Costa Rica: Dr Eduardo Castro
Several years ago, I was looking for affordable dental care outside of the U.S., since preventive dental care here was out of the question due to cost.
In Costa Rica, I found the perfect Dental Practice by reading many reviews, and also by the recommendation of a local plastic surgeon. The Clinica Integral y Estetica Dental is a Dental Clinic managed by Dr Arnoldo Anglada, a dental surgeon and implant specialist, and by Dr Eduardo Castro, an orthodontist for crowns and bridges, who earned his graduate degree at the NYU Dental Clinic in New York City; Dr Irene Salgado is their root-canal specialist.
The dental office picked me up at the airport and brought me directly to Dr Castro for an initial consultation and cleaning. When I mentioned that I would like to have all of my 11 old crowns replaced, Dr Castro suggested seeing first what exactly needed to be done. After a very thorough examination, he found 6 crowns to replace, not the 11 crowns I had mentioned. I was quite impressed! Any dentist in the States would have been gladly following my suggestions and replace all of them at an astronomical cost. Dr Castro instead was doing the right thing. On the second day, I met him at 9 AM for about 4 hours to remove the old crowns, 4 molar crowns on one side, 2 on the other side. Dr Castro is a very sensitive dentist who made sure that I was never in pain!
Two days later, I was back at the office for an initial sizing and colour matching of my new crowns. Their lab is in-house, which makes it easy for quick and necessary changes.
After a weekend, it was back at the dental clinic. The new crowns were spaced to perfection and colour adjusted before they were cemented in. One of my old crowns had been ill-fitted in the past with a space between my teeth that caught food constantly. The new crown fit to perfection, eliminating that extra space. On this day, Dr Castro had all sorts of unexpected patients. As a consequence, his schedule ran a bit late. In addition, I required some extra time as well. Dr Castro stayed with me until 8 PM to make sure that all of the necessary work was completed correctly before I left. When was the last time you met a dentist willing to work until 8 PM to make sure that the patient gets all of the work finished? The following day, I came back for a quick visit to even out the bite, before saying goodbye and flying back to the States.
I can truly say that Dr Eduardo Castro and Dr Irene Salgado, who both worked on my teeth are the best and most sensitive dentists, providing the very best dental care I have ever experience in my life!
As a side note: Hotels listed on the clinic's web site will provide you with a discount if you mention your dental care. Call the hotel directly! They will, however, require you pay in cash. I chose the Cristina and was very happy with a large suite, full kitchen, TV and internet access. The fact that they have a restaurant in the hotel was a real bonus. You may not feel up to searching for a restaurant in a strange country/city after your arrival and after your first dental care!
In Costa Rica, you can pay for everything in US $ or in their local currency. My suggestion is to bring lots of single US $ bills with you for taxis and tips.
Costa Rica is beautiful! Since I was there over the weekend, I toured the countryside, watched an erupting volcano, enjoyed a rainforest tour, and observed fascinating wildlife. I'm looking forward to visiting Costa Rica again!
Crowns $490 - pay cash in US $
Cleaning and X-rays $90
Hotel Cristina $70/night for a suite - pay cash in US $ (for 2 people);
(High season is $5.00 more, Dec - April)
2 BR 1 Bath is $80
2 BR 2 Bath is $90
The hotel is in walking distance to the dentist. You can also take a taxi for $4.00, or a bus "Sabana" for 175 colonies (= 40 cents) and then walk back. There is no bus to bring you back.
Last week, I stayed again at the Cristina for $75/night, breakfast included.
Superb!