How to start? Most of my healthcare has been in the US, and a large part of that provided by the US Air Force while I was active duty. I also got some non-US health care while stationed overseas, and again after starting my fulltime RVing career. I’ve seen doctors and dentists all over the country. You know what’s pretty much guaranteed? Waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

It’s gotten to the point where if I’m in a doctor’s waiting room for 30 minutes past my appointment time, I get up and walk out. Lately, I’ve expanded that to include the exam room. You know the trick. They call you in from the waiting room and show you into the exam room, where you continue to wait. There are way too many options out there for me to put up with that.

Now let’s talk about what put a big smile on my face this week. I had a dentist appointment to get another crown. I showed up early out of habit. At precisely the appointed time, I was called in from the waiting room. I was taken directly for my X-ray. As soon as the X-ray was completed I was in a chair where they started applying a local anesthetic. I don’t recall how long the entire process took but there was NEVER any waiting involved. It actually took awhile to realize what a unicorn of an appointment I just had.

And here’s the kicker. That dentist is in Mexico. Not only was my time treated as valuable but it also cost far less than comparable treatment in the US. I know there are many Americans (typically those who haven’t traveled) who think medical and dental care outside the US sucks. Because, well, they’re not American. These people are either blind or uninformed or both. So many US doctors and dentists were either born in a foreign country or went to med school in a foreign country. One more thing. I still get to file a claim with my US based dental insurance. I’ve done it before, and so has my wife. I’m sure they appreciate paying a percentage on a much lower amount.