Dental Tourism is on the Rise
Not only a popular vacation destination, Costa Rica has established itself a leader in dental tourism with 35% of all medical tourists seeking dental treatments. Worried about compromising quality for cost? The country's dental professionals come highly-trained and many received their educations abroad, offering patients personalized, bilingual service and state-of-the-art technology. In Costa Rica, you can expect to pay about 60-70% less than you would for an equivalent procedure in North America.
read more closeModern dental clinics are scattered throughout the country, though some of the most publicized are centered around San Jose. Services include veneers, dentures, crowns, fillings, root canals, bridges, full-mouth restorations, whitening and braces. To round out your medical vacation, recovery facilities in Costa Rica are extremely economical, averaging $100 a night for comfortable rooms complete with personal assistance, meals, airport pick-up and transportation to your dental appointments.
Even Costa Rica's smaller towns that are less frequented by tourists have reputable dental clinics. While staff in more rural areas may not speak with 100% English fluency, most dentists speak at least some basic English, and offer services on par with those you'd encounter back home. I recently went in for a cleaning and routine check-up in my small Central Valley town, and walked away from the experience very satisfied. My dentist spoke decent English; the instruments and clinic were spotless, and the whole appointment cost less than $40. A few years back I had old mercury fillings replaced for around $100, and my husband recently got a cleaning and Zoom laser-whitening for $200.
Keep in mind that most North American destinations are a short plane ride (two to six hours) from Costa Rica. The trip is both easy and affordable – round-trip airfare can often be found for less than $500.
Cost Comparisons
Procedure |
United States |
Costa Rica |
Bridges |
$650-$850 per tooth |
$285-$495 per tooth |
Fillings |
$150-$250 each |
$75-$150 each |
Crowns |
$500-$900 each |
$275-$475 each |
Dentures |
$500-$2,500 per arch |
$150-$450 per arch |
Porcelain Veneers |
$700-$2,000 per tooth |
$350-$500 per tooth |
Tooth Whitening |
$500-$1,000 |
$150-$300 |
Root Canal |
$500-$1,500 per tooth |
$225-$275 per tooth |