In recent years, dental tourism has been growing increasingly popular among North Americans and one of the countries with which they feel more secure and satisfied with the procedures, like dental implants and their accessible costs in Costa Rica.
Recently Mike Salmon, from the Kaiser Health Newsagency, wrote an article about his positive experience in Costa Rica, and also related everything about his dental procedure and his mini tropical vacations. For Salmon “In the United States, dental crowns cost $ 1,500 while in Costa Rica they are between $ 300 and $ 600, and I needed 4 for my treatment”. This was one of the reasons why Mike opted to perform dental tourism in Costa Rica, for this he says that he contacted a local dental services corridor, this facilitated the process of choosing the best doctor that would adapt to his demands. Also, the corridor organized the whole trip with air tickets, hotel reservations ($ 75 per night), pick him up with his wife at the airport and take him to the dentist. This with the goal that Mike feels the most at ease throughout the process.
According to Mike Salmon’s words when he arrived at the clinic, he felt confident and at ease: “I saw the latest equipment, and I learned that several of the dentists had trained in American dental schools. My dentist had done some internship at the Baylor College of Dentistry in Texas, now Texas A&M College of Dentistry and all the staff spoke English fluently”.
Tropical Vacation
For the dental procedure of Mike Salmon, they had to put in five crowns and this would take several days to perform, that are why he and his wife flew to Drake Bay. Where they could enjoy the tourist wonders of the area. There they dived, swam and walked around the mangroves, they also enjoyed the gastronomic delights of the town.
For Mike, Ibuprofen and some refreshing non-alcoholic “panther milk” cocktails were responsible for relieving the pain in his mouth. His mini-vacation plus dental treatment came out at $ 4,000 and he says that “most of the guests at my San Jose hotel were also there for dentistry procedures, most were returning customers, they had beautiful smiles and pretty tans”.
According to official data, in Costa Rica, it is estimated that health tourists spent more than $ 200 million on implants, crowns, varnishes, and other dental care in 2018 alone, and that figure is estimated to be higher in the coming years. It is estimated that about 20 million patients go for medical tourism every year around the world, according to the specialized guide “Patients beyond Borders”. Not surprisingly, Americans have spent $ 2.7 million on medical and dental tourism in 2018, according to the Office of Economic Analysis.
Frequent questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about dental tourism in Costa Rica:
Why if Costa Rican dental doctors are trained in the United States they can charge less? Costa Rican dental laboratories offer high quality and less expensive work. It should be noted that many of the large American commercial laboratories perform outsourcing, and a high percentage of their work, such as crowns, veneers, and dentures, are made in Costa Rica. Another factor is because the average cost of living expenses in Costa Rica is 25% lower than that of the United States and this is reflected in the final price of all dental treatments.
Why choose Costa Rica to perform my dental procedures?
In addition to having highly qualified medical specialists with studies in the United States, Costa Rica enjoys economic and social stability. Also, it has lovely jungles and beaches that will leave you breathless, spectacular volcanoes, among other natural wonders where you can relax after finishing your treatment.
Finally, Costa Rica maintains excellent diplomatic relations with the United States and the Costa Rican people are very friendly with Americans. It should be noted that many American expatriates choose Costa Rica as an ideal country for retirement.
What are you waiting for? Come to Costa Rica and enjoy quality dental tourism with high standards recognized worldwide.
