www.CostaRicaTicas.com

El Sil (et all),

My mother needs two crowns and two implants and is considering getting it done offshore. Her dentist in the US quoted her a ridiculous price and she would have to pay more than $5k out of pocket, after insurance.

I've seen adds in the local paper for crowns at $200 per pop and implants at $500. Is this reasonable? Sounds too cheap....

Can someone recommend a good dentist in SJ and tell me about your experience?

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http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

Dr. Chen quoted me $100/crown, but that's just to replace the one I already have, so less labor than a new crown. Once I do the tooth whitening, I'll need to replace it to match the new shade.

Prisma quoted me from $250 to $650 per crown depending on the material(s). Dr Chen quoted me $150 (porcelain on base metal)

Implants you need to be careful about. UP HERE I've seen implants quoted/advertised for as low as $500, HOWEVER, that is for the IMPLANT ONLY. The abutment and the crown are still needed (kind of looking for the right used car ) A "mid-priced"(?) dentist up here quoted $4,200 per implant ($2,200, $650, $1,350)

Prisma quoted $1,300 for the TOTAL implant ($650 implant, $650 crown and abutment).

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Reviews with Name, Where we can find her, Description (Height, weight, measurements (best guesses will do just fine)), and a rundown on services provided (and yes, YMMV is understood) would be GREATLY appreciated.

The 650/650 price sounds about right, but should a sinus lift or bone/tissue graft or regeneration be necessary the time and price will go up. Assuming your mother is 50 + years of age make sure she has adequate bone for the implant may folks 50 plus need bone work to insure a good outcome.

I will be in San Jose for the next week and plan on meeting with Dr. Marco Muñoz Cavallini (probably the one who you saw advertised). His web site is:

http://www.aestheticdentistrycr.com

His prices seem to be more in line with what affluent ticos would pay (about 30% less than the other dentists focusing on medical tourism), but he seems to cater quite a bit to the gringo turistas. While caring about price, I will most certainly not trade that for quality or expertise. So we will see. I have been very impressed with what I have read about his credentials and his testimonials and have yet to find negative reviews online. One thing that especially appeals to me is the fact that he has his own lab (for crowns and such) on premises and can therefore take care of issues in a single visit that could otherwise take multiple visits. Whether I choose him, or not, I will definitely go with a dentist that has his own lab.

He seems to be quite tied into OCO Biomedical and is even referenced on their corporate web site ( http://www.ocobiomedical.com/xnews.php?newsid=28 ). I am not sure if this is necessarily a good or bad thing. If their implant products are good, then this is a great thing. But I can't really get a read on their true place in the dental implant industry. It appears, though, that they specialize in Immediate Load Implants (same day implants). I am trying to figure out why someone would not choose this type of implant if they are a candidate. The immediate load appear less costly and the procedure times are dramatically shortened. My cynical nature tells me that this is too good to be true. But we will see next week if I am even a good candidate. I have periodontitis and this might make me a bad candidate.

I expect to receive a consultation with Dr. Muñoz Cavallini on Monday. And I might even choose to have the implants done on this trip to CR. Either way, I will come back to this thread and publish my experiences. I have my fingers crossed that those experiences will be positive.

The "immediate load" implant is very attractive to ME as well. Why have the expense for 2 trips to CR if you can do it in 1 (Ok, OK, *I* know )

But few dentists seem to do the "immediate" load. Prisma wants to do the implant, have it heal for 4-6 weeks and then do the abutment and crown.

They also want 2 weeks to go from temporary ("regular") crown to permanent crown (non-implant, just crowning existing teeth) citing the time it takes to MAKE the permanent crown. THEY have their own lab too.

Makes me wonder how another lab can make a permanent crown almost overnight ?

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Reviews with Name, Where we can find her, Description (Height, weight, measurements (best guesses will do just fine)), and a rundown on services provided (and yes, YMMV is understood) would be GREATLY appreciated.

I have five implants from Prisma and out of the five, four of them fit perfect, but one does not. Dr. Cordero informed me that the lab made it a little small so that it would fit between the other teeth better. The he said he could enlarge the crown abutment ( For a price!!!) I thought what BULL and I decline.

The four implants that did fit, are rear morals that are doubles. that means if one fails, then both will fail.....


ID is right about all the extras.
They charged me $200 for a cleaning, $85.00 per pain shot, then $350 for a root canel that turn into a $500 dollar job with the xrays.

Finally, when I was placing the four rear morals, Dr. Cordero wanted to place three implants on each side instead of two. I felt the Doc was trying to pull a fast one!!! I told the Doc " No way" I was not missing more then two teeth on each side and the two would do.

The last time I was at Prisma they wanted $4100 for a four crown bridge with to root canals... Dr. Chen did the whole thing for less the $500.00

If you got deep pockets and like a fancy office filled with pretty chicas, go to Prisma, you're paying for. But if you want the straight, and the job done right, Then go see Dr. Chen...
Just saw him and the cleaning was 15,000C...

I feel that he would give you the best service and advice on your implants, but of course that is IMHO....

Iggy...

Last January I went to Dr Chen and had 2 new crowns and one loose existing crown re glued for $300 Total. I was VERY PLEASED. This Jan I am going back to DR Chen for two more crowns. I do need an Implant for a front tooth but I need more info on where to go for a no wait implant.

was asked to bump this thread....

How do you get ahold of Dr Chen? I'm considering a simple whitening and cleaning. Nothing big. Just thought if I was in town and the price was right.

Ok this is twice now in 2 days you have pushed this web site. Do you have an interest in it or are you just annoying at nature.....

Adventurer,

Use the search function. You'll find a ton of info on Dr. Chen. Just a few days ago, there was a lot of info posted on Dr. Chen under the HOTELS AND TRANSPORTATION section. Somebody was inquiring as to hotels located near Dr. Chen's office. Irish Drifter posted Dr. Chen's telephone number, address, email address, etc.

Zebra

I have had bad experience with Prisma and cost me over $7000 for implants that has to be replaced by my new dentist in SJO.

I had excellent results and good pricing here.
http://www.aestheticdentistrycr.com/home.html

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It is cheaper to pay now and get it over with.
It is also easier to get them to leave.

Same as what Greengo said so probably safe, sitting there waiting is an issue, so if u don't mind waiting there you go.