Most people book a holiday to Mexico to lie on a beach. But Sandra Montgomery spent part of her vacation last month lying in a dentist's chair.

When the Fort Langley woman arranged her travel plans to Mexico, they included a stint in Los Algodones, a former farm town that now claims to be the "dental centre of Mexico."

Her mission: to get extensive work done on her teeth at a significantly cheaper price than here at home.

The dental vacation was a first for Montgomery, who hadn't had any work done on her teeth in more than 20 years. "But I knew the day of reckoning was coming," she said, noting her bite was off, her teeth were cracked and she desperately needed crowns.

Montgomery stumbled upon Los Algodones -a tiny hamlet across the border from Yuma, Ariz. -on a message board for retirees and snowbirds.