Misconceptions About Dental Tourism in Costa Rica

Due to rising healthcare costs in develop countries like the United States, more and more people are looking oversees to obtain dental work for better dental prices.

Costa Rica as a dental tourism destination, has become popular due to its proximity to the United States and Canada, but it has also become the destination of choice for European dental tourists who take advantage of its high standard of care and lower pricing, to also tour the beautiful country.

Dental tourism in Costa Rica, however, is still shrouded in misconceptions, which deters some people from obtaining superior dental care at a significantly reduced price compared to their home countries.

The main misconception people have about Costa Rica as a dental tourism destination is the legitimacy of the dentists and clinics offering the service. Although, this is a very valid concern, it is an unfounded one. Dentists in Costa Rica must be active certified members of the Board of Dentists which establishes strict guidelines for all its members. Anyone who violates these is subject to having their licenses revoked, which means they would be unable to legally practice dentistry in the country. You can check the status of any member by visiting their site.

Another misconception refers to the quality of education received by dentists in Costa Rica compared to their counterparts in developed countries. While this may prove to be true in some parts of the world, it is simply not the case in Costa Rica. A fact that most people don’t know or fail to understand is that most of the top specialists in the country have studied in several developed countries including the United States and Canada. In fact, most specialists in Costa Rica have had to travel to more developed countries to undergo rigorous training to obtain their specialization degrees. And they continue to receive training in foreign countries to keep up with the rapid pace of advancement in their respective fields.

The level of technological advancement is another misconstrued fact. Because Costa Rica is labeled as a third world country a lot of people have the wrong impression as to how advanced treatments are. They believe the medical facilities are outdated, unsafe and plain unhealthy. Nothing could be further from the truth, while not every dentist’s office is equipped with the latest technology, all the dental clinics offering dental tourism in Costa Rica are.

Most professionals who cater to dental tourism here are members of various international organizations, which have established international standards to ensure a healthy and safe environment for patients. Due to this, clinics like the Flikier Dental Institute have state of the art equipment which has been brought in from the United States, Europe or Asia thus allowing them to offer the most up to date procedures. Likewise, all the dental materials utilized in the different procedures are imported from the most renowned providers in the industry.

Many people also assume that because Spanish is the official language of Costa Rica, they will have a very hard time finding qualified dental professionals that speak English with any level of proficiency. Again, this is a misconception, as mentioned before, most specialists have traveled extensively to obtain training, and most of them are fully bilingual.

This is an important aspect when choosing to be a dental tourist in Costa Rica, having a specialist that can communicate clearly with you and answer all your questions is imperative for you to feel confident and secure in your decision.

One final misconception refers to the actual savings of having dental work abroad. Although Costa Rica is not the most affordable country in Central America, it is the one that offers the most extensive list of procedures and these come at a significantly lower cost compared to the same treatment done in the US, Canada and most European countries, it is important to note that the quality of the treatment is comparable if not superior to what you would obtain in your own country.

Savings vary depending on the procedure you are electing to have, but with a well-planned vacation you will still save a considerable amount of money by choosing to have your dental work in Costa Rica.

If you are considering traveling to Costa Rica for dental treatments and have questions please contact us for a free consultation, we will be happy to answer your questions.