Dentistry in Costa Rica: Professional Competition at Work
Posted 11-05-2009 at 11:59 PM by Donyadc
There are 3,484 active dentists in Costa Rica, according to the certifying and regulating Association of Dental Surgeons of Costa Rica (Colegio de Cirujanos Dentistas de Costa Rica).
This means that there is a 1 to 1285 ratio of dentists to Costa Rican citizens. There are a lot of dentists in Costa Rica, primarily concentrated in the almost ideal climate of the mountainous central valley around the capital city of San Jose.
Dental care is something of a national obsession with per capita consumption of toothpaste one of the highest in the world. (From my 25 years of experience in Costa Rica, many working people here have tooth brushes and toothpaste at work and at home and brush their teeth at least 3 times a day.) With this national interest in dental health and the 'art of smiling' as the Colina Dental clinic puts it; it comes as no surprise that the dental professional has become very competitive in terms of attracting local patients and increasingly medical dental tourists.
Driven by the high cultural value placed on dental appearance, hygiene, and care and the extensive local competition among dental professionals, dentistry is a highly valued occupation in Costa Rica that has created a comparative advantage over most countries in the world. Wikipedia rightly states that "Costa Rica is often cited as being one of the top ten countries in the world for medical tourism, including dentistry."
With the highest international quality available, English widely spoken, short travel times, and great savings of 50% or more, dentistry in Costa Rica is an excellent value for North Americans and other international dental/medical tourists. Comparable to quality/value offered in Mexico, Costa Rica has the added advantage of very personalized service at often family run dental clinics with family pride and reputation at stake.
Take the example of Dr. Richard Kriebel. He is a 5th generation dental surgeon—trained at the University of Costa Rica and specializing in prosthodontics at Indiana University—with two generations in Germany and three in Costa Rica going all the way back to his great-grandfather practicing in Germany in the mid 1800s. His grandfather came to Costa Rica in the late 1800s and opened a dental clinic. His father practiced for 66 years until he retired last year at 88 years of age. And now his son, Mariano, is a dental surgeon finishing an advanced degree in prosthodontics dentistry at Ohio State University. Their plan is to join forces with a select group of dentists as part of Kriebel Dental and open a brand new dental clinic and laboratory which is currently under construction and should be open for operation this year.
With their own laboratory, dental technicians and dental assistants, Dr. Kriebel believes its time to expand and broaden their primarily Costa Rican patient base into a local, foreign resident, and international mix of dental tourists and thereby take advantage of the growing trend of international clients who come to Costa Rica to capitalize on the excellent reputation and affordability of Costa Rican dentistry. Dr. Kriebel says, "I'm very busy right now with my patients and my father's patients. We never advertised and don't have a website." With the new clinic and his son's return, Dr. Kriebel expects to launch a website and increase the number of foreign dental tourists substantially. View video interview with Dr. Kribel here.
Another example of family pride at work is the Colina Dental offices in the very international San Jose suburb of Escazu. Dr. Oscar Conejo, Dr. Maricarmen Gutierrez, and Dr. Julian Conejo Gutierrez are a husband, wife, and son team. The couple pioneered dentistry 35 years ago in the then sleepy village of Escazu. A year and half ago they opened an attractive state-of-the-art facility next to the original clinic. With a total of 7 dental professionals on staff and 10 dental chairs, Colina Dental is a full-service dental clinic with its own laboratory offering children and adult patients on premises everything from preventive dental care to implants, crowns, veneers, bridges, bone grafts, root canals, extractions, and whitening. Emphasizing the use of the highest quality dental tools and materials and the most advanced techniques and equipment, the Conejo Gutierrez family and staff take their dentistry seriously while offering a friendly, personal touch. With my colleague, we were given a personal tour by Maricarmen of the two story facility and left very impressed with the locale and the professionalism of the entire staff.
Costa Rica MD also visited Dr. Adriana Seas at her relatively new Cosmetic Dental Care & Whitening Center in the San Jose suburb of Santa Ana. As a practicing dental professional, manager, and owner Adriana has organized a group of dental professionals that offer a wide range of dental make-over services. Her patients are primarily North American residents living in the area and dental tourists. She emphatically states that "dentistry is a very competitive field in Costa Rica." As an experienced dental professional and entrepreneur, she offers special promotions such as 2 for 1 pricing in dental cleaning and whitening. After graduating from the ULACIT University Dental School and practicing 8 years in a clinic in San Jose, she opened her own dental clinic. She clearly states that she is building her practice to include local citizens, foreign residents, and dental tourists.
This combination of professional family pride and entrepreneurial know-how within the overriding Costa Rican cultural value of good dental health care and taking the time necessary to offer personalized dental service, all bodes well for the highly competitive dental profession in Costa Rica. All things considered, if you need dental work or would like to enhance your smile and, at the same time, get to know firsthand a fascinating eco-tourism destination, then Costa Rica should be on your to do list.
Interested in exploring dental service options in Costa Rica? Contact Costa Rica MD today at: dentist@costaricamd.net to receive more information to help you decide if this is the right healthcare decision for you. By filling out our short and private patient information registration form, you will receive a complimentary medical services quote from the dentist you request on the form.
This means that there is a 1 to 1285 ratio of dentists to Costa Rican citizens. There are a lot of dentists in Costa Rica, primarily concentrated in the almost ideal climate of the mountainous central valley around the capital city of San Jose.
Dental care is something of a national obsession with per capita consumption of toothpaste one of the highest in the world. (From my 25 years of experience in Costa Rica, many working people here have tooth brushes and toothpaste at work and at home and brush their teeth at least 3 times a day.) With this national interest in dental health and the 'art of smiling' as the Colina Dental clinic puts it; it comes as no surprise that the dental professional has become very competitive in terms of attracting local patients and increasingly medical dental tourists.
Driven by the high cultural value placed on dental appearance, hygiene, and care and the extensive local competition among dental professionals, dentistry is a highly valued occupation in Costa Rica that has created a comparative advantage over most countries in the world. Wikipedia rightly states that "Costa Rica is often cited as being one of the top ten countries in the world for medical tourism, including dentistry."
With the highest international quality available, English widely spoken, short travel times, and great savings of 50% or more, dentistry in Costa Rica is an excellent value for North Americans and other international dental/medical tourists. Comparable to quality/value offered in Mexico, Costa Rica has the added advantage of very personalized service at often family run dental clinics with family pride and reputation at stake.
Take the example of Dr. Richard Kriebel. He is a 5th generation dental surgeon—trained at the University of Costa Rica and specializing in prosthodontics at Indiana University—with two generations in Germany and three in Costa Rica going all the way back to his great-grandfather practicing in Germany in the mid 1800s. His grandfather came to Costa Rica in the late 1800s and opened a dental clinic. His father practiced for 66 years until he retired last year at 88 years of age. And now his son, Mariano, is a dental surgeon finishing an advanced degree in prosthodontics dentistry at Ohio State University. Their plan is to join forces with a select group of dentists as part of Kriebel Dental and open a brand new dental clinic and laboratory which is currently under construction and should be open for operation this year.
With their own laboratory, dental technicians and dental assistants, Dr. Kriebel believes its time to expand and broaden their primarily Costa Rican patient base into a local, foreign resident, and international mix of dental tourists and thereby take advantage of the growing trend of international clients who come to Costa Rica to capitalize on the excellent reputation and affordability of Costa Rican dentistry. Dr. Kriebel says, "I'm very busy right now with my patients and my father's patients. We never advertised and don't have a website." With the new clinic and his son's return, Dr. Kriebel expects to launch a website and increase the number of foreign dental tourists substantially. View video interview with Dr. Kribel here.
Another example of family pride at work is the Colina Dental offices in the very international San Jose suburb of Escazu. Dr. Oscar Conejo, Dr. Maricarmen Gutierrez, and Dr. Julian Conejo Gutierrez are a husband, wife, and son team. The couple pioneered dentistry 35 years ago in the then sleepy village of Escazu. A year and half ago they opened an attractive state-of-the-art facility next to the original clinic. With a total of 7 dental professionals on staff and 10 dental chairs, Colina Dental is a full-service dental clinic with its own laboratory offering children and adult patients on premises everything from preventive dental care to implants, crowns, veneers, bridges, bone grafts, root canals, extractions, and whitening. Emphasizing the use of the highest quality dental tools and materials and the most advanced techniques and equipment, the Conejo Gutierrez family and staff take their dentistry seriously while offering a friendly, personal touch. With my colleague, we were given a personal tour by Maricarmen of the two story facility and left very impressed with the locale and the professionalism of the entire staff.
Costa Rica MD also visited Dr. Adriana Seas at her relatively new Cosmetic Dental Care & Whitening Center in the San Jose suburb of Santa Ana. As a practicing dental professional, manager, and owner Adriana has organized a group of dental professionals that offer a wide range of dental make-over services. Her patients are primarily North American residents living in the area and dental tourists. She emphatically states that "dentistry is a very competitive field in Costa Rica." As an experienced dental professional and entrepreneur, she offers special promotions such as 2 for 1 pricing in dental cleaning and whitening. After graduating from the ULACIT University Dental School and practicing 8 years in a clinic in San Jose, she opened her own dental clinic. She clearly states that she is building her practice to include local citizens, foreign residents, and dental tourists.
This combination of professional family pride and entrepreneurial know-how within the overriding Costa Rican cultural value of good dental health care and taking the time necessary to offer personalized dental service, all bodes well for the highly competitive dental profession in Costa Rica. All things considered, if you need dental work or would like to enhance your smile and, at the same time, get to know firsthand a fascinating eco-tourism destination, then Costa Rica should be on your to do list.
Interested in exploring dental service options in Costa Rica? Contact Costa Rica MD today at: dentist@costaricamd.net to receive more information to help you decide if this is the right healthcare decision for you. By filling out our short and private patient information registration form, you will receive a complimentary medical services quote from the dentist you request on the form.
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