Why Americans Flock to Mexico’s “Molar City” for Dental Care

New Yorker staff writer Burkhard Bilger doesn’t have great teeth. According to Bilger, his “gaptoothed grin” makes him look like he came from a bar fight or a remake of “Deliverance.” Given his lousy dental insurance, a friend recommended that Bilger head to Mexico’s “Molar City,” Los Algodones, a place that has the highest per capita concentration of dentists in the world, to get his teeth fixed. Medical tourism is nothing new, but few think of going abroad for their teeth. Yet most Americans have inadequate dental insurance and the system is geared to abandon you just when you need it the most. We talk to Bilger and dental professionals about why dental care does not get the respect, or coverage, that it deserves.

Guests:

Burkhard Bilger, journalist and staff writer, New Yorker Magazine; Bilger is the author of "Fatherland" and "Noodling Flatheads" - his most recent piece for the New Yorker was titled "Word of Mouth: A Pilgrimage to Mexico's Molar City"

Dr. Lisa Simon, physician, dentist and health researcher; Dr. Simon is also an assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School

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