On recent trip to Mexico I had the good fortune of being introduced to Dra. Angela Acuna at Rocky Smiles Health Center just outside of Puerto Penasco (also known as Rocky Point) on the very north end of the Sea of Cortez. It wasn’t my first trip to a Mexican dentist and it won’t be my last. In fact I plan to travel the short five hour drive from San Diego to that little slice of desert paradise whenever any future dental work is needed. It was without a doubt the most unique and pleasant experience I have ever had at a dentist and for once in my life I look forward to the follow up work that my mouth needs.
This dental experience was unique in the fact that finding the place of business wasn’t so much difficult but when I did drive up on Dra. Angela’s facility it was as if I was walking into a home. The walk from the dirt road goes through a gate then instantly you are calmed by clean white walls, flowers and succulents that decorate and perfectly adorn the entrance. Once inside there is a waiting room and a front desk but you may still think you are in somebody’s home. I have a tendency to let anxiety creep into my brain when just the thought of going to a dentist is imminent but from the street to the front desk all anxiety was dismantled, it was as if I was going to visit a friend that was there to look at my teeth, a friend I had never met.
Now don’t get me wrong, Rocky Smiles is an extremely professional operation and Dra. Angela’s many dental certificates and awards hang in frames neatly on the wall but the place is just so calming. This place is a far cry from the structured minimalist, stainless steel facilities in the US, and I liked it.
I had arrived a little early and while I waited I met a very nice woman from Arizona. She and her husband were retired and vacationed in Rocky Point often for the last 20 years. Fifteen years ago the husband had broken a tooth here on a Saturday and by Sunday the gentleman a permanent crown. A crown that had been manufactured in Dr. Angela’s lab which is conveniently located on the property. A decade and a half later that crown is still in place and they praise the work, returning again and again in full boycott of US dentists and the exorbitant prices of which they demand.
I was there for a teeth cleaning and to take inventory as to what ten years of dental neglect had in store for me. I won’t go into the long list of what was needed but I will say that when it was all added up, nearly twelve items, it was two thirds the cost of what I would expect to pay in San Diego. In fact it would be cheaper and faster to set myself up in a luxury resort on the outskirts of town for a week and have it all taken care of recovering daily in the desert sun, lounging on the beach or near a vanishing edge pool. Of course this is the future plan.
It took about 20 minutes for my teeth cleaning and the procedure was painless and efficient and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the entire experience. When she was finished I almost expected an offer to join her and her family for dinner. Well I didn’t get an offer for dinner but I did get an offer to return and have some or all of my dental needs handled all under one roof any day of the week.
If you or anyone you know are looking for dental work I couldn’t recommend more highly the services of Dra. Angela Acuna, her staff and her pleasant Rocky Smiles facility.
For more information and to check out all the extremely positive praise Dra Angela receives, connect via email at dra_angelaar@hotmail.com or to this link http://mexicodental.co/rocky-smiles-health-center
About the writer: Lencho is a freelance travel adventure writer with a genuine love and curiosity of the world with a particular affinity for Latin American cultures, people, food, wild spaces, urban places and a seeker of human smiles and laughter. Look for his posts from time to time. Lencho.MexicoVisitor@gmail.com
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