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If I recall correctly, the all inclusive at La Amistad is the stated price because of all that comes with it. Meaning no further discounts apply.

CRTers who don't want the AI option can have a discount on the regular room rate.

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Something to keep in mind if you are coming down for major dental work, you may not feel like eating a whole lot with your temporary crowns in place. I was just down in SJ for major dental over two weeks in early September. I had two implants, two root canals, and a total of 19 crowns done. The first day in the chair was by far the worst. I was there around 6+ hours while the doctor ground down my existing teeth and prepared the implant areas. I was then fitted with temporary crowns and came back for 1-2 hours in the chair over the next three days. I was able to take Friday, Sat, and Sun away from the dental office and then returned for 1-3 hours each day the following week before everything was done. Until the day I was fitted with my permanent crowns, I ate very soft food (lots of soup and pasta) and even substituted some meals with slim fast drinks that I bought at Walmart.

You need to know your tolerance for pain. The dentist will prescribe you with some pain meds, but they are “lightweight” compared to what is available in the states. The only pharmacies that can distribute narcotic pain killers are at the actual hospitals. My oral surgeon was hesitant to prescribe that type of medication, so you might need to bring those types of pills from home with a doctor’s script. All in all, between the temp teeth, the pain meds, and the discomfort of dental work, eating won’t be very high on your list of things you will want to do. Keep that in mind when you are forking over the extra money for an all-inclusive plan.

Blackjack Guy

In Jan, I may be traveling down to SJ for some dental work. The work I am having done will require about 2 weeks of just hanging out waiting for crowns to be built. This means I should have a lot of time to explore.

Not only is this my first trip to CR, but it's my first trip out of the country, so I am basing everything on the heavily propaganda of the US media and TV where everyone is out to kill you lol.

I used Nova Dental in Escazu. I am very happy with the results and the care provided by their entire team. I originally came down last year in December with my wife and vacationed in CR for 10 days. While we were here on that trip, I met with three dental offices and choose Nova. I felt most comfortable with them and was impressed with the entire facility. I was quoted on the initial exam, $12K for all the work. I needed an extraction of a broken tooth and a bone graft (sinus lift) to build up the upper jaw where two of the implants were going. In total I needed three implants, two on my upper jaw and one on the lower jaw where a tooth was missing. I went forward with the extraction and the sinus lift during this first trip and spent a couple of more days recovering at the hotel while my wife hung out the pool and went on a day trip to the hot springs in Arenal. I was charged about $4K during that week. I was then to go home and return in 6-7 months after the graft healed up.

I returned in late August/early Sept for the remainder of the work. This trip I came down here solo and had the implants put in, the crown work, and the needed root canals since a couple of teeth were being moved to align my overall bite. While I was at home, I went to a local dentist and had an exam and panoramic x-rays done along with a cleaning. I choose a local dentist that offered a $29 exam and $29 cleaning. He emailed me the x-rays and I forwarded them down to Nova so they could monitor the progress of the bone graft prior to finalizing the 2 week return trip. I came back down, had the rest of the work done and had a small complication with one of the implants. The graft was initially put in place for two adjacent teeth. One of the posts, didn’t adhere properly and the tissue caused the post to “slip”. The surgeon had to regraft that area and that implant wasn’t able to be placed this trip. So, now I going to need to return a third time in another 6 months. I’ll do the same thing, visit a local dentist and get x-rays to forward to Nova prior to coming back down in the April or May of 2017. I paid the remaining $8K during this trip and I don’t anticipate a bill for the next trip.

The multiple trips are part of the risk with any major work. The soft tissue problem would have happened if I had all this work done in the States. Before deciding to come to CR for “medical tourism” I was quoted over $35K by local dentists for similar work. I’ve been down to CR now three times. I started with a mongering trip with a buddy two years ago, and then returned for the dental work. I’m fortunate that I build up a lot of frequent flier miles and hotel nights with Marriott and Holiday Inn that I can use in CR. It helps to keep my overall travel expenses down.

Blackjackguy

Why do you need 2 weeks for some crowns? Most of these places have labs on site and can have crowns done in a few days.


Not kill you, usually just to separate you from your money.

Something to keep in mind if you are coming down for major dental work, you may not feel like eating a whole lot with your temporary crowns in place. I was just down in SJ for major dental over two weeks in early September. I had two implants, two root canals, and a total of 19 crowns done. The first day in the chair was by far the worst. I was there around 6+ hours while the doctor ground down my existing teeth and prepared the implant areas. I was then fitted with temporary crowns and came back for 1-2 hours in the chair over the next three days. I was able to take Friday, Sat, and Sun away from the dental office and then returned for 1-3 hours each day the following week before everything was done. Until the day I was fitted with my permanent crowns, I ate very soft food (lots of soup and pasta) and even substituted some meals with slim fast drinks that I bought at Walmart.

You need to know your tolerance for pain. The dentist will prescribe you with some pain meds, but they are “lightweight” compared to what is available in the states. The only pharmacies that can distribute narcotic pain killers are at the actual hospitals. My oral surgeon was hesitant to prescribe that type of medication, so you might need to bring those types of pills from home with a doctor’s script. All in all, between the temp teeth, the pain meds, and the discomfort of dental work, eating won’t be very high on your list of things you will want to do. Keep that in mind when you are forking over the extra money for an all-inclusive plan.

Blackjack Guy