Reality Check

Dental Tourism is Alive and Well in Costa Rica

Editor’s Note:

 Four years ago while visiting Costa Rica, my wife and I went to  Enrique Parra Dental Care in Liberia, Costa Rica. We saw an advertisement for ZOOM teeth whitening in the Tico Times, and took the opportunity to meet Dr. Parra and his staff.

 We did not know at the time, but this first visit was the beginning of an ongoing relationship which we developed with Dr. Parra. In a previous article on this website I documented our experience in 2008 and again in 2009.

 In January 2012, we returned to Liberia for extensive cosmetic dentistry. The article below summarizes our treatments spread over the month.

 

'Dental Tourism' in Costa Rica is Booming

Editor's Note:

This article on dental tourism comes on the heels of two trips to Liberia, Costa Rica by my wife and I, for the purposes of getting extensive dental work done.

Between the two of us we had the following work done by a Dr. Parra in Costa Rica: 7 crowns, 2 veneers, 1 root canal, and more than 15 porcelain fillings, several to replace the original, amalgam fillings. Additionally, we had ZOOM whitening done which made a vast improvement.

We are both extremely satisfied with the quality of work and the work ethic at Enrique Parra Dental Care and highly recommend these aesthetic dental services.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

The predominant English language newspaper in Costa Rica, The Tico Times, recently reported that overall tourism in Costa Rica is in a downturn because of the global economic crisis, but other niche tourism markets, such as medical and dental providers, are holding their own and even increasing.

What has become known as 'dental tourism' in the country, is bringing tourists to Costa Rica in droves, despite the current recession. Given that prices are so much lower than other countries, tourists can subsidize their vacation costs, by incorporating dental treatments and pocketing the extra cash and using it for hotel and flight expenses.