Dave's Faves: Specialists

By CometGlare Saturday, September 6, 2014

Specialists in Crowns, Bridges, etc:  Prosthodontists in Costa Rica

Financial disclosure information:  I have no financial ties to any of these clinics or any of their dentists.  I am not employed by them in any capacity, nor do I receive commissions or any other form of consideration for any referrals or anything else. 

Update 2/18/2019:  Since I originally wrote this post, I've learned that Dr. Prada has been offering a referral fee for new patients.  I haven't taken advantage of this so far.  When people ask me for dentists, I never give them the name of just one dentist.  I typically give them a few names to choose from...dentists that I think might have the best chance of meeting their particular needs as I understand them. 

Part 1. US-Trained Specialists

“Specialists,” as I use the term here, have two or three years of university training *after* their DDS degree.  This training usually appears as a master’s degree on their CV.   A "general" dentist is a dentist without such a degree.  (I discussed specialists on the Topix board previously at http://www.topix.com/forum/world/costa-rica/THGCO47LHH1FS7DR7/p203: #4139 and #4145).
    I confess up front that I have a bias toward specialists, and I like them even more if they were trained in the US.  I think that their advanced training in the latest standard-of-care treatments gives them an edge over all but the very top general dentists.  That’s just my bias.  My own dentist, Dr. Prada, is a US-trained prosthodontist.  I appreciate the artisanal work that he and his outside lab can do.  When I go for a check-up, I like being flattered with comments on the “superb margins” of my crowns.  Some people will not mind paying more for these incremental touches. 
    There are several US-trained prosthodontists in Costa Rica. All of them will have a near-native command of English.  The American Board of Prosthodontics keeps a web site listing all its members on its web site. See the link in "Dave's Favorite Blogs and Web Sites" to the right of this page.   The search function for CR seems to be flaky. Some days it works, some days it doesn't. Since the site doesn't work today, I've assembled the list below of US-trained prosthodontists that I already know about.  There were other specialists listed on the ACP site a month ago when it working, but I didn't take down their names.  We'll just have to wait until the site works again.

The US-trained prosthodontists that I know about are listed below in alphabetical order.

  [#1.] Eugenio Brenes.  (www.advancedentalcostarica.com)  Here's a good review on TripAdvisor (#335).
  [#2.] "Dr. Cavallini" (the dad)  There's a page here for the Cavallini clinic.
  [#3.] Dr. Simon Flikier.  "Ladyboss," a frequent poster in Topix years ago, praised his work.  He can use the same high-quality dental lab (Favini's) that Prada uses.  Flikier's quote in 2010 on my work was a tad less than Prada's. I don't know about his current prices.
  [#4.] Lucas Gil (www.gildentalclinic.com).  Dr. Gil wasn’t available when I was in C.R. in November 2010, so I sat for an exam with an associate.   Sitting in the examination chair, you look out at on a tropical vista that is like a picture postcard.  The view is so magnificent that you probably won’t even care that his prices are not the lowest in Costa Rica.  I've seen only a few comments about him on the boards (such as comments #17 and #19 on TripAdvisor, both positive). I presume that his clientele is mostly upscale locals. A good sign. 
         Here is a comment (#8) praising the veneers of Dr. Gil's colleague Dr. Jimenez, whom I visited in 2010.
   [#5 and #6.]  Ricardo Kriebel and his son Mariano Kriebel are both graduates of the University of Indiana's prosthodontics program (1981 and 2010, respectively).  They speak English, of course, but don't market specifically to Americans.  This is not necessarily a bad sign, you know.  (www.facebook.com/Kriebel.Dental)  (Note added 3/6/2016: Please see new post on this blog by pleased US patient about them.)
  [#7.] Dr. Prada. My dentist.   He was the only US or CR dentist I met that was willing to take the time and effort to perform an additional “prep” on my teeth three months following crown lengthenings. 
  [#8.] Dr. Javier Quiros.  Impressive resume with training at Baylor in both Cosmetic Dentistry and Prosthodontics.  He has clinics in both Escazu and Curridibat, as does Dr. Prada.   (www.javierquiros.com and http://www.costaricanewlook.com/cosmetic_dentistry/doctors/doctor_quiros.html)
  [#9.] Dr. Adriana Ramirez.  I was not able to meet her during my fact-finding trip to CR in 2010 because she was in the US that week.  We had a brief email exchange, and she seemed very intelligent. She doesn’t advertise much, which I take to be a good sign.  (http://smileartcr.com/index.php/en/doctors)  (It’s a small world:  Dr. Anibal Gonzales serves this clinic too.)

Prices:  You should expect to pay higher prices with a specialist than with a general dentist.  How much more?  About 50% more, by my experience, but there is some variability in pricing.  Contact the clinic directly for their current prices. 

For US-trained periodontists, endodontists, etc., please consult the websites of the appropriate specialist organization.

Part 2. Specialists Trained Outside the US

  There are many CR specialists who obtained their post-DDS graduate training from non-US schools.  Keep an eye on these dentists over the next few years: I think some superstars might emerge from this under-the-radar category.

  I wish I had a longer list to give you, but this is all I got so far.

[#1]  Dr. Julian Conejo at Colina Dental Clinic. (http://www.colinadental.com).  Trained in Mexico.

[#2]  SONRIA Dental Clinic.  (www.sonriacr.com)  This new clinic features specialists trained in Mexico and Brazil.  I wish some of their patients would post on the Topix or TripAdvisor.  Looks interesting.  (This clinic was first mentioned on the Topix forum by Rod.)

(Dr. Anglada, an implantologist trained in Chile, and Dr. Luís Obando and Dr. Chavarría of NOVA Dental Clinic have their own pages under "The Dentists.")


Readers:

    There are many specialists out there not listed on this page!  If you know of other non-US trained specialists, especially prosthodontists, you are welcome to comment on this post.  Please provide: 
  • the dentist's name
  • the university granting them their DDS degree
  • the university granting them their graduate degree
  • other colorful information if you have it

Please read the blog's guidelines before commenting. 

Note: I'm limiting "specialists" to dentists who have received graduate degrees from accredited institutions. For general (non-specialist) dentists, please feel free to comment on the "Readers' Faves: Patients Nominate their Favorite Dentists" page.

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2 comments to ''Dave's Faves: Specialists"

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  2. Thanks for information about Eugenio Brenes,Dr. Cavallini

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