American woman was quoted $4,500 for dental work. She went to Mexico and got it done for just $235

Healthcare in America can come with staggering costs, and dental care is no exception. Faced with an impossible quote, one woman decided to look elsewhere, and what she found exposed a jarring price gap. TikTok creator @handerplants shared that she went to a dentist in the US and had them quote for multiple dental procedures. She said, "I was quoted by a dentist in the US $4500 for work that I needed to be done on my teeth." Refusing to pay that amount, she decided to find another option. "I said f*** that, I will be going to Mexico," she explained.

She reached out to a dentist in Tijuana and sent them the original recommendation from her US provider. The clinic initially quoted her around $800, which was already a significant drop. Once in Tijuana, the clinic ran its own evaluation and told her she didn’t need half of what she had been prescribed back in the US, including a deep cleaning. That recommendation had stood out to her, as her American dentist insisted it was her only option. She recalled asking if a regular cleaning would suffice, only to be told it was "beyond the point of regular cleanings." The Mexican clinic had completely disagreed. She revealed the final charge: "My services ended up being $235."

Concluding the video, she shared the clinic's name, saying, "The dentist in TJ is called 'American Biodental.' It was incredible. I highly recommend them. Excellent service, [I] will be going back." The video got a lot of attention and people were surprised in the comments, many sharing similar stories and frustrations with the American healthcare system. @district_pilot joked, "The deep cleaning they really wanted was of your bank account." @bennysv added, "There are stories of people not actually having the cavities that a dentist told them they needed to fix." @itstiktoksteve commented, "The fact the USA doesn't have a national health service in 2025 is absolutely wild. It's a 3rd world country."

Several people echoed the woman's experience. @sarcastic_femme shared, "I was quoted $3,600 for dental work AFTER insurance. Paid $900 in Tijuana for 2 crowns. They said I didn’t need anything else. I’m so tired of everyone trying to scam us!" @sergiotikky said, "Same. A sleep study to see if I have sleep apnea was going to be $15K. Went to Thailand, spent $500, and had—without exaggeration—the best medical care of my life." @ccon325 wrote, "I was quoted $7,500 and needed 6 crowns. Went to a new dentist in town and he said I had one cavity. Some dentists are running chop shops."

The video was so popular that it was later re-shared by @WallStreetApes on X (formerly Twitter) and got over 8 million views. People there were equally pressed. The caption of the post read, "American citizen was quoted $4,500 for dental work. She went to Tijuana, Mexico and the same work was only $800. Not only that, but many things she was quoted as needing were a lie. Why does it cost $3,700 more in America for the exact same work just a few miles away across the border?"

You can follow handerplants (@handerplants) on TikTok for more vlog-style content.