How to Find a Good Dentist in Tijuana

Every Mexican dentist has a Cédula Profesional number — ask for it and look it up at the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP) registry. For implants, look for ICOI fellowship, U.S. or European post-graduate training, or a prosthodontics specialty (Maestría en Prostodoncia). For cosmetic work, look for AACD-style cosmetic training and a case portfolio.

Confirm in writing: implant brand (Straumann, Nobel, MIS, Neodent), crown material (e.max, zirconia, Zirkonzahn), and lab (in-house or named partner). A clinic that won't disclose brands is a hard pass.

Cone-beam CT (CBCT) for implant planning, intraoral scanners (iTero, 3Shape) instead of goopy impressions, digital smile design (DSD) for cosmetic cases, and in-house or partner CAD/CAM milling. These aren't gimmicks — they materially improve fit and outcomes.

Read Google reviews (not just clinic-website testimonials), DentalDepartures or Whatclinic profiles, and Reddit threads in r/dentaltourism or r/Tijuana. Look for detailed multi-paragraph reviews — generic five-star reviews are often fake. Sort by 'newest' and look for patterns in complaints.

Which implant brand do you use? Is the lab in-house? Do you include CBCT in the consultation? What is your warranty? How do you handle complications after I return to the U.S.? Can I see before/after photos of a case like mine? What is the all-inclusive price in USD?

No itemized quote, no answer on implant brand, only 5-star reviews with no detail, pressure to commit immediately, deposits to a personal bank account, no CBCT included for implants, no warranty policy, and refusal to share specific dentist credentials.

Vetting a Tijuana clinic from the U.S. is hard. Border Care Dental has already done the credential, material, and outcome screening for our partner clinics — and we coordinate the consultation, treatment plan, travel, and U.S.-side follow-up.