The History of Costa Rica Dental Tourism

Costa Rica dental tourism got started almost by accident. The first dental tourists did not have a visit to the dentist in mind when they traveled to Costa Rica.  Their motive was not about cost and saving money.

North American tourists were likely introduced to the world of dentistry in Costa Rica by chance. The longer a tourist stays in a foreign country, the greater the chances of developing conditions such as broken or impacted teeth. Some of the other early conditions suffered by early dental tourists in Costa Rica may have involved periodontal disease. Unfortunately, dental hygiene is often neglected when people travel abroad, and this can lead to conditions such as gingivitis.

Even though dental tourism in Costa Rica has become known for dental implants, smile makeovers and cosmetic dentistry, endodontists and periodontists were among the first dental specialists to take care of them.

It is believed that North American surfers and backpackers who came to Costa Rica during the late 1970s and early 1980s started the trend of dental tourism after being treated by local specialists, perhaps on an urgent care basis.

There was a time when dental tourism in Costa Rica was geared towards saving natural teeth and avoiding dentures. In the early days of dental tourism. Costa Rica endodontists were in high demand by patients in search of root canal treatments. This was a time when the alternative to endodontic treatments would have involved tooth extractions and later being fitted for artificial dentures.

When backpackers and ecotourists discovered dental clinics in our Costa Rica, it was mostly due to unexpected toothaches or because they needed a dental cleaning during their prolonged vacations. Back then, these patients discovered that many dentists in Costa Rica studied in the English-speaking countries such as the United States, Australia, England, and Canada. This explains that high number of bilingual professionals who practice dentistry in our country.

Costa Rica has a tradition of affordability and quality of treatments with regard to dentistry. When these early and accidental dental tourists returned to their respective countries, they began to spread the word. It did not take long for visitors to start booking vacations to Costa Rica with the specific intent of getting dental treatments at reasonable prices. This is how dental tourism was born.

Early dental tourists whose natural teeth were saved by endodontists in Costa Rica returned to their countries with enthusiastic stories. Due to the long history of diplomacy and bilateral cooperation between the United States and Costa Rica, many dental professionals have been trained at American universities and are members in good standing of the American Dental Association. These dental specialists often return to the U.S. to conduct research, to attend conferences, or to continue their professional education.

The Flikier Institute of Dental Rehabilitation is an example of the success of dental tourism in Costa Rica. This is a clinic that attracts dental travelers who seek modern treatments such as All-on-4, also known as Teeth in a Day; this is a treatment that combines surgery and prosthetics implanted on the edentulous maxilla and jaw.

The level of investment made by dental clinics in Costa Rica tends to determine their potential success as dental tourism provider. The Flikier Institute has invested in the equipment, materials and dental professionals needed to be able to implant fixed prostheses on the same day of dental surgery. This is what sets Costa Rica clinics apart in the modern history of dental tourism.