How’s the dental care in Belize?
Nikki Muschamp
Dental care in Belize is of a high quality, usually from US-trained dental surgeons. For the same level of care as in North America, the cost is approximately half of North American prices.
Dental care in Belize is of a high quality, usually from US-trained dental surgeons. For the same level of care as in North America, the cost is approximately half of North American prices.
Posted December 1, 2014
Christian Burn
We have good dentists here in Ambergris Caye. Most of the dentists here are Cuban- trained. When I go to my dentist in Canada for a check-up and a cleaning, it costs me US $275. There is a flat screen TV on the ceiling, air-conditioning, and a very lovely receptionist area with huge aquariums. When I go to the dentists here in Ambergris Caye, I get the same kind of dental care but maybe there’s some paint peeling off the walls and no TV in the ceiling, but it costs me only $45. If...
We have good dentists here in Ambergris Caye. Most of the dentists here are Cuban- trained. When I go to my dentist in Canada for a check-up and a cleaning, it costs me US $275. There is a flat screen TV on the ceiling, air-conditioning, and a very lovely receptionist area with huge aquariums. When I go to the dentists here in Ambergris Caye, I get the same kind of dental care but maybe there’s some paint peeling off the walls and no TV in the ceiling, but it costs me only $45. If you’ll make me choose between $275 or $45, I’ll go with $45 and i will see my dentist four times a year. When the dentist charges $275 I can’t afford to do that even twice a year just for a cleaning, which doesn’t include a filling or anything other than the cleaning.
If the procedure that needs to be done is something a little bit more substantial, you have to go the mainland of Belize. The private hospitals on the mainland have specialists that do oral surgeries from crowns to root canals. You can get everything that you can get up north here for a fraction of the price.
To go to the mainland from Ambergris Caye, you can take the boat for 2 ½ hours or you can take a plane for about 15 minutes. Taking a plane from one place to another is very normal here in Belize. These are the small 12-seater planes; not the big planes, but they fly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is more like an air taxi. The cost is around US $81 round trip.
If the procedure that needs to be done is something a little bit more substantial, you have to go the mainland of Belize. The private hospitals on the mainland have specialists that do oral surgeries from crowns to root canals. You can get everything that you can get up north here for a fraction of the price.
To go to the mainland from Ambergris Caye, you can take the boat for 2 ½ hours or you can take a plane for about 15 minutes. Taking a plane from one place to another is very normal here in Belize. These are the small 12-seater planes; not the big planes, but they fly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is more like an air taxi. The cost is around US $81 round trip.
Posted December 2, 2014
Belize Bobbi - Belize Paradise Tours
The question of the quality and cost of the dental care in Belize is one that I have lots of personal experience with. While I was very reluctant to schedule my first appointment with a dentist in Belize, I decided to keep an open mind. It was just a check-up and cleaning. And it was less than half the price of my dentist in the U.S. The visit left me pleasantly surprised. The dentist in Belize spent a lot of time answering questions and didn’t rush...
The question of the quality and cost of the dental care in Belize is one that I have lots of personal experience with. While I was very reluctant to schedule my first appointment with a dentist in Belize, I decided to keep an open mind. It was just a check-up and cleaning. And it was less than half the price of my dentist in the U.S. The visit left me pleasantly surprised. The dentist in Belize spent a lot of time answering questions and didn’t rush in and out of the room as my dentist in the U.S. does. It was surprising to me that the dentist in Belize does the cleaning instead of the dental hygienist.
For several years I had contemplated having the amalgam (silver with mercury) fillings in my teeth removed. There has been a lot of talk about whether the fillings are dangerous to our health. No one seems to agree on the answer. Of course the cost was an issue. My quote from the U.S. dentist was between $12,000 and $15,000 U.S. This was hard to justify. When my quote from the Belizean dentist was a fraction of this, it made sense to consider it.
Because of the number of fillings, it required several appointments. Since I was traveling to Belize with my business anyway, I booked my appointments to coincide with my tours. A few months later all of the work was done. An unexpected root canal resulted from removing one of the fillings that was huge, so I opted to have that done before the new filling. (This would have added to the cost in the U.S. as it was not part of the original quote.) Total cost of all work done - 12 fillings removed and replaced with non-metal fillings, 4 on-lays, 1 root canal, a cleaning and x-rays twice… about $2,500 U.S.
It’s important to note that no matter what the savings, I would not have elected to go through this process in another country just to save the money if I had not felt comfortable with the dentist and his facilities. But being raised in the U.S., we are brainwashed into believing that the only place to receive quality medical/dental care is in the U.S. This is totally absurd. Not only is the care in some other places much less expensive, but it is of equal or better quality in my opinion.
There have been several people who have attended my tours who have seen the same dental practice after visiting Belize. After hearing about my experience, one of my friends from the U.S. had extensive treatment done there as well. Even after making 3 trips to Belize her total cost was still about $3,000 less than her U.S. quote – plus – she had 3 mini vacations in a tropical paradise!
Since my experience with the dental treatment, I felt comfortable making a few appointments for medical treatment there as well. But that’s a story for another day!
Posted January 7, 2015
Macarena Rose - Rainforerst Realty
The quality of the dental care in Belize was surprising to me when I moved here because we have the quality of care that I would expect in the US. We have a dentist here in San Ignacio who was actually trained in Chicago. She had her practice there and she came back home to live in Belize because she wanted a different kind of lifestyle. She is an exceptional dentist. They call her "the pain-free dentist."
We have dentists throughout the...
The quality of the dental care in Belize was surprising to me when I moved here because we have the quality of care that I would expect in the US. We have a dentist here in San Ignacio who was actually trained in Chicago. She had her practice there and she came back home to live in Belize because she wanted a different kind of lifestyle. She is an exceptional dentist. They call her "the pain-free dentist."
We have dentists throughout the country, and while I cannot say that they are all pain-free, they are very reasonably priced. As an example, we had a client who needed a root canal. We were talking to him about the wonderful dentist, and he said, “Well, can I go see her?” I said, “OK. Let’s make you an appointment.” He went over to see the dentist and for just US $50, he had his root canal done, he had teeth cleaning done, and he could not believe how incredibly great he felt afterwards because the dentist took care of his problem.
Posted January 27, 2015
Chris Leonard - Paradise Found Belize Real Estate and Development
I don’t know if they offer the same level of technology of dental care (specifically with regard to fillings) in Belize as they do in the United States. In Belize, they do a lot of the gold caps for their teeth fillings. I do know that a friend of mine who got five or six teeth filled in Belize, which cost him US $200 with no insurance, which is crazy to me because my wife just had two teeth filled in the US and that cost us $200 after...
I don’t know if they offer the same level of technology of dental care (specifically with regard to fillings) in Belize as they do in the United States. In Belize, they do a lot of the gold caps for their teeth fillings. I do know that a friend of mine who got five or six teeth filled in Belize, which cost him US $200 with no insurance, which is crazy to me because my wife just had two teeth filled in the US and that cost us $200 after insurance. Not only was my friend happy with the price, but he was happy with the care he received.
(Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne with the Belize Olympic team Kenneth Medwood, Kaina Martinez and Eddermys Sanchez, pictured-- all with great teeth.)
Posted February 27, 2015
David Drummond - Georgetown Trust
My Cuban dentist in Belize is fantastic. When was in the States, I paid around US $1,000 for a crown, which was just my deductible from my insurance plan.A while ago, I came here to Belize and cracked my crown. It must have been a Tuesday and I was in some town up in the north of Belize where I couldn’t get it fixed. So I called the doctor and he said, “Can you be here on Thursday morning?” So I said "yes" and I went in on Thursday morning at...
My Cuban dentist in Belize is fantastic. When was in the States, I paid around US $1,000 for a crown, which was just my deductible from my insurance plan.A while ago, I came here to Belize and cracked my crown. It must have been a Tuesday and I was in some town up in the north of Belize where I couldn’t get it fixed. So I called the doctor and he said, “Can you be here on Thursday morning?” So I said "yes" and I went in on Thursday morning at 10 AM. He took a look at my tooth, cleaned it up, put on a temporary crown and measured me for the new crown. He told me up front how much it was going to cost me, which was around $350 for the entire procedure.
I told him I did have insurance back in the States, but I was here in Belize, and just wanted to get it over with. He asked if I could be back in 7 days, so on the following Thursday, he put in the crown. Everything was completed. I gave him $175 up front and $175 when it was done. The entire thing was completed in 7 days and it was the best crown I have ever had in my life. It is still strong today and it even looked better than the one that I had in originally.
And again, it was done by a Cuban dentist back in Corozal.
(Corazal town hall, pictured.)
Posted March 27, 2015
Howard Oldham - Tropic Real Estate
The dentistry in Belize is incredible. We have some really great dentists that are up-to-date. The dental care in Belize is excellent because most of our dentists have gone to good dental schools and bought the latest dental equipment. I haven't had any dental work done in the US for almost 20 years now because I'm happy with the dental services here in Belize.
(The smiling wife of Howard Oldham on the dock in Hopkins, a coastal town...
The dentistry in Belize is incredible. We have some really great dentists that are up-to-date. The dental care in Belize is excellent because most of our dentists have gone to good dental schools and bought the latest dental equipment. I haven't had any dental work done in the US for almost 20 years now because I'm happy with the dental services here in Belize.
(The smiling wife of Howard Oldham on the dock in Hopkins, a coastal town in Belize, pictured.)
Posted August 5, 2015
Ryan Wrobel - Wrobel & Co., Attorneys-at-Law
Here in Belize City, I have been going to the same dentist for at least 7 or 8 years. He is excellent, fantastic, just as good as any dental care I received or dentists I visited in the United States. The cost, compared to the United States, is much less, so your “bang for the buck” is great. For example, I had a cracked molar here in Belize, so I went to my dentist in Belize. He examined the tooth and came up with a diagnosis and plan,...
Here in Belize City, I have been going to the same dentist for at least 7 or 8 years. He is excellent, fantastic, just as good as any dental care I received or dentists I visited in the United States. The cost, compared to the United States, is much less, so your “bang for the buck” is great. For example, I had a cracked molar here in Belize, so I went to my dentist in Belize. He examined the tooth and came up with a diagnosis and plan, but he also recommended that I go for a second opinion in the United States. He felt that the tooth in question, given that it was a molar, is a foundation tooth, and as such, he would be more comfortable if I received the opinion of a second dentist that I trusted. He didn’t want to go ahead and just provide me with dental assistance when he was unsure, not because of his lack of training or experience, but perhaps out of an abundance of caution and that he did not feel that he had the best high tech equipment to do the procedure the way he felt it should be done. I ended up going to Miami and got a second opinion. It turned out that the assessment of the dentist in Belize was correct, and luckily enough, the dentist in Miami had the equipment needed. Everything was fixed, I was “good to go” and never had a problem again. The point is there is some really solid medical practitioners and dentists in Belize, people who are not going to work on you just to collect money. They really care about their patients, and this is one of the main reasons why I am so pleased with the medical and dental services I have received over the years down here in Belize.
(Miss Belize Felicita Arzu, pictured.)
Posted November 6, 2015