DENTAL CLINICS

CR EMTS has contracts with three of the best dental clinics in Costa Rica to provide a full array of dental services to our patients. All three clinics are AAAHC accredited and use the latest techniques and most advanced equipment available.

Each one has many years of experience providing care for foreigners visiting Costa Rica and is thoroughly familiar with the special needs of our foreign patients.

And most important is the fact that dental work costs ¼ of what it does in the USA. That is a 75% savings.

CR MTS clinics have been set up to specifically attend to foreigners who are here for a short period of time and need to have significant dental work done in five to ten days. This requires having their own labs to create dental veneers, crowns, implants and other dental prosthetics.

Our clinics offer any kind of dental procedure. Form inlays to crowns to veneers to implants, they provide it all using the best in materials and the latest state of the art techniques.

You will be surprised to find our clinics have equipment and techniques that are often not available in many dental clinics in the USA and Canada due to the fact that many of these techniques and procedures come from Europe and other parts of the world.

Our patients are always amazed at the results our clinics produce and at the amount of money they save versus the USA or Canada.

Your smile will look natural. Once again, eating will become enjoyable as you won't have to worry about your dentures slipping. With implants, your lips will once again regain the contact they had with your natural teeth. Your facial esthetics will also improve. The shape, color, and alignment of your teeth can be improved so you can have the smile you have always wanted.

Our clinics offer a personalized approach to dental care. They practice more than just dentistry. They pay attention to all aspects of a healthy lifestyle and are committed to giving you the maximum personal attention in a relaxed and professional environment.

Our clinics provide a one stop solution for all your dental needs. Whether it is simply a thorough teeth cleaning, whitening, or advanced esthetics, implants, a single crown, a total mouth reconstruction rest assured you will be amazed at the results.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

To schedule a free phone interview with one of our clinics please contact Harry or Victoria and they will coordinate the appointment. This initial appointment is free and the dentist will give you an estimate of the cost of the care you require.

COMBINE A VACATION AND DENTAL WORK

Also remember many people combine a vacation to Costa Rica with all kinds of dental procedures. CR MTS can arrange both. In most cases you can come to Costa Rica for a two week vacation, pay for all expenses including your trip and dental care, all for less than one half of what just the dental work would cost you in the USA.

TO SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION

To schedule a free phone interview with one of our clinics please contact Harry or Victoria and they will coordinate the appointment. The initial appointment is free and the Dentist will give you an estimate of the cost of the care you require.

DENTAL FAQ’S

1. What happens when we lose our teeth?
Some of the consequences of the tooth loss are: esthetic compromise; decrease of masticatory efficiency (it is harder to chew); overload of the remaining teeth that will have to make the function of the lost teeth (therefore the remaining teeth could be injured or lost too); difficulty to talk or to say certain words; loose of lips support (wrinkles); inclination of the neighboring teeth; unstable bite; head and face muscles and articulation problems; decrease of the size of the bone that held the lost teeth.
2. What is an implant?
An implant is an artificial object that replaces a lost part of our body. This way, it will work as a part that we have lost.
3. What are the disadvantages of using dental implants?
Dental implants must be placed inside the bone through a small surgery, which is painless but makes some patients feel anxious.

4. What are the advantages of using dental implants?
a) Preserve the underlying jawbone and therefore preserve the overlying facial structures, preventing them from collapsing. Once a tooth is lost and the jawbone is no longer stimulated by the pressure from chewing and the body reabsorbs that area of jawbone.
b) Implants are more conservative than fixed bridges since the teeth on either side of the space do not have to be prepared (cut down) as abutments. Implants are also more flexible than fixed bridges since they do not require an existing tooth to be present on both sides of a space and several of them can be used to fill a space that is simple too long for a fixed bridge.
c) Implants make it easier for patients to maintain their periodontal health than fixed bridges because dental hygiene is facilitated by being able to floss between the implants, therefore avoiding the special floss that are required for fixed bridges.
d) Life for an implant is longer than for a bridge or a removable denture: In 10-years studies, it was found that success rate for implants was 90%; meanwhile for bridges and dentures it was 50%. It was also found that when a bridge failed, supporting teeth had to be extracted or submitted to root canal treatment. The few times that implants failed, only the implant had to be changed, with no harm for the neighboring teeth.
e) Implants are more cost effective over time. Although they have a higher initial cost their life expectancy, immunity to tooth decay and the independence of other teeth make their long-term maintenance less expensive than conventional fixed bridges.

5. What is the purpose of using dental implants?
The main purpose of implants is to work as artificial roots that will hold the crowns placed instead of the lost teeth. Implants restorations fulfill three basic concepts:
Function and esthetics: chewing, speaking and smiling can be done comfortably; they also provide lips support. To stop the bone reabsorption since they stimulate the bone that holds them. To eliminate the overload of the remaining teeth that could appear if bridges were used.

6. How do implants contribute to the recovery of tooth function and the dental aesthetics?
Dental implants substitute the removable dentures for fixed teeth, improving function and the aesthetics simultaneously.
They support the new crowns without the need of trimming the natural teeth, allowing us to chew with total comfort, and to smile and to speak with total security, for many years. The implant-supported crowns can be easily cleaned with dental floss.

7. Is age a limit for placing implants?
A person’s age is not a decisive factor when considering a candidate for implants, but it is advisable not to use them before the 15 to 16 years of age, until the maxillary growth has completed. Older patients can receive implants as well as the young ones, with the same success rate.

8. Will the dental implants last a lifetime?
In medicine it is difficult to say that a treatment is for a lifetime. This is especially true in the case teeth, being that they are a tool that we use every day. They are subject to receive a lot of pressure and force, and are placed in a humid and very septic area (the mouth). The most recent studies say that 90% of the implants placed 10 years ago, are still working in the mouth today. It is much higher than the 50% success rate for ten-year periods described for tooth-supported bridges or dentures.

9. How long will it take for me to have a complete set of implants placed in my mouth? If you have full dentures or missing teeth, with today’s technology we can place a complete set of 22 implants in less three appointments over a three day period. And the procedure is virtually pain free.

COMMON CONCERNS REGARDING DENTAL PROCEDURES

1. How many days/weeks advanced notice do you need before beginning my treatment program?
We need to be notified at least 2 weeks before you come to Costa Rica, in order to prepare for you a “day by day” itinerary and confirm your appointments.

2. How many hours each day will I be at your facility? How many days are required to complete the treatment?
Most of the dental treatments need 12 days for completion. During these days our lab technicians will be preparing the permanent crowns that will cover your teeth.
The hours during each appointment depend on the process; however, most of the time it takes between 2 and 3 hours.

3. Why do you recommend the high noble metal porcelain crowns to restore my teeth?
Grinding your teeth, an improper bite, age, fillings and tooth decay can all be contributing factors in the wearing down, cracking or breakage of your teeth. Dental crowns cover the entire visible surface of your affected tooth and add strength, durability and tooth stability.

4. What is a sinus lift? How long a period of time should I wait for the implant placement after the sinus lift?
Sinus lifts, sometimes called a sinus augmentation, is surgery that adds bone to your upper jaw in the area of your molars and premolars. Once the procedure has been done, you will need to wait about 6 to 8 months in order to be able to place the implants.

5. Who is a candidate for dental implants? Candidates for dental implants need to have healthy gums and adequate bone to support the implant. This is the reason why we request your dental records and panoramic x-rays.

If your answer is affirmative to some of the following questions, you can be considered an ideal candidate to be treated with implants:
Have you lost one, some or all of your teeth?
Do you have difficulties with your removable denture (bad retention, pain, etc)?
Do you feel insecure when you smile, when speak or eat?
Has a dentist told you that you have teeth in very bad shape?
Is there an area in your mouth where the corresponding tooth never showed up?

6. What is the difference between two stage and one stage dental implants?
a) Traditional: Using the traditional implant process, placements in the lower jaw need about three months to heal while placements in the upper jaw need about six months to heal. Traditionally, the procedure has been performed in two steps. The dentist begins by installing the implant, which was left for three to six months to heal and integrate with the jawbone. During the healing period, the patient was given a temporary prosthesis until the permanent crown could be put into place. Traditional dental implants required patients to sacrifice much of their time and money to achieve the look and feel of natural-looking teeth.

b) One Stage Dental Implant: Osseo (bonding with your natural bone) integration begins immediately. No long wait for the bone to heal before placing the implant. There are no missing teeth in the mouth because we place your temporary crowns immediately on the post. The tooth looks natural while the implant is healing.

Although the integration of bone tissue and the implant device takes place normally, the physical characteristics of the implant device itself creates the solid infrastructure that enables immediate use.

7. How the treatment proceeds?
FIRST APPOINTMENT: The first step is to place the implants, once the implants have been placed, an impression is made. A very accurate model is made from this impression from which the lab will make the permanent bridge or the crowns. (Bridges and crowns are usually made of porcelain with a metal substructure. The porcelain gives it esthetics and durability and the metal underneath allows for strength and a good fit). When the impressions have been taken, a temporary tooth is made and it will be similar to the final bridge and / or crown, though not as durable. It is cemented with temporary cement for the days that the lab technicians will be making the permanents. The temporary keeps the teeth comfortable and keeps the teeth from drifting.

Be careful not to eat hard or sticky foods with the temporaries, since they are not as durable as your permanent bridge or crowns. If your temporaries do come off, it is important to have them re-cemented to prevent teeth from drifting.

SECOND APPOINTMENT: Once the bridge or crown is done (7 days after the first appointment), it is fixed with a permanent cement.

FINAL APPOINTMENT: Between 12 to 24 hours after the permanent crowns placement, you will be scheduled for the final appointment for final adjustments and where the doctor will make sure there are no problems.

8. What are the steps to follow after I make the decision to visit your clinic?
First of all you should decide on the date you wish your procedure to begin, bearing in mind our two week notice policy period. We will then prepare a preliminary day by day itinerary; you will then have the dates needed to purchase your airline tickets.

9. What are the options to replace the missing teeth?
The first option is place an artificial titanium root (dental implant) that will support a porcelain crown. The next option is the bridge, which consists on trimming the neighbor teeth, to make porcelain crowns on them fixed to another crown that will replace the lost tooth. The third is a removable denture, which is retained by hooks, and stabilized by a plastic or metallic structure that covers the palate or the tongue zone. The patient can remove it from the mouth.

10. What is a dental implant?
Dental implants are small titanium cylinders that work as artificial dental roots, once they are placed inside the jawbone. This way the artificial teeth can be anchored in these new roots contributing to recover a beautiful smile, as well as a comfortable speaking and chewing. Dental implants will allow us to chew with total comfort, and to smile and speak with the same security than with our own teeth. With the use of the dental implants, there is no need to touch, trim or injure the neighbor teeth, to replace the missing tooth.

11. What material is used for dental implants?
Along the history of dentistry and medicine, many materials have been used. At the present time, the only material considered valid for dental implants is titanium.

12. How is the treatment?
The treatment consists of two stages:
a. Surgical phase
b. Prosthetic phase.

13. What is the surgical phase?
The surgical treatment consists on the placement of the artificial roots or implants inside the jawbone. It is performed with local anesthesia, and is painless. Sedation and general anesthesia are options for nervous patients. The duration of the intervention is from one to two hours.

14. How is the post-operative stage?
It is not painful. The following day of the intervention the patient will have a slightly inflamed area in the face. Painkillers, antibiotics and anti- inflammatory are prescribed for a short period.

15. When will the new teeth be placed on the dental implants?
The time between the surgical phase and the placement of the crowns varies depending on the case.

The range varies between seven and ten days, to give time to the implant to integrate or fix to the bone. More time could be waited if the patient asked so (i.e. because of a trip).

16. Is it a painful treatment?
No, it is not. A treatment with implants demands a surgical intervention, but pain and all the other implications can be perfectly controlled.

17. Could there be a failure?
In spite of the excellent clinical results obtained with implants (93 to 97% success rate) there is a 3 to 7% rate for failure. No other dental treatment has such a high success rate for long terms.

18. What happens if a dental implant fails?
If an implant fails, it is possible to substitute it for another one to solve the problem after the jaw has healed.

COSTA RICA 506 89 35 26 75
USA 305-407-1384
TOLL FREE 866-978-7577
E MAIL info@costaricamts.com