The SAGA Ends

So here we are in Costa Rica, on a Sunday night, and I have a tooth that has just erupted.  I tell myself to just take some Tylenol and it will be better in the morning.  I did make it through the night but in the morning we began asking folks in the condo if they knew of a good dentist.

Surprisingly enough almost everyone we talked to had work done on their teeth here—some repair work but a lot of cosmetic work like cleaning and whitening.  All recommended Dra. Virna Alicia Serrano Hidalgo, and wonderfully, her office is located just down the street from our condo.   A quick jog got me to the Coastal Emergency Medical Clinic.

In this office there is a myriad of services available including a Dermatologist, Cardiac Rehabilitation, two family doctors, a dentist, and quite a few other services. 

Unfortunately, when I got there the waiting room was empty and the only person there was a man in a guard uniform who did not speak English. 

Waiting Room

It was easy for me to make him understand I had a tooth ache and he gave me Dra. Hidalgo’s business card and indicated I should call the Emergency number.  Since we don’t have a phone I emailed our condo manager asked if she would contact the dentist.  In about an hour the guard here at the condos came and got me and told me the manager was on the telephone.  Our manager said the Dra. would be in her office at 3:00.  Another quick jog and I was there when Dra. Hidalgo walked in at 3:00 on the button.

There was only one dentist chair in a small room. Each instrument she used was in an individual sterilized package. She never left the room and made sure throughout the process that I was in as little pain as possible. 

I spent the next two and a half hours one-on-one with this dentist.She took an Xray to determine the problem, drew me pictures to explain what was happening to the tooth, explained the options to me, and the consequences of each.We finally decided to pull the tooth. 

I have never known a dentist to spend that much time with a patient being so thorough and so concerned that I understood everything that was happening. The whole thing has turned out great, although I am minus a tooth, and the charge was only $95. 

  

This kind of attention is unheard of in the US and I now understand why many people are coming to foreign countries to have medical procedures done.