It might be a small town in Mexico, just across the border from Arizona, but Los Algodones has a reputation for having more dentists than anywhere else in the world.

Out of a population of just 4000, there are 200 dental practices, all of which are thriving. Many of the patients are US and Canadian citizens who decided that they would get better treatment in Los Algodones, and at a cheaper cost than in their own home towns.

One of the dentists working in the town is Dr. Bernardo Magana. Now, 70, he apparently ended up in the town by accident, while doing voluntary work at a nearby community after graduating. Other dentists followed later.

He told reporters that he blames himself for the growing proportion of dentists. He said: “I started hiring too many people. I brought another dentist with me and it was grow, grow, grow. Now there are probably 500 dentists in town. They are working, five or seven of them, in one office.”

Ironically, many of the dentists practicing in Los Algodones were originally trained by Dr. Magana. Now they compete directly with him for business.

His own practice is especially organised in that all 7 dentists working there are specialists. Dr. Magana himself specialises in oral surgery and is expert in installing implants.

The major reason for the influx of ‘outsiders’, particularly Canadians, is the lower cost of treatment. Bernardo contends that the treatments he and other dentists offer in the town are no different. The only difference is the price charged. He said: “The only difference is the price of the job. Everybody works with gloves and a mask. The technology is the same. Some of our equipment is the newest available.”

Magana is a modest man, and readily admits that many of his foreign patients may get better service in the US or Canada, but it seems they prefer him and other in Los Algodones.