Satisfied Patient Testimonials

"I have been a practicing dentist since 1978.

I found the Meza Dental Clinic to be equal and superior to the finest dental offices I have visited throughout the world. It is very comforting to be in a facility where the dentist/owner as well as the staff has a professional, warm and caring relationship with you that you feel immediately.

One is equally impressed by the efficiency reflected by the technology available in the office. The decorum lends itself to comfortability while waiting as well as when you begin to receive the service.

Dr. Meza’s treatment plans and clinical skills are second to none. My wife and I received the finest quality dental care possible at the Meza Dental Clinic, and would personally recommend them to anyone. Additionally, the savings we realized were enough to pay for our very nice vacation in the beautiful Costa Rica."

Respectfully,
HAROLD A. MCADOO DDS
RETIRED DENTIST
COL/U.S. ARMY
harold_mcadoo_dds@hotmail.com



"If you are thinking about traveling to Costa Rica for dental work, I am pleased to share my recent experience with Meza Dental Care and to offer my enthusiastic recommendation for Dr. Meza and his team.

My husband and I recently returned to Virginia after visiting Costa Rica for dental work, and then a wonderful vacation afterward. We had the pleasure of being well cared for by Meza Dental Care. Overall, this turned out to be a very good decision for us, as well as a positive experience. We were able to save approximately 10K on dental work from the estimate given by my dentist up here, including implants, root canals, fillings, crowns and cosmetic work needed between the two of us. Moreover, we were able to restore decades of neglect in one week, all with excellent results!

My experience with this practice exceeded my expectations in every respect. As to the quality of the treatment, I would be delighted to be a regular patient if Dr. Meza’s office was here in Virginia. Honestly, Dr. Meza and his associates are the caliber of professionals that would have a waiting list for new patients in some places. I was particularly impressed with the attention and consideration given to my comfort and tolerances by both the professionals and staff. (It was a grueling week of back to back dentist appointments, after all.) I had never had a dental assistant offer me either a blanket or neck pillow before at my dentist here.

The logistics are also well attended to by the clinic. You are treated as invited guest immediately upon arrival at the airport - literally. The clinic provides transportation to and from your hotel and the office for all of your appointments. The transportation is really a nice feature that eliminates all the hassle of getting around for the appointments, and Jose, the driver, is an excellent resource and a truly pleasant and helpful guy.

In the waiting area I met several people from all over the United States: Florida, Connecticut, Missouri, Oregon, Washington State - and us from Virginia. Without a single exception, every one of Dr. Meza’s patients had all the same positive things to say about their experience.

Bottom line: My husband and I got 18K worth of dental work, which would have taken months of appointments at Home, all completed in one week for around 8K. (Ask me if I smiled when I wrote that!) Our entire experience with Meza Dental Care was first class, and I am happy to recommend these professionals to anyone without hesitation. Feel free to contact me by email if you would like additional information."

Sincerely,
Annette Rubin and Robert Elmore
annettekay1@verizon.net



"The Spirit of Pura Vida Dentistry

Our mutual friends recently e-mailed my wife and I about their trip to Costa Rica, it's natural beauty, the charm of it's people, etc. They further elaborated that, "the main reason for their visit was extensive dental work". After inquiring in more detail, we learned that outside of the United States, Costa Rican dentistry is internationally respected for its professional proficiency and known to average 50% of the cost of identical dental work performed in the United States. This news was serendipitous, as I was seriously considering having major dental surgery.

Our friends recommendation: Consult with The Meza Dental Clinic in San Jose, where the Doctor and staff speak fluent english and are up to date on all of the latest techniques in dental science.

We immediately contacted the Meza clinic customer service staff, headed by Esteban. Over several telephone calls Esteban patiently answered our many questions in depth to our complete satisfaction. My wife, Ann, and I then spoke with Dr. Alberto Meza, a dental postgraduate of UCLA. Our initial impression was that he was very polite, caring, and knowledgeable. His answers were clear and concise.

Within weeks we flew to San Jose. We arrived late in the evening, tired and a bit apprehensive, being in a new country, but as soon as we cleared passport control, we saw our Meza Clinic driver, Jose, holding up a sign of welcome and greeting us with a big smile. He handled our luggage and sped us away to our hotel.

Our first Meza Clinic appointment: We were promptly met by Jose at our hotel on the morning of our appointment and were whisked away to the Meza Clinic.

Our first impression upon arrival was a urban, modern five story tinted glass building . The Wow Factor: The Meza Clinic is comfortable and relaxed; the lounge area has leather seating, a large flat screen TV, beautiful spacious offices with views of natural surroundings, including monkeys and tropical birds; it instills a sense of tranquil intimacy, yet openness and warmth. The offices are hygienically clean, with the latest equipment.

We did not wait but a few minutes, when we were warmly greeted by Dr. Meza and I was ushered into the dentist chair for my initial consultation. I was immediately impressed with Dr. Meza and his caring staff's dedication, adeptness, and their high degree of organized, disciplined professionalism. It instilled confidence, knowing that I was being treated by a very experienced team. This was to be repeatedly confirmed throughout my scheduled visits. Dr. Meza's mastery and skill as a surgeon are first rate; the materials used are of superior quality, i.e., titanium, gold. porcelain, zirconia.

In conclusion: I highly recommend Dr. Alberto Meza and his clinical staff without peer: Dr. Lena Perez, dental assistant's Gabby and Silvie; his top notch office manager, Rebecca; his exemplary head of customer service, Esteban, and last but not least, one of the friendliest and skillful drivers in Costa Rica, Jose.

All of the above mentioned are, in my humble opinion, the Hallmark of Costa Rican dental excellence, where you are treated as Family, not just another number.

Respectfully,
James R Thompson
KingJames5@comcast.net



"I am so happy I found Meza Dental via the Internet, After going to My local dentist and being Quoted big money for cosmetic dentistry.

I just could not afford there prices, I thought to myself that there has to be another way that I could get quality dental work for a 1/3 of the price.

I asked a friend and they recommended Costa Rica. Well I was nervous about going to another country for dental work because after all Americans have the best and anywhere else just does not compare. Boy was I wrong.

After searching the internet I came across Meza Dentals Website, I liked what I saw. Reading some of the training the Dentists received I was confident in my decision to go and have work done.

I interviewed with Doctor Meza on the telephone, He told me to send Pictures of my teeth so he could come up with a solution to correcting my badly decayed teeth.

Once that was done I was quoted a fair price. I went to my local Dentist and Endodontist, who could not even come close to the price of work that Doctor Meza was going to do for me.

So I booked my Flight and I was off to a wonderful country to have my teeth done. I could not believe how professional the staff was and how sanitary everything was. The equipment they had in the office was better than any I had seen at home in the U.S. I went to Meza dental for my second time in 2years and have made them my primary Dentist.

If anyone who reads this testimony and has any questions please email me, Deansst@comcast.net. You can not go wrong! Thank you!"

Thank you very much,
Dean Savastano.
deansst@comcast.net



"I have had poor teeth and gums all my life and as a consequence have had many dentists drilling and filling etc. over the years. I believe Dr. Meza is probably the finest dentist who has ever worked on my teeth. He is not only skillful and meticulous, but is a wonderful person as well who takes great care with his patients.

I had extensive work done this year and probably could not have afforded all this work here in the states. I had 18 new crowns, 2 implants, 7 root canals, 2 extractions a bone graft , 6 veneers,and x-rays. This work if done here would have taken over a year to complete- I had it done over a period of 6 months. I made 3 trips to Costa Rica during that time and the travel expenses were minimal. Hotels are very inexpensive in San Jose and a member of Dr. Meza's staff picks you up at the airport, takes you to your appointments and returns you to your hotel and finally back to the airport for your trip home.

Additionally, all of the staff members in Dr. Meza's office are wonderful. They are skilled at what they do and will do all that is necessary to make you comfortable and relaxed during your office visits.

If you would like any further info please feel free to call me at my home-(239) 430-1423 and we can chat further about my experience and I can answer any other questions you may have.

Very truly yours,
Pierina Caldera
pcaldera@comcast.net



"APRIL 2011.
I MADE THE WISE DECISION TO HAVE DR. MEZA AT MEZA DENTAL DO THREE MOLAR IMPLANTS FOR ME. I WAS A BIT NERVOUS ABOUT THE PROCEDURE. DR. MEZA PERSONALLY CALLED FROM SAN JOSE TO MY HOME IN DENVER COLORADO.

HE VERY PATIENTLY ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS AND SOOTHED MY FEARS. REBECA WHO IS IN CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS ALSO VERY GOOD AT ASSISTING ME THROUGH THE WHOLE QUESTION AND ANSWER PROCESS.

THE WHOLE STAFF THAT I DEALT WITH WERE ALL VERY KIND. ALL WERE ALSO VERY PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH INCLUDING THE DRIVER JOSE. THE TRAFFIC IN AND AROUND SAN JOSE CAN BE QUIT CONGESTED BUT JOSE TOOK AWAY THOSE STRESSORS WITH HIS COOL EXPERT DRIVING.

I HAD TWO IMPLANTS DONE IN 2010 WHEN I WAS TEACHING IN THAILAND. THIS PROCEDURE WAS LESS PAINFUL AND AT A SIMILAR COST. WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU CAN GET BETTER DENTAL SKILLS, TECHNOLOGICAL SAVVY, A CLEANER FACILITY, AND BETTER STAFFING.

THE COST IS ALSO VERY LOW AND THE GUARANTEE EQUALLY UNPARALLELED. I DID MUCH RESEARCH INCLUDING EMAILING DR. MEZA´S PREVIOUS PATIENTS. THEY ALL RAVED ABOUT THE CLINIC AS WELL. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND GET DENTAL PAR EXCELLENCE AT A FRACTION OF USA COSTS."

SINCERELY,
HELEN GARCIA
COLORADO, USA
HLNGARCIA0@GMAIL.COM



"I cannot say enough about the marvelous treatment that my wife and I had at the Meza Dental Clinic. Joanie had not been to a dentist for several years, but her personal care was very good with our Sonicare toothbrush and water pik.

My daily care is excellent and I get cleanings every 3 months, but it had not stopped the periodontal gum disease from wreaking havoc in my mouth. Both of us were very impressed by the in depth explanations of what was our present condition. We were shown the digital x-rays and time was spent to answer all of our questions.

Both Dr. Alberto Meza and Dr. Carlos Meza, the staff periodontist, explained to me various approaches to alleviate the problems. They listened fully to the recommendations that my dentists and periodontists in the US had made. There was absolutely no hint of judgement regarding the choices that I made. Contact via phone and internet, both before and after treatment, were comprehensive as well as prompt.

Rebecca, the office staff person, and all the dental staff were professional and considerate. I knew that they valued my comfort above all else. The cost for the procedures was quite reasonable and we basically paid for our trip with the savings over what we would have had to pay in the U.S. We were met at the airport and transported to our hostel and then picked up and delivered back each day.

I would happily serve as a reference for others when they are deciding on dental care choices in Costa Rica.

Most Sincerely,

Alan Yehudah Winter
Portland, OR, USA



"Ho trascorso molti anni – nel mio Paese, l’Italia – con il “timore” del Dentista per differenti motivi, sia emotivi – mie paure sulla sopportazione del dolore - che economici – e’ veramente uno spropositato esborso di denaro una cura medico dentale in Italia.

Cio’ ha causato trascuratezza e negligenza nel curare la mia bocca. Un giorno, dopo qualche anno di permanenza qui in Costa Rica, un amica mi parlo’ della sua positiva esperienza con Meza Dental Care!

Fissai un primo appuntamento………. tuttavia molto scettica ed intimorita per la mia esperienza dentistica precedente, con pessimi medici in Italia (ma erano gli unici da me abbordabili económicamente!).

Quindi dopo una visita preliminare da parte dello Studio Meza, trascorsero ancora alcuni mesi prima che io trovassi la fiducia necessaria per rimettere la mia bocca nelle mani di un Medico Dentista.

Fissai quindi un secondo appuntamento con molta piu’ convinzione, determinazione e completa fiducia nel Dott., Alberto Meza e nel suo Staff!

Dott. Alberto fu molto chiaro, professionale, preciso , competente e mi spiego’ l’intervento specialistico che le mie arcate dentali necessitavano tassativamente, a beneficio della mia salute física in generale, oltreche’ dell’aspetto puramente estetico.

Mi sottoposi quindi, circa un anno fa, al primo intervento chirurgico. Ricordo che quel giorno arrivai in Studio Meza molto tesa ed inquieta – nonostante il leggero calmante che mi aveva prescritto il Dottore – le mie paure ed i miei timori erano sempre in agguato per l’eventuale sofferenza física a cui sarei stata sottoposta. Ma……. tutto si svolse nel migliore dei modi, con un’attenzione ed una gentilezza – ovvio oltre alla professionalita’ – da parte del Dott. Alberto Meza e di tutto lo Staff. Al termine dell’intervento cio’ che piu’ mi doleva era la schiena….. piu’ di due ore seduta su quella poltrona……… ma non era assolutamente nulla.

Ora sono cosi’ contenta di aver ritrovato il mio sorriso e la mia salute generale ne ha giovato in tutti i sensi, dato che diversi problemi nel nostro organismo sono causati da una mal igiene delle árcate dentali!

Molte grazie Dott. Alberto, a lei, a tutto lo Staff - sempre cosi’ gentile, disponibile, professionale – ed alla fantástica Doña Rebeca, il primo contatto con lo Studio, e dalla sua professionalita’ nel primo impatto si intuisce gia’ di essere in “buone mani”!!

Cinzia Filippini Guindani
Milan, Italy



"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr. Meza!

People used to tell me, "Steve, you have the perfect face for radio..."

My name is Steve Hartman. I was a former, and still a part-time radio talk show host for KSCO AM-1080 in Santa Cruz, CA. (Their web site, www.ksco.com is searchable and you can find me there.) I'm 57 years old, single-never married, and had a yellowed crooked-teeth smile that could frighten your scarecrow. And I've lived that way my whole life.

Why? The high cost of dental care in the United States-that's why! I haven't been able to afford to go to the dentist in twenty years. So consequently, I never went.

Last year (2005) two things happened. First, I refinanced my house and pulled out enough money to get my teeth fixed. Second, I ran into a local dentist, in the studio to do a commercial, who told me it would take "probably" $25,000 or more to get my teeth the way I wanted them.

Folks, that's more than a down payment on a new house in many parts of the country.

So, I started doing web research and came across Dr. Meza. The bad news was, Dr. Meza is in Costa Rica! BUT! The good news was that Dr. Meza was in Costa Rica and I hadn't had a real vacation.... also in over twenty years!

Further, according to my research, Costa Rica is recognized as the number ONE dental and/or medical destination for quality, professionalism, training (much in USA), and my chief concern-COSTS! - south or north of the border. Yes, including Canada! And let's face it, everybody wants to go to Costa Rica just to play! So why not go there to play... and come back good looking?

So, it's now March of 2006 and I finally made one of the best decisions of my life! I booked an appointment with Dr. Meza.

Air miles (only 35,000) got me from the United States to San Jose, Costa Rica on a roundtrip ticket. One of his office staff met me at the airport (speaking fluent English) and took me to my hotel. Let me also say that Dr. Meza's staff picked me up every morning for my appointments and brought me back every afternoon. His staff were all wonderful and all spoke English.

I stayed at the Hotel Clarion in Barrio Amon. It's a nice medium priced hotel, fairly close to Dr. Meza's office with wireless internet, restaurant, and casino. (Their room rate is $65 a night during the high season, but if you contact me (AND FEEL FREE TO DO SO!), I may be able to get you a better rate through the casino. LOL!)

To make a long story shorter, Dr. Meza did a complete examination with the latest technology available, including an x-ray machine that put my results right into a computer so I could see and Dr. Meza could explain the how's, what's and why I needed what Dr. Meza recommended. He's even got video sunglasses that let me watch a full-length movie while my yellow teeth were turned snow white. Yes, Dr. Meza's definitely got really cool stuff - the latest and greatest in technology!

His recommendation? Dr. Meza decided that to put my teeth back in order and to have the perfect smile I'd always dreamed of I would need 2 cavities repaired, 14 new crowns (two with implanted studs), 8 new veneers, and two root canals.

WHAT?!!!! I just knew I was going to have to get another loan because in the US you can't touch a crown for under $1000 each and I just couldn't imagine the the savings being as huge as promoted or claimed.

I know... what you really want to know is, HOW MUCH DID IT COST? - right? Well I'm not going to tell you. Not exactly anyway. I will tell you this. I spent three weeks in Costa Rica. Including my dental work, hotel, food, entertainment, sight-seeing, jungle canopy tour, pictures, souvenirs, etc, etc, etc... I spent under $11,000.

I am absolutely thrilled with the results of Dr. Meza's expertise. Thrilled! And please...if you have any questions feel free to contact me at any time via email.

While I won't put my phone number in this testimonial, Dr. Meza's office has my permission to give it to you if you request it after, and via, voice contact with his office. In other words, I want to know you're seriously considering dental work to enrich your life before I give you committed time. Hence, if you call Dr. Meza's office, or he calls you, and you want to talk to me, Dr. Meza or a member of his staff will give you my telephone number.

However, be advised that I am currently hanging out in Montana and that's mountain time. I also sleep late... like until 8 or 8:30 am while living this life of leisure. So, don't wake me up! LOL! Other than that, please fell free to call me anytime.

That's it, Folks... well, except to say that I now have a face for television. Any casting directors out there looking for a fresh face? "

Sincerely,
Steve Hartman - Talk Show Host
KSCO AM-1080
Santa Cruz, CA and Lincoln, MT. U.S.A
DUMBnEASY@aol.com



"I’ve just returned from a most amazing trip to Costa Rica to take care of what my American dentist called “very serious periodontal disease”. After talking to a relative who had been treated for the same thing and being told that it cost her $11,000, I had decided to look outside the country for an alternative. I had been told that Costa Rica had a lot of good dentists. I immediately went online and began searching for one that would take care of my needs. There are tons of dentists, it seems, who specialize in cosmetic dental work in Costa Rica, but only a few who claimed to treat periodontal disease (in addition to every other kind of dental work you can imagine).

I e-mailed a few candidates and asked them questions about my treatment. Dr. Meza called me on the phone the very same day. He and his staff patiently and promptly answered every e-mail I sent them. I did not know anyone who had been to Dr. Meza or any other dentist in that area. I wanted to be sure that I was going to be okay, traveling by myself to a foreign country and getting some pretty serious dental surgery. One other dentist gave me some great information about costs and procedures, but Dr. Meza’s office was the only one that persistently stayed in touch with me and made me feel at ease about every aspect of my trip. Finally, I made the decision to have Dr. Carlos Meza, (Dr. Alberto’s cousin) do my periodontal work.

One of the greatest perks of choosing Meza Dental Care was their offer to drive me to and from my appointments. I had read, in several other testimonies, about Jose, their kind-hearted and diligent driver. But you can’t know till you’ve experienced it, what a great comfort it is not to have to get a taxi to get back to your hotel after your dental appointments. Jose picked me up at the airport (the day before my first appointment) and took me to my hotel. He took me to the pharmacy on the way back to my hotel twice, (to pick up antibiotics and pain medication. AND he took me back to the airport three days after my treatment had been concluded. I still feel grateful.

Dr. Meza’s dental clinic was the most immaculate, modern and comfortable dental office I’ve ever seen, (by far). The staff was amazing – exceedingly professional and at the same time, cordial, well-spoken, helpful, considerate. Rebeca is wonderful. American dental offices could take some real lessons on customer service from Dr. Meza. He’s obviously a very smart guy, not just in his dentistry, but in his understanding of the needs of patients to be treated with friendly, efficient and courteous attention.

Now, the dental work itself… I had all four quadrants of my mouth worked on. I had severe bone loss so needed to have my gums cut open, tartar removed from all my teeth, lots of bone grafts and a couple of extractions, then everything stitched up again. Dr. Meza gave me lots of Novocain (expertly administered) and I never felt any discomfort during the treatment. It was grueling work. He told me that the tartar build-up was like black cement. But he and his assistant worked quickly and efficiently - so efficiently that the total number of hours I was in the chair was only FOUR hours - for my entire mouth. I was in the chair, looking out the glass walls at the lush vegetation, for just two hours on Tuesday and two more hours on Wednesday. I returned back to my hotel a little stunned at how quickly it was all over. A quick check up two days later and I was done.

People back home asked me, was it a good trip? Was it worth it? Oh, yes. My total cost? I had frequent flyer miles, so the trip down cost nothing, but my full-mouth periodontal surgery, and food and lodging for eight days - just $4,465. I feel very grateful to have had such a good experience. Quite unbelievable, really!

Please feel free to e-mail me to see if I’m real.  I am!

Sincerely,
Susun Terese
susun@minikins.org



"I originally thought about having my dental work done offshore because of the cost of getting 2 root canals and an implant in the USA. I figured the savings would pay for a nice trip to Costa Rica for myself and family.

I did a lot of research over the web but found that nobody guaranteed anything. There were plenty of dental tourism companies that would take a cut of the price and line you up with a dentist but they were offering no guarantees or refunds if there were issues.

So I figured why bother giving them a cut when its a shot in the dark anyway. I eventually chose Meza Dental clinic because of an article I had read that stated that BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina had sent some of its patients to that clinic.

Here at least was some type of unbiased organization that was happy with what they saw in the Meza dental clinic. So I took the leap. Not knowing what I would find. The first sign that I had made a good choice was the ongoing correspondence between myself and the clinic.

It was all in English and they were very detailed in answering all my questions. I felt comfortable with the promptness and detail in the responses. When I arrived Meza had a driver pick me up at the airport. He then picked me up for all my dental visits and took me back to the airport.

I liked the fact that they took care of these logistics. I didn't have to worry about getting ripped off by a cab driver who couldn't find the clinic.

I don't know how anyone finds anything in Costa Rica since the country doesn't use addresses. Beleive it or not its true. What good is GPS if you can't put an address in?

The office is in a high rise building that is very modern. Everyone was very professional and the equipment looked modern to me. I was most happy when Dr Meza told me he did not think I needed a sinus lift for my implant.

Prior to coming down I had asked Dr. Meza how many implants he had done and it was way more than my dentist in the states had done. Dr. Meza made sure by sending me to get a Cat Scan.

This would give a three dimensional image and ge much more accurate than the panoramic xray my local dentist was relying on. The results were that no sinus lift was needed, that saved me money and complications.

I then had root canals done by one of Dr. Mezas dentist who just specialized in root canals. I liked the specialization. If one person does root canals all day long they are probably going to be better at it than my dentist who does everything himself.

Root canals done and my family arrived for a week vacation while my crowns were being made. Then back to the clinic for the crowns to be put on and the implant to be screwed in. One of the crowns had a flaw in it. Dr. Meza pointed this out. I would not have noticed.

It did not effect the performance but Dr. Meza said he would replace it when I came back in 6-12 months to finish the implant. While in the waiting room I met a number of other Americans. It turns out that Meza dental doesn't seem to have any local patients.

Their entire customer base is from outside Costa Rica. One woman was on her seventh trip as her dentist in Rhode Island wanted $45,000 for what Dr. Meza did for $16,000. Overall I felt the quality of the work in Costa Rica was above what I would have gotten from my local dentist.

On top of the sinus lift not needing to be done my local dentist was going to do an abutment on the implant that was another expense. Dr. Meza did not do this and instead used a more modern technique that did not require it. He also replaced the slightly flawed crown at no cost on my return visit for my implant to be finished. I was very happy with the Meza dental clinic and the quality of their service and would happily recommend them for anyone wanting to go offshore for dental work."

Best Regards,
Dan Reilly
dreilly21@gmail.com

"Hey Guys, you are the best.!

I just want to say how pleased I am with everything, From Jose who picked me up at the airport, ( and his driving skills ).

The Hotel you recommended, ( Hotel Christina ) Rebeca the go to person,she makes it work so smoothly, and of course Dr Marin who, without question is the best Dentist I have ever had, It is a pleasure to recommend you, so much so I will give you my cell phone # 239-910-0071 feel free to tell your prospective clients to call me, I have been in Real Estate in South West Florida for 30 yrs, I know what it takes to give great service on the level you provide, congratulations, keep up the good work, we don't have it here.

Bryan Nagle
South West Florida, USA
239 - 910 - 0071



"I had intended to have a cosmetic dentistry treatment for a long time. Because I live in Australia, the process began with searching the Internet for cosmetic dentists in Costa Rica, some of whom were located in the capital, San Jose, and some were located in the North of the country and were much more expensive. I sent and received many emails from a total of 17 dentists.
It is with great pleasure that I am writing to express my appreciation, and to thank you for the professional and courteous manner with which the doctors, dental assistants and office staff treated my family and I.

The main problem I experienced with this process was the confusing and sometimes conflicting information which made it very difficult to assess the various treatment options and the total cost. For example, there are various materials available for the inner core and the outer layer. Some dentists prefer zirconium inner core for strength whilst others talk about an E-max (Empress) or In-ceram inner core and outer layer.

Finally I decided to book a flight to San Jose with the intention of personally meeting with a few cosmetic dentists who had been the most clear in their emails and particularly those who had bothered to telephone me whilst I was in Australia. The actual short list comprised three dentists. Obviously, when you arrive in San Jose there simply isn't the time to visit numerous dentists.

Within a day of arriving, I made an appointment with one and after an assessment, I decided to seek a second opinion. The second opinion was provided by Dr. Meza of Meza Dental Care. I was immediately impressed by the clinic itself. The clinic is located in a modern building and the clinic itself is spotless and sophisticated. The clinic coordinator, is extremely courteous and friendly and arranged for their driver to bring me to the clinic. As it turned out, he whole team, including the driver, speak excellent English.

I met with Dr. Meza and after several hours of assessment and viewing the photos of many previous cases, the overall impression was one of total professionalism and competency. Dr. Meza clearly explained the various materials available and their respective aesthetic results including the total cost of each option. After determining the best option for my situation (full cosmetic dental restoration), I was provided with a printed quotation. Dr. Meza's total cost was approximately 30% greater than the quotation provided to me by the first dentist and although the two dentists studied together at a university in the United States, I felt absolutely confident in Dr. Meza's experience and capability. As such, I made the decision to have the procedure performed by him.

Throughout the entire treatment period of two weeks, it became apparent that my initial highly positive impression (call it a "gut feeling") was not only correct but surpassed on a daily basis. The courtesy, care and professionalism of all the staff (apart from Dr. Meza, several dentists and nurses perform different tasks), as well as the patient manner provided whenever you need a break due to jaw fatigue and the fact that all the staff who work on your teeth do so with physical "gentleness" and are always accommodating of your tolerance levels (the need to relax the jaw for a minute or for more local anaesthetic) resulting in the least discomfort possible.

The following bullet points best summarize the overall experience I received at Meza Dental Care in April 2011:
* The sophistication of the clinic including state-of-the-art dental equipment and materials;
* A dedicated driver who collects you and returns you to your hotel;
* The courtesy, friendliness and high level of English spoken by all staff members;
* The knowledge and competency of Dr. Meza as evidenced by his many United States dental diplomas displayed on his office wall;
* Dr. Meza's extensive experience gained via the vast number of cosmetic dental treatments he has performed, most of which originate from the United States;
* When working, Dr. Meza exhibits the personality of a perfectionist and yet at the same time he consistently demonstrates a very easy going, friendly nature which only reinforces the impression that he is totally confident of his skills and expertise;
* As a patient, Dr. Meza's professional, confident and relaxed manner only serves to instill both a calming effect and complete trust in his ability to achieve the best results with a minimum of anxiety;
* Including the air fare, Meza Dental Care's total cost was one third of the cost of the equivalent procedure in Australia.
* There were no hidden costs or increases to the total cost after the initial quotation was provided. Everything was "up front" and honest from the beginning to the end of the treatment;
* The clinic coordinator, Rebeca, is a delight to deal with and nothing was a problem. In fact, on several occasions Rebeca assisted me to find information or locations within San Jose that had nothing to do with dentistry;
* Selecting Dr. Meza to perform the treatment was based on the fact that I had travelled all the way from Australia and even though the total cost was significantly greater than the first quotation, my decision was based on minimising risk as I only had this one opportunity to have the treatment done to the highest standards. In other words, my reasoning was that I had to "get it right the first time"; and
* Lastly, my confidence in Dr. Meza was completely well founded as both he and his team exceeded my expectations. Compared to my previous situation, I now have a fantastic smile and enormously improved self esteem."

Sincerely,
Paul Thomas (Melbourne Australia)
Melbourne Australia



"Since I chose Meza Dental Clinic sight unseen, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a staff of professionals in a clean, modern office that rivals any that I have seen in the U.S. Getting to the appointments was easy, since they provide free door to door transportation to and from your hotel.

The work was top-notch, and was done in a matter of days to accommodate my scheduled time in Costa Rica, not in weeks (or even months), of seemingly endless appointments that it would have taken in the States.

I left Costa Rica with a beautiful smile, which was even bigger knowing that I was able to pay for a nice vacation and STILL spend less than the cost of the dental work alone here!

I couldn't be any happier with my choice!"

Dan Dugan
Homestead, Florida, USA
dpdugan2@att.net