The official Colombian money is the Colombian Peso.
Notes come in Denominations of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 20,000 and 50,000;
Coins come in 20, 50,100, 200 and 500 peso denominations;
If you would like to view the obverse and reverse of the current Colombian Peso notes and coins and learn about the people whose faces grace the currency go to:
www.medellintravelguide.com/medellin_money.html
There is also a link to a currency converter with current exchange rates.
Planning to use your ATM card when you visit Medellin? You will get better exchange rates than changing cash or travelers checks at a cambio!
There are convenient ATM’s (called ATH’s in Medellin) all over Medellin. In Banks, Malls, Grocery Stores, Casinos, Restaurants and more. Most of them support the more popular networks like Cirrus, Plus, Maestro, MasterCard and many others. Most also have an English and Spanish language option.
Different ATMs have different per transaction limits of usually 400,000-500,000 COP. You can do multiple transactions up to the daily limit allowed by your bank.
A few hints on using ATM’s in Medellin;
Only withdraw what you will need on a daily basis;
Only carry 1 or 2 ATM/Debit/Credit Cards
Only make withdrawls from ATM’s in well lighted areas and preferably places with on site security;
Keep your paper receipt;
Count your money; Check your balance on line to make sure only one transaction occurred.
Make sure that your transaction has ended and the machine is ready for the next customer….not asking you if you want another transaction!
Ever since I started posting information about my Medellin Dentist, Dr. Juan Carlos Mejia, my personal in box has been flooded with inquiries about his services, prices, is he a well trained dentist, is it safe to visit Medellin, can I really save money, is his clinic sterile, does he use the latest technology, can I trust my dental requirements with him, does he do laser whitening?
It became somewhat overwhelming so I started forwarding my e-mails directly to him for responses. I don’t know the procedures for a crown replacement or what it would cost. I do not know how many hours a dental implant takes or the procedure for replacing an amalgam filling with a white filling.
What I do know is that every single patient that I have ever referred to Dr. Mejia has raved about his services and professionalism. Many have sent me e-mails about how much money they saved, even after considering the cost of their airfare, hotels, meals and more. Better than 90% have commented on what a nice guy he is and how they can not believe they have his personal cell phone number or how quickly he responds to their e-mails. The best one was one guy who told me about using his web cam to show a tooth problem on line with Dr. Mejia and the Dr. being able to give him an online response and estimated cost for the procedure.
Comments like;
- DR. Mejia did a dental implant for me for $450 that my dentist in the US quoted me $1,800 for;
_I had 3 root canals that my dentist in the US quoted me $4,500. Dr. Mejia did them for less than $1,200;
-I am from England where there are the worst Dentist in the world. Dr. Mejia fixed two crowns and re-filled 3 amalgam cavaties whith white fillers and now my teeth look great.
-He saw me on a Saturday morning because I only had the weekend in Medellin. My dentist in the US was probably on the golf course. Imagine???
Well, when you keep getting glowing feedback from your constituents like this guy is getting, you tend to want to keep promoting him.
One other interesting fact: His Tutorial on Cosmetic Dentistry is the second highest read post on this site. Feria de Las Flores beat him out, but not by much.
Need some high quality low cost dentistry? Might want to consider a visit to Medellin. Enjoy the wonderful climate, the friendly people, the beautiful girls, get a little required dental services performed and pay for the cost of your visit with your savings and then some!
Yes, he and his staff speak English. He can explain what is required in English. He can explain the procedures in English….but he will bill you in pesos….!
How white your teeth can become from bleaching and whitening is a common question with a very subjective answer. Some whitening procedures claim they can whiten your teeth by up to nine shades, but that is highly unlikely. Just a change of two or three shades will make a significant difference in just about anyone’s smile. There is no one standard system in the dental field to measure and determine tooth color. The most often heard about, however, is the Vita shade guide. This guide divides tooth color into four basic shade ranges:
A (reddish brown)
B (reddish yellow)
C (gray)
D (reddish gray).
In the A range there are five levels of darkness. Ranges B, C and D, each have four levels.Not all of your teeth are the same natural color. Usually your eye teeth tend to be darker than the others, your front teeth are typically the whitest, and molars tend to be a shade between the two. The goal for everyone is to achieve their individual optimum whiteness while still looking natural. During your first consultation for tooth whitening, your dentist will go over what you personally can expect for your specific smile. How white teeth will become from a given procedure will vary from person to person. The structure of your teeth and the type of procedure implemented will affect the outcome.
Teeth enamel discoloration can be caused by staining, aging, or chemical damage to teeth. Some of the more common causes of teeth discoloration are medications, coffee, tea or cigarettes. People who drink significant amounts of cola soft drinks can experience similar staining.
Aside from staining, there are other factors that can affect the color of an individual’s teeth. Genetics can play a role. Some people have naturally brighter enamel than others. Disease can also be a factor and certain medications can cause a discoloration of the teeth. If you suspect that there is an underlying medical cause for your teeth discoloration, be sure to inform your cosmetic dentist.
People typically have their teeth whitened to improve their appearance. Whiter teeth are associated with beauty and a healthier lifestyle. When people have a brighter smile, they tend to smile more often and are less self-conscious.
In addition, a whiter smile tends to minimize the appearance of facial wrinkles, giving way to a more youthful and energetic appearance.
Finally, a whiter smile gives people to whom you are speaking a place to focus on and gives you a friendlier appearance.
Although bleaching is very effective, there can be short term disadvantages, such as sore gums or teeth from the bleach. This disappears when bleach use is discontinued. Some individuals are more chemically sensitive. If you are one of them, inform your cosmetic dentist so that you can be tested for sensitivity to the solution.
Research indicates that bleaching is completely effective in more than 78% of people. In cases of serious teeth discoloration, bleaching may not be the best choice. Veneers or crowns may be the superior choice. Bleaching is usually the first solution to try due to its lower cost.
Some people experience discomfort from wearing the mouth tray. This typically goes away in short order, but if you suspect that there is a problem with the fit of your mouth tray, call your dentist’s office. They can often make small adjustments that will minimize or eliminate the problem.
TYPES OF TEETH WHITENING
There are a few teeth whitening procedures available that correct discoloration of the teeth by removing the brown and yellow staining. While each work effectively, there are advantages and disadvantages to each procedure dependent upon your objectives and commitment to the processes. The type of procedures available should be discussed with your cosmetic dentist, and a
Using a laser with a whitening gel, this is an in-office bleaching system.
The translucent bleaching gel is applied to the teeth and a laser light is used to activate the crystals to absorb the energy from the light and penetrate the teeth enamel to increase the lightening effect on the teeth. The length of time in the cosmetic dentist’s chair depends on the degree of discoloration you have.
Advantage: One visit is usually all it takes for a bright smile.
Disadvantage: The sudden change of color is likely to be noticed by those around you immediately.
A custom fitted tray is worn over your teeth. A small amount of the bleaching gel is placed in the tray and worn for a brief amount of time each day. This is a common technique because it’s easy to use and costs less. Impressions are taken of your mouth and a thin custom made plastic tray is made which you take home and wear for about one to two hours per day. While some results may be seen in a couple days, it usually takes one to two weeks to see the full whitening of your teeth. This procedure is sometimes used in conjunction with the in-office laser bleaching if you have severe discoloration (dark grey or purple) or internal teeth staining.
Advantage: A gradual whitening of your teeth over time will be less noticeable to others that you’re undergoing this procedure..
We continually seek out English speaking Doctors and Dentists in Medellin so if a little health tourism is part of your aganda for visiting, you will at least have a few recommended physicians to consider.
A friend recently had to have several root canals done (at way below US and European prices) and our other Dentist friend Dr. Juan Carlos Meia Escalante recommended an associate in Envigado. Now, my friend is not exactly over zealous about going to a Dr. or Dentist in the first place. In fact, he has outright panic attacks…..seerriioouuss ones!
Dr. Restrepo agreed to come to Dr. Mejias office to perform the procedure. I forewarned him about my friends “panic syndrome” and he assured me everything would be OK. He, he he. Little did he know my friend.
After an hour of trying to get a little novocaine in his mouth Dr. Restrepo finally decided to take a break and re-group with a diferent approach. A little hypnosis/calming technique finally got everything underway.
Anyway, Dr. Restrepo did such an excellent job and very affordable prices, I decided to put him on the MTG website as another Medellin Dentist specializing in General Dentistry, Endodontics (root canals) and laser whitening. He also provided a laymans explaination of various dental reconstrucitive and restorative procedures along with photos and price ranges. This shoud give you a good benchmark to compare other prices in other parts of the world.
And get this;
1-He will schedule Saturday or Sunday appointments in advance of your arrival if you only have a couple of days to spend in Medellin;
2-He will provide a “Web Cam” examination or review digital X-Rays (if you have them) and give you and opinion on what procedure you should consider and the approximate costs;
3-You can call him on his cell phone or send him e-mails and he will actually answer;
4- He has agreed to be on-call for any English Speaking Medellin Visitor that may have an emergency requirement (chip/break a tooth, have an abcess, have a filling fall out etc). Can you imagine that in the US or Europe????
Feel free to contact him directly and if you mention Medellin Travel Guide, he will give you an additional 10% discount.
The original design concept for Medellin Travel Guide was to make it into a portal, a gateway if you will, to finding information about visiting or traveling to Medellin Colombia. Inclusive of our rental apartments, penthouses and realestate for sale listings we have with our clients, the portal is now well over 180 pages in length. Too big and too cumbersome for many surfers although our unique visitors continues to grow at a 20% month over month rate.
We tracked some data points, for the past 4 months, of which topics were of the greatest interest to our site visitors and decided to publish an easier to navigate more user friendly website with short snippets of information and links back to individual pages on MTG is there was interest in more detail on a particular subject.
It had a natural selection of about 5 main topics;
Accommodations;
Getting Here;
Realestate;
Things to do;
and, Services
From those broad categories, we took the top 33 most frequently visited pages/topics and created www.medellinvisitorsguide.com In some cases, you will be taken to a specific page on Medellin Travel Guide but will never leave the Medellin Visitors Guide Site. We used the KISS approach in determining if less intensive information would meet your needs for Medellin Information and just created new pages or whether the information on MTG was succint enough to just link you to that specific topic.
A splash or landing page was created about a month ago and we have been periodically working to complete the site.
Today, we have re-launched www.medellinvisitorsguide for your perusal. We hope it meets your needs for information about traveling to or visiting Medellin Colombia. You can always find more detail on many more topics on Medellin Travel Guide but you may just find what you need on Medellin Visitors Guide as well.
Thanks for visiting and helping to make Medellin Travel Guide the #1 English web site about Medellin Colombia on the internet.
Regards,
MTG
At a 180+ pages and growing, the Medellin Travel Guide portal has become somewhat daunting for many that are not skilled browsers on the internet.
In an effort to make finding information about Medellin Colombia a little easier, we have launched several new web sites specifically focused on topics people are interested in finding about Medellin.
www.medellinpenthouses.com is dedicated to furnished Penthouses and apartments for sale and short or long term rentals;
www.medellinrealestatguide.com is dedicated to Medellin Property, sales of homes, condos, apartments, penthouses and fincas
www.medellinfincas.com is dedicated to finca sales and rentals as well as finca hotels for visits;
www.medellinadventuretours.com is dedicated to providing you with information about things to see and do in Medellin ranging from museum and finca tours to paragliding and whitewater rafting.
www.medellinvisitorsguide.com is a scaled down version of the Medellin Travel Guide with quick links to many favorite topics like Medellin Accommodations, Medellin Restaurants, Medellin Attractions and of course, Parque Lleras
www.medellinhealthtourism.com is dedicated to helping people find Medellin Doctors, Medellin Dentists and Medellin Hospitals that need health related assistance.
There are about 8 other web sites related to Medellin Realestate, Medellin Apartments and visiting Medellin that we have also launched. Hopefully, you will discover that finding information on specific topics about Medellin Colombia a little easier to find now.
Regards,
Medellin Travel Guide
Dental implants are artificial tooth replacements that are used to counter tooth loss. The procedure is categorized as a form of prosthetic dentistry, though it also falls into the category of cosmetic dentistry as well. Strong, durable and natural in appearance, implants are among the most successful dental procedures performed.Although you have a number of restorative options for the treatment of missing teeth, none have proven to be as functionally effective and durable as implants. In many cases, dental implants may be the only logical choice for the restoration of all necessary functionality of the teeth and supporting structures.
Teeth are lost or missing because of:
People who have lost teeth might feel too self-conscious to smile or talk. Additionally, biting irregularities caused by tooth loss can have a negative effect on eating habits and this can lead to secondary health problems like malnutrition. Regardless of the nature of problems related to tooth loss, dental implants may provide a simple remedy with proven results.
Implants offer a permanent solution to tooth loss. Additionally, implants may be used in conjunction with other restorative procedures for maximum effectiveness. For example, a single implant can serve to support a crown replacing a single missing tooth. Implants can also be used to support a dental bridge for the replacement of multiple missing teeth, and can be used with dentures to increase stability and reduce gum tissue irritation. More people than ever before are finding themselves candidates for implant treatment. However, candidacy for implantation still varies, meaning that the dentist may determine that you should opt for an alternative restoration. Prosthodontists are the specialists who often complete this crucial procedure.Periodontists and oral surgeons perform the implant surgical procedure itself.
Today’s dental implants are virtually indistinguishable from other teeth. This appearance is aided in part by the structural and functional connection between the dental implant and the living bone. Implants are typically placed in a single sitting but require a period of osseointegration. Osseointegration is the process by which direct anchorage of a dental implant root and the bone of the jaw occurs. Osseointegrated implants are the most commonly used and successful type of dental implant. An osseointegrated implant takes anywhere from three to six months to anchor and heal, at which point the dentist can complete the procedure with the placement of a crown. Once the implant has anchored with the jawbone, artificial prosthesis may be attached and the process is done. If osseointegration does not occur, the implant will fail. Detailed procedural steps are as follows: Preparing the Jaw for Implantation: A dental implant is commonly composed of a titanium material screw and a crown. A small-diameter hole (pilot hole) is drilled at edentulous (where there is no tooth) jaw sites in order to guide the titanium screw that holds a dental implant in place. To avoid damaging vital jaw and face structures like the inferior alveolar nerve in the mandible (lower jaw), a dentist must use good planing, great skill and expertise when boring the pilot hole and sizing the jaw bone.Placement of the Implant: After the initial pilot hole has been drilled into the appropriate jaw site, it is slowly widened to allow for placement of the implant screw. Following this placement, a protective cover screw is placed on top to allow the implant site to heal and the dental implant to anchor (osseointegration). After several months, the protective cover is removed and a temporary crown is placed on top of the dental implant. The temporary crown serves as a template around which the gum grows and shapes itself in a natural way. The process is completed when the temporary crown is replaced with a permanent crown.
For dental implant procedure to work, there must be enough bone in the jaw, and the bone has to be strong enough to hold and support the implant. If there is not enough bone, more may need to be added with a bone graft procedure. Sometimes, this procedure is called bone augmentation. In addition, natural teeth and supporting tissues near where the implant will be placed must be in good health.In all cases, what must be addressed is the functional aspect of the final implant restoration, the final occlusion. How much force per area is being placed on the bone implant interface? Implant loads from chewing and parafunction can exceed the physio biomechanic tolerance of the implant bone interface and/or the titanium material itself, causing failure. This can be failure of the implant itself (fracture) or bone loss, a “melting” or resorption of the surrounding bone.The restorative dentist must first determine what type of prosthesis will be fabricated. Only then can the specific implant requirements including number, length, diameter, and thread pattern be determined. In other words, the case must be reversed engineered by the restoring dentist prior to the surgery. If bone volume or density is inadequate, a bone graft procedure must be considered first. The restoring dentist consults with the oral surgeon, trained general dentist, or periodontist to co-treat the patient. Usually, physical models or impressions of the patient’s jawbones and teeth are made by the restorative dentist, and are used as physical aids to treatment planning. Computer simulation software based on CAT scan data allows virtual implant surgical placement based on a barium impregnated prototype of the final prosthesis. This predicts vital anatomy, bone quality, implant characteristics, the need for bone grafting, and maximizing the implant bone surface area for the treatment case creating a high level of predictability. Computer CAD/CAM Dentistry milled or stereo lithography based drill guides can be developed for the implant surgeon to facilitate proper implant placement based on the final prosthesis occlusion and aesthetics.
Dental implants are among the most successful procedures in dentistry. There is no guarantee that an implant procedure will be successful, but studies have shown a five-year success rate of 95% for lower jaw implants and 90% for upper jaw implants. The success rate for upper jaw implants is slightly lower because the upper jaw (especially the posterior section) is less dense than the lower jaw, making successful implantation and osseointegration potentially more difficult to achieve. Lower posterior implantation has the highest success rate for all dental implants.Dental implants may fail for a number of reasons. The cause is often related to a failure in the osseointegration process. For example, if the implant is placed in a poor position, osseointegration may not take place. Dental implants may break or become infected (like natural teeth) and crowns may become loose. If you are a smoker who is considering a dental implant, your dentist will likely advise you to give up smoking before undergoing the process because smokers face a higher risk of implant failure. Since the procedure can be expensive, you risk wasting your money on dental implants if you do not give up the habit.On the plus side, dental implants are not susceptible to the formation of cavities; still, poor oral hygiene can lead to the development of peri-implantitis around dental implants. This disease is tantamount to the development of periodontitis (severe gum disease) around a natural tooth.
An increasingly common strategy to preserve bone, maintain gum anatomy and reduce treatment times includes the placement of a dental implant into a recent extraction site. In addition, immediate loading is becoming more common as success rates for this procedure are now acceptable. This can cut months off the treatment time and in some cases a prosthetic tooth can be attached to the implants at the same time as the surgery to place the dental implants. Candidacy for this type of early intervention is dependant upon anatomical factors of the extracted tooth site. For example, in many cases the extracted tooth site is wider than the implant, making it impossible to place the implant into the site immediately after extraction. Dental work would have to be performed first in order to create a perfect fit for the implant.In all of these approaches, computer-based guidance has thrust itself onto the treatment stage. Not only will 3D digital imagery yield critical treatment guidance, the digital data can be used to manufacture precision drilling guides, virtually eliminating surgical errors. State of the art implant technologyNobelGuide™ is a revolutionary treatment planning and surgical implementation system enabling the dentist to transfer extra oral and computer planning into the mouth with unrivaled accuracy and ease.With NobelGuide™ the placing of the implant, abutment and restorative crown or bridge is sometimes simultaneous. It is applicable to the patient indication, by using either conventional modeling or computer aided-3D design – NobelGuide™ shows the professional the exact position and depth of the implants before surgery.This information enables to produce a surgical template which guides the flapless procedure from start to a completely successful placement.In practice, this means beautiful teeth for the chosen patients in virtually one visit. • Easy, safe and predictable.
• No healing time required prior to functioning.
Who wouldn’t love the idea of having beautiful, great working teeth – by only attending a few appointments and a minimally invasive procedure that gets you back in social and working life in no time? With NOBELGUIDE™ all these promises can be made.· Maximum comfort Based on flapless surgery, reducing pain and swelling. · Immediate cost saving Built on Immediate Function™, reducing costly time off from working life. · Fast Treatment Combination of Immediate Function™ and a premade, temporary or final, prosthetic solution ready at time of surgery radically shortens treatment time. Applying a final prosthetic solution means real “Teeth-in-an-Hour”. · Long and short term aesthetics ALL ON FOURThe All-on-4 and the All-on-4 with NobelGuide™ clinical solutions were developed by Dr. Paulo Maló at CM Clinica Maló in Lisbon, Portugal.“All-on-4″ for edentulous jaws is a treatment procedure that uses tilting posterior implants. This facilitates an optimal support for an acrylic bridge that can be fabricated and functioning within just a few hours after surgery. “All-on-4″ is based on Nobel Biocare’s pioneering Immediate Function™ capability.The All-on-4 clinical solution has been developed to maximize the use of available bone and to allow for Immediate Function™. This means that an fully edentulous patient can change his condition and have a fixed implant suported prosthesis with in a very short period of time. The All-on-4 with NobelGuide™ enables the dentist to use CT scan data as the basis for surgical planning in a 3D computer environment. From the computer-based planning, Nobel Biocare provides the dentist with a Surgical Template to guide him safely during flapless surgery. To take advantage of Immediate Function™ and place a highly aesthetic prosthetic reconstruction at the time of surgery. All-on-4 changes what has become “traditional” thinking with regard to immediate loading for the edentulous patient. The concept has near universal application, with a simplified approach to the entry-level fixed restoration that has the potential to make this treatment affordable for an even greater segment of our population. The recommendations for the high-end prosthesis are also unique and offer the most versatile option in the marketplace for the ceramo-metal fullarch final restoration.
Compliments of Dr. Juan Carlos Mejia Escalante, English speaking Medellin Dentist
