How a Tiny Mexican Border City Built a Budget Dental Empire
Medical tourists flock to Molar City for its 350 dental offices and relief from the high costs in the US and Canada.
This story is part of Businessweek’s Cities issue, a collaboration with CityLab. Read more here.
Soon after sunrise, they begin streaming across the border, most on foot. Some of the hundreds in the crowd pull rolling suitcases and wear backpacks, others carry little more than a purse or shopping bag as they enter Los Algodones, a Mexican town just outside Yuma, Arizona. Awaiting them are scores of jaladores, or barkers, hawking the services that many have traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles to seek: “Hey buddy, optometría, farmacia, dental?”