usual compliment of how great my mouth looks and “still only two cavities” after 70 years. And, despite strong recommendations to the contrary, I still do not floss. Just a quick regular check-up and cleaning, no worries in the dental department…. Or so I thought. Great teeth, lovely 25 year old veneers, no problem…. Or so I thought.
During her preliminary inspection with a grotesque pointed tool, Marta literally hit a nerve…. And I knew there was trouble. The electric jolt of pain erased any doubt…. Big trouble.
Marta did all the talking. She apologized that she could not move ahead with the cleaning. She apologized that she could not repair the cavity which had secretly been destroying the enamel hidden beneath one of my cosmetically lovely upper veneer applications. I was toast. I had to have a root canal and fast, if I did not want to deal with it in the States or return within a couple of weeks to do the repairs in Cabo. Marta told me she always referred this type of surgery to one of only a couple of specialists who are the best of the best, but she did not know if an appointment could be made to accommodate my time sensitive emergency. She personally made the call at 4:50pm on Monday afternoon to Doctor Rosalba Yanez Elias, Endodontist.
Prior to that moment, I had no reason to know that an endodontist is a dental specialist that has completed 4 years of dental school along with an additional 2 or more years of specialty training in endodontics (root canals). The doctor was alone in her office but would accommodate my request for the surgery. And, I am thinking big bucks for this emergency!
Driving my own car, I followed Marta’s receptionist to the office of Doctor Yanaz (how many medical professionals in the U.S. would even consider that service?) located about one kilometer away on Calle Leona Vicario. The Doctor was just finishing a procedure performed on the wife of a DENTIST from the U.S.! While waiting, I noticed two Academic Certificates from the finest Medical University in Mexico City consisting of her medical degree in Dentistry and her Master’s Degree in the Specialty of Endodontics (in 1987). Clearly she has done a lot of root canals!
The cost of my root canal was 3,500 Mexican Pesos (about $270 U.S. Dollars). The office was modern, spotless and well equipped. Dra. Yanez spoke clear and fluent English and made a point of explaining the procedure as well as re-assuring me that there would be no problems. The most painful part from that moment until today was the needle prick I felt when she introduced the first local anesthesia into my upper gums. She completed all of the surgery by herself with a competence that was above question. She explained every step and took 8 X-rays to reference each step in the procedure and which appeared instantly on a large flat screen for her inspection. 2 hours later after removing the nerve, creating space for the “post” which was to hold the new reconstructed tooth in place, and temporarily filling the remaining hollow space, I got in my car and safely drove home, fully alert and pain free except a bit of tenderness and the sensation of numbness in my jaw and face.
Marta had already scheduled me for a second appointment on the following day at 3:30pm, during which she installed the new “post” and reconstructed a lovely new tooth complete, fully functioning, and polished. Her total charges were 2,000 pesos ($155 USD). I caught my flight the next afternoon as planned, ate an Alaska Airlines cheeseburger with potato chips in-flight, and have experienced no pain or problems since.
Doctora Marta Cruz is wonderful, and I will not be changing dentists any time soon.
