Yuma Arizona and Dental in Mexico

So yesterday we went to the RV park I'd booked in Yuma Arizona and settled in.  It's a day early, but Pahrump was just too cold and we were itching to go.  After the accident on the way I'm now itching not to go ANYWHERE.  I kind of want to cancel my San Diego RV park booking and just stay here the rest of winter.  Yuma's a really nice city.  It has everything me and my mom like and it's as warm as we're going to get it seems.

Anywho, my intake flange for my water connection cracked in half in Pahrump due to getting brittle with cold.  I just replaced it myself with a new flange from Al's RV shop here in Yuma.  Hopefully I did the repair right and it will work out.  It seemed simple...but RV stuff seldom is.  I'll keep an eye out for leaks the next few days.

After getting the part from the RV store I took my mother to Mexico.  She had decided against getting dental work done there after seeing some crazy prices online.  We still came down because she's never been to Mexico.  I wanted to stock up on those antidepressants that worked out for me too.  We parked in the Q casino lot for $6 and walked on in.

I got my pills and we wandered around.  Spent $20 on a stupid hat that I'm sure my mom will only wear once.  She bought the same ball in a cup toy I'd bought for her because she wants to give it to her grandson.  My price: $10.  Her price after speaking in Spanish:  $5.  Mierda!

Anyway, the sidewalks are cave-like due to the shop canopies.  You can't walk five steps without being harangued.  This woman chased my mom down with a hooded shirt, and she just didn't want it, you know?  I looked at jewelry at a stand and the woman started the same scam the guy did the last time I was there, 'Please buy something.  I'm so hungry.  I don't have money for a taco for lunch.'  Ugh.  I bought earrings for $8.  I'm a sucker, but I also applaud her entrepreneurial spirit.

We finally went into one of the little dentists just to have a break from the peddlers.  This was a pretty enough office, and who knows, the guy might be a good dentist.  But he claimed my mom's teeth were too loose for a bridge (something the other dentist refuted with an X-Ray) and tried to sell her a $900 removable plastic denture thing instead.  We really wanted something permanent for her.  (Not implants, however, since a blood disease makes any surgery potentially deadly for her).

We continued on and found a dentist with ADA certified plaques.  So we went in.  I believe we found one of the quality dentists, Isaias Iniguez D.D.S.  The office was nicer and better equipped than many USA dentists.  The customer service was top-notch.  They drove us back across the border at the end of the session as a courtesy.

That's not to say that they aren't out to upsell you and try to get you to buy more services than you need.  The woman at the desk (a sweetheart) is a shrewd saleswoman and she was aggressive in trying to get rid of the mercury fillings in my mother's mouth.  Not something we cared about.  Not something she really needed.  Every dentist offers us veneers.  This is a want, not a need.  Being able to chew is a need for my poor mom.  (The friendly professional woman also pitied me for my yellow teeth, which are the color of aged parchment.  I don't care.  I'm not whitening them.)

Anyway, my mother is suffering with a 30 year old removable denture thing that is causing an allergic reaction in her mouth and damaging her gums and other teeth.  It's WAY past time to get rid of that junk.

We're getting her a 7 tooth permanent bridge for her upper teeth made out of posh zirconia (I couldn't get them to offer a cheaper material) for $3,500.  It's expensive, but cheaper than in the USA and direly needed.  Her appointment is next Wednesday.  I'll post an update on how it goes.  FYI, they could have done it tomorrow, but we need time to gather the cash.

Tomorrow we're going RV shopping.  I dream of a class-C with an easy to climb up bunk  ;_;  I'm so over towing this trailer.