Have you ever waited weeks or even months for the final delivery of a dental prosthetic? We know dentistry at home is not only expensive but also slow. Have you ever wondered why? The reason is that large dental clinics send their lab work overseas in order to bring costs down.  There are large dental laboratories in Vietnam, China, India, and, yes, Costa Rica that receive and produce thousands of cases a month from clinics all over the United States and Canada. This means that your crowns or dentures often spend more time with shipping couriers than in actual fabrication. In fact, a standard zirconium crown can be completed in 2-4 business days at the lab. Not to mention that distance considerably slows communication between the lab and the dentist, especially when the case has some level of difficulty. 

Now, you may be wondering how we know this. We have worked for more than ten years with one of these dental laboratories, which is located on the second floor of our facility. This closeness helps us offer the exact same quality standards you get in the United States for a fraction of the time and cost. We are also able to receive complex cases and effectively solve any difficulties due to the teamwork between our dentists and technicians.

By coming to Costa Rica, you will be able to see results in about a week. Turnaround times depend on the kind of treatment you are receiving since some procedures involve several stages. In addition, we must calculate the time you will spend at the dental chair and the time it will take you to identify any need for adjustments.  Here are the turnaround times for the most common procedures at the Costa Rica Dental Team.

Fillings, bondings, cleanings, and root canal treatments can be completed in a single appointment if the patient permits it.

Dental implant placement visits involve four days in Costa Rica, as there must be some planning and x-rays prior to surgery day.  We also recommend at least one full day of rest after the surgery.

Dental crowns and veneers require five business days in Costa Rica. They generally involve two appointments: prep day and seat day. The last day is meant for any bite adjustments.

Partials and removable dentures need at least two try-ins before the final processing. During the first, the dentist will use a wax block to take all sorts of measurements. The technician uses this information to set teeth up and create a wax model of your denture or partial. This will be tried on again and the dentist will make esthetic adjustments. The patient will then approve this and it will be sent for final processing in acrylic. Many things can go wrong during this process, and for this reason we ask four or five business days to complete removable dentures or partials.

Fixed zirconium or Dentures involve all the above-mentioned steps only they also require the preparation and customization of implant abutments and sometimes the fabrication of a bar that will lend extra resistance. For this reason, we ask at least seven business days for completion. 

Chrome partial dentures have a metal structure and acrylic teeth. They involve three try ins: the wax orientation try-in, the metal structure try-in, and the esthetic try-in with teeth. The metal structure must be fabricated separately and generally involves more lab time than when working with wax or acrylic. After these tests and the final patient approval, it will be processed on the definitive material. For these partials, we ask seven business days to complete.

These turnaround times are an estimate meant to help you compare with treatments done at the United States. Whenever there are combined procedures, these times may vary. We would like to get acquainted with your case. If you have x-rays or your local treatment plan please send it to us by e-mail and we will get back to you with a free quote and a more accurate orientation on the length of your stay in Costa Rica. Contact us today!

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