No Appointment? No Problem! How I Went to the Dentist and Still Made My Flight.

I had been putting of dental work for months because the dentists in my area that were worth their pay were very expensive, but the tooth had a cavity, and since it was in front, it was not only imperative from a health perspective, but aesthetics view as well. With not much time to spare, my friend and I searched Google for dental clinics. We went up the street to try and find the closest one. When we could not find it, we went to the next closest one. So my friend and myself toted all of our carry on luggage up the stairs and into the clinic. I signed the form and within a few minutes I was waited on. After an initial look over the dentist quoted me a price. $60 buck! While it is still cheaper than the US, it was a far cry from what I was expecting or had. So I decided that was too much and went out searching for another clinic. Right down the street there was another clinic. With that my adventure in medical tourism began. I asked if they took walk ins and they said yes. I filled out the paper work and within 10 minutes I was asked to walk in to the dentist chair. The dentist was attractive and attentive, and her English was pretty good to boot. Unfortunately my Spanish was so so but we cut the difference. For $31 dollars and $30 minutes of my time I was able to get a tooth done without the need for needles (they used gel) and using the best material (I don't even notice it was filled in). After that my friend and I visited a nice street restaurant and I bought a Mt. Dew for the road (That was one of the only downside to Colombia I saw, besides pollution and taxi drivers. The Mt. Dew was not as flavorful, but it lack as much sugar as well, so it was an even trade off I suppose).

After the restaurant we caught a taxi. After learning how they metered taxis in Bogota, I checked the schedule that is supposed to be out by law, and to my pleasant surprise we were not being ripped off. It took us a while to get from Chapinero to the airport. It was an ok drive. By the time we got there we still had about an hour and a half to go. One problem: I couldn't find a place to print Spirit boarding passes. So we eventually found the desk, and luckily they did not charge us to get boarding passes at the airport. After that we were able to get through customs and all that fun stuff, but after flying with enough money for only one meal and not being able to eat in Bogota (where cheap meals would be), I felt out of it. I eventually got a brownie on my way out of Detroit, but that did not help my lack of food. After several hours to get home, I was glad to say I was happy to be home and eat.

The takeaway, besides not rushing things, is that affordable medical and dental care can be had for way less than what it cost in the US, Canada, or else where. While 1 tooth would not per se justify a person going to Colombia for that alone (I was going there already), multiple teeth or a major operation may. For as low as $251 dollars, you can visit Bogota and take in the beauty. In addition, Colombia is not just for dental work. Medellin, which can be reached overnight by bus, is the plastic surgery capital of the world, although the prices don't reflect it. I imagine other surgeries and medical related purchases would be about the same, although the first things I mentioned are what Colombia is know for. So before you shell out hundreds or thousands for dental work, take a vacation instead and enjoy Colombia!