Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
I had two dental implants placed in the United...
I had two dental implants placed in the United States under IV sedation. Although I don’t have any memory of the procedure, the recover was the third most painful experience I’ve had (after child birth and a kidney stone).
It was scary thinking of having any medical work done out of the country regardless of how much money I could save, but I was in the position of choosing between partial dentures upper and lower or “taking a chance” in Costa Rica. After doing a lot of reading online. I chose Dr. Anglada in San Jose. There were dentists who were even more affordable and there were dentists who had more rave reviews but there was only one dentist I found who was affordable, well respected and guaranteed his work. The guarantee was really important to me & is something that is unheard of with dentists in the US. Additionally, Dr. Anglada was very prompt in replying to any questions I had.
I sent a panoramic X-ray to Dr. Anglada’s office and set an appointment for a morning consultation with an optional surgical appointment for that afternoon. I didn’t have to pay anything for the consultation and was not obligated to keep the surgical appointment if I wasn’t comfortable after the consultation. They even sent a driver to pick me up from the airport.
The office reception area was small and unimpressive. Nothing luxurious or posh like at my oral surgeon in the US. They offer basic plastic chairs but do have their internet password posted on the wall. The receptionist was nice and spoke English.
Dr. Anglada explained the process and science of the implant procedure. We also discussed the dental issues that ultimately brought me to him (bruxism) and his views on its management. I was completely comfortable with him…he is such a charming and kind man. I was given the option of IV sedation or oral sedation. I chose oral sedation even I wasn’t looking forward to being awake during the procedure (3 implants with bone grafts) I was more than a little nervous about anesthesia – even though Costa Rica is supposed to have very high standards of medical/dental care.
After a walk around La Sabana Park (smoggy) and a light lunch (Italian) I returned to the clinic for my procedure.
I was given a pill (Valium, I believe) and a mouth rinse then taken into the procedure room. I was put in a surgical gown & hair cover then that was covered with a sterile cover that left only my mouth exposed. I’ve never received so many novocaine shots – I was numb from my neck to my ear (IMO that was a good thing). Throughout the procedure the assistant was constantly rinsing and swabbing my lips and the area around my mouth with some sort of antiseptic. The procedure itself was interesting. It was uncomfortable having my mouth open so long, but it was really not bad. I could feel the pressure from the cutting and drilling, but didn’t even taste any blood. One unpleasant point was when they were working on my upper jaw…the water they were rinsing my mouth with went into my sinus’ – crazy uncomfortable but they nicely explained it was going to happen and talked me through it. Actually, the only thing that hurt at all was I had a crazy cramp/muscle spasm in my upper back towards the end. I imagine it was from a long flight the night before and being really tense…but I would highly recommend getting a muscle relaxer from your PCP at home before going through a procedure like this.
After the procedure was complete, I was taken to the consultation office and my medication was given to me and I was told verbally and in writing how to take it. A follow up appointment was set and I was given emergency numbers to call if I had any problems.
The office called and checked on me the following day (Tuesday) at my hotel and then again on Thursday to remind me of my Friday follow up appointment.
I was very achy for two days afterward and had a swollen area the size of a golfball. I’m three days out now and still have some swelling but nothing out of the norm. You should know that your Costa Rican dentist isn’t going to give you any narcotics – no hydrocodone – apparently it is heavily regulated and only available in hospitals.
I will be coming back to San Jose this fall to have my crowns placed and will update my review at that time or if anything else happens to effect it.
It was scary thinking of having any medical work done out of the country regardless of how much money I could save, but I was in the position of choosing between partial dentures upper and lower or “taking a chance” in Costa Rica. After doing a lot of reading online. I chose Dr. Anglada in San Jose. There were dentists who were even more affordable and there were dentists who had more rave reviews but there was only one dentist I found who was affordable, well respected and guaranteed his work. The guarantee was really important to me & is something that is unheard of with dentists in the US. Additionally, Dr. Anglada was very prompt in replying to any questions I had.
I sent a panoramic X-ray to Dr. Anglada’s office and set an appointment for a morning consultation with an optional surgical appointment for that afternoon. I didn’t have to pay anything for the consultation and was not obligated to keep the surgical appointment if I wasn’t comfortable after the consultation. They even sent a driver to pick me up from the airport.
The office reception area was small and unimpressive. Nothing luxurious or posh like at my oral surgeon in the US. They offer basic plastic chairs but do have their internet password posted on the wall. The receptionist was nice and spoke English.
Dr. Anglada explained the process and science of the implant procedure. We also discussed the dental issues that ultimately brought me to him (bruxism) and his views on its management. I was completely comfortable with him…he is such a charming and kind man. I was given the option of IV sedation or oral sedation. I chose oral sedation even I wasn’t looking forward to being awake during the procedure (3 implants with bone grafts) I was more than a little nervous about anesthesia – even though Costa Rica is supposed to have very high standards of medical/dental care.
After a walk around La Sabana Park (smoggy) and a light lunch (Italian) I returned to the clinic for my procedure.
I was given a pill (Valium, I believe) and a mouth rinse then taken into the procedure room. I was put in a surgical gown & hair cover then that was covered with a sterile cover that left only my mouth exposed. I’ve never received so many novocaine shots – I was numb from my neck to my ear (IMO that was a good thing). Throughout the procedure the assistant was constantly rinsing and swabbing my lips and the area around my mouth with some sort of antiseptic. The procedure itself was interesting. It was uncomfortable having my mouth open so long, but it was really not bad. I could feel the pressure from the cutting and drilling, but didn’t even taste any blood. One unpleasant point was when they were working on my upper jaw…the water they were rinsing my mouth with went into my sinus’ – crazy uncomfortable but they nicely explained it was going to happen and talked me through it. Actually, the only thing that hurt at all was I had a crazy cramp/muscle spasm in my upper back towards the end. I imagine it was from a long flight the night before and being really tense…but I would highly recommend getting a muscle relaxer from your PCP at home before going through a procedure like this.
After the procedure was complete, I was taken to the consultation office and my medication was given to me and I was told verbally and in writing how to take it. A follow up appointment was set and I was given emergency numbers to call if I had any problems.
The office called and checked on me the following day (Tuesday) at my hotel and then again on Thursday to remind me of my Friday follow up appointment.
I was very achy for two days afterward and had a swollen area the size of a golfball. I’m three days out now and still have some swelling but nothing out of the norm. You should know that your Costa Rican dentist isn’t going to give you any narcotics – no hydrocodone – apparently it is heavily regulated and only available in hospitals.
I will be coming back to San Jose this fall to have my crowns placed and will update my review at that time or if anything else happens to effect it.
Provider Review
