Over the past year, lawsuits involving unhappy service providers that have received negative Yelp reviews have been multiplying. For the unacquainted, YELP is an Internet platform for individuals who wish to review their experiences with merchants and service providers. In the last couple of years, YELP has made headlines as multiple disgruntled business owners have filed lawsuits against reviewers in US courts. This legal trend seems to be gaining momentum.

One of the first major YELP lawsuits was filed in 2009 by a dentist in California. The pediatric dental clinic, located in Foster City, was not far from YELP’s headquarters in San Francisco. The plaintiff claimed that a YELP reviewer lied about the way a child patient was treated during an appointment. The dentist won the case but would later lose on appeal and was ordered to pay for legal fees. The California appeals court dismissed the judgment against the YELP reviewer stating that public discourse about dental services is an important activity that should not be silenced by civil complaints.

Online reviews have become vital to service providers because they give business owners room for improvement. These reviews are critical for dental tourists who travel abroad in search of affordable, quality treatment.

Dental tourists looking for information about clinics in Costa Rica can find informative, helpful reviews on CostaRicaDentalGuide.com, which is part of the world’s largest network of international medical and dental guides: World Medical Guides and World Dental Guides. These guides provide listings of respected, trustworthy healthcare providers along with patient reviews, mapping features and a free quote form that allows patients to receive emails with treatment quotes directly from qualified providers.

What makes CostaRicaDentalGuide.com credible is that it is staffed by two actual licensed dentists that answer patient phone calls and emails, and help patients get connected to the best dentists for their needs.  Every day, hundreds of American and Canadian dental patients peruse the site and make connections with leading dental specialists in Costa Rica.  Many patients fill out the “Help me Find a Dentist” form and are contacted by the staff dentists, who can review patient cases, develop treatment plans and connect patients to the best clinics, dentists and dental surgeons for their case.

When interviewed for this article,  James Madigan of CostaRicaDentalGuide.com commented:

“We encourage patients considering dental care in Costa Rica to contact patients who have previously had dental work done in Costa Rica. There’s no better way to research the quality of care and reliability of the providers than to speak with actual patients.  When it may not be possible to reach a past patient, we recommend that patients seek referrals and consider the value of online reviews and testimonials.”

Additionally Madigan  believes that online reviews and help patients sort through the clutter found on dental clinic websites. “Almost every dental clinic website claims to offer the best dentists, the best care, and the best materials at the best prices.  In a market where every competitor claims to be the best, how can a patient sort the truly excellent clinics from the pretenders? Patient reviews, patient testimonial videos and well-written articles by dentists all contribute to a better understanding of which clinics and dentists are truly worthy of consideration. Most patients come to CostaRicaDentalGuide.com for a third party verification, to learn if the dentist they are considering is the best choice for them.  They can also choose from hundreds of pages of content about dental procedures and articles written by leading dentists.”

As increasing numbers of American and Canadian patients choose Costa Rica for their dental care, websites that offer valuable patient reviews and live assistance from actual dentists, (not sales people) will help more patients make better choices and improve the patient experience in Costa Rica.