As we reported in our article of November 17, foreigners seeking dental care in Costa Rica account for 40% of the total number of medical tourists; this is not a coincidence, dentists in the country are highly trained professionals who have made it a point to offer a great level of services with a balance of excellent quality and reasonable prices.

The country has all necessary qualities to establish itself as a leader in this field, but, of course, this will take time, especially since the idea of getting dental attention offshore can make many nervous and bring up several questions and doubts; for this reason we will try to cover here what you need to know about dental tourism in Costa Rica:

1) Credentials: In order to become a dentist in Costa Rica at least 5 years of college is required; the higher education in this country is considered among the best in Latin America and a large number of professionals take it upon themselves to continue their studies abroad. All dentists have to be registered in the Colegio de Cirujanos Dentistas, (National College of Dental Surgeons), this guarantees that a doctor has an active license, it also shows if they are trained and qualified to practice a particular specialty. Verifying a dentist’s credentials is as easy as conducting a search in the website: colegiodentistas.org Also, the Costa Rican Health Chamber (PROMED) certifies dental clinics that comply with the national and international standards, if you see the ProMed seal you can be assured that the clinic has been certified to offer attention to both national and international patients.
2) Dental Treatments: You can find pretty much all dental specialties in Costa Rica, a clinic such as Flikier Dental Institute, which is certified to provide services to foreign patients, offers specialists in areas such as dental implants, All on 4, crowns, oral surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, full mouth reconstruction, endodontics, etc.
3) Savings: Of course, one of the main reasons people choose to get their treatments done abroad motivated by the possibility of saving some money and using those savings for a fun vacation in this beautiful country. When you compare the prices on dental treatments from the US to Costa Rica, you can get the same quality service, materials while saving as much as 75%.
4) Guarantee: One of the main concerns dental patients have has to do with whether or not the work they get done is guaranteed and the resources available in the event of a problem. The key to this has to do with prevention, if you do your homework and take the time to carefully choose your dentist and clinic, check their credentials and talk to him/her in detail about the procedure you are getting done, the pros, cons, possible complications, exact costs, etc. you should be fine, take into account that if you are choosing a reputable clinic or doctor, their livelihood depends on how satisfied and happy the clients are, a bad review can carry a lot of weight. An important aspect to consider is time, if your treatment is going to take several appointments establish the timeline with your doctor but always add at least one weeks to your stay if possible, this in the event of complications and/or to make sure that once your treatment is completed everything is working/looking as it should. In the unlikely event of a problem you can file your report with the Colegio de Odontologos who will take disciplinary actions; you may also want to consider taking the matter to court if it comes to that.
5) Materials and Technology: Once again, if you are careful to choose a professional clinic they should guarantee you the best technology and materials, granted, there are different materials for different prices but the best clinics usually only work with the best because they know you need quality materials that will provide the best results for the long term.

Now that we’ve covered the most frequently asked questions regarding dental tourism in Costa Rica, you can make an educated decision. Don’t waste time procrastinating about getting your dental treatment done, it’s important for your overall health, and taking a deserved vacation while you are at it will also improve your quality of life. If you want a recommendation,  The Costa Rica Star uses the Flikier Dental Institute, the personnel is completely bilingual, some trilingual, and the service they offer is really great..