A new report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) indicates that dental patients from Quebec are increasingly going abroad for treatments, and Costa Rica is one of their facorite destinations.

According to CBC health reporter Kate McKenna, the high cost of dental care in the province of Quebec is prompting many Canadians to consider their options overseas.

Specifically, the CBC report told the story of a resident from Sherbrooke, who required a dental implantation procedure to restore most of his dentition. The patient had gone more than six years without being able to smile. A trip to Cuba changed all that, and the man was all smiles when he returned to Canada.

Dental implantation and full mouth reconstructions are procedures that are highly sought after by dental tourists in Costa Rica. At leading practices such as the Flikier Institute of Dental Rehabilitation in San Jose, major restoration procedures can easily cost 30 percent less when compared to prices in North America.

The CBC estimates that nearly 285,000 Canadians traveled abroad in 2014 for health-related purposes.

Still, the CBC report included cautionary comments by Barry Dolman, president of Quebec’s Order of Dentists. Dr. Dolman believes that dental tourists who choose Cuba as their destination are taking a risk because the dental profession in that island nation does not meet the standards of the International Society of Dental Regulators.

The educational path of dentists in Cuba is not the same as in Canada, and there is no accreditation process. Such is not the case in Costa Rica, where professional dentistry standards are very similar to those in Canada and the United States. In fact, many dentists at the Flikier Institute have been trained in the United States, and many are members in good standing of the American Dental Association.