The Town of Lonely Dentists

18 June 2009 - Palomas is the little border town that discount dentistry built. There are the usual liquor stores and curio venders, and even 
a cantina with a Statute of Liberty on the roof. But mostly the streets are 
lined with storefront clinics offering crowns, dentures, cleanings.
 Walk-ins welcome! As the sign promises: American standards at Mexican
 prices, where a porcelain filling and a shot of Novocain will set you 
back about $60.


We went looking for dentists to talk about the hard times created by the storms of violence along the border. In the video, you can meet Jesus Jasso Salazar, who came here a decade ago to make his living with a drill
 and learned to say open wide in English. Most of his patients were
 Americans, until they got scared away by sudden surge in kidnappings and 
killings. Jasso used to be busy all day long in his two-chair clinic. Now 
he sits reading books in his own waiting room.


Thats the thing about drug violence. It can hollow out a place.
 Dentists have been the bedrock of this community for years. Now theyre 
moving on.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• drug
• war
• palomas
• mexico
• columbus
• new
• border
• violence
• dentist

[spinceara]

interesting

[fognog3]

@billeybop you will never stop drugs the only solution is to legalize

[abiri12341]

pue yo kiero q sepan q lo que el tiene halla es el tiempo q no lo veo papa haber si un dia vez esto y te comunicas con nosotros

[foreilly1958]

I am a patient of Dr. Fiero in Las Palomas. I am sorry to see what the drug war has done to the Medical tourism trade.

[Talkingcorpses]

Palomas is across the border from Columbus, NM

[jendeh1000]

Where is Palomas close to in the states? Thank You

[CR5NO2]

It would seem that the recent drug warfare and thousands of resulting deaths indicates that making drugs illegal has worse consequences than making them legal...

[chinesemusicDJ]

wtf, how come I didn't know about this place sooner?! I spent $200 on fillings for four tooth yesterday!!

[13R1CK4]

Billeybop- Or when they make drugs legal. You don't see anyone killing someone over a case of beer do you?

[Animator2109]

I LiKe DOnuTs >:-D-