Mario Garita Carrillo was born to be a dentist. He just didn’t know it.
He came from a family that had already played a integral role in the history of Costa Rica. His great-great-grandmother had immigrated from Czechoslovakia and married a Costa Rica national. Their son, Braulio Carrillo Colina, twice became the President of Costa Rica.

His grandfather had been a dentist, as had his father, who went on to become Dean of the Dental School of the University of Costa Rica Medical School. Later,his father practiced as a teaching professor of dentistry at Iowa State University.

Even though dentistry was in the family blood, young Mario had no clear inclination about being a dentist. His father was very hands-off with his son and so Mario wandered thru secondary school very much undecided about his future.

Being very tall for a Costa Rican, gifted with athletic ability and exceptional hand-eye coordination, sports seemed a natural venue for him. He was a forward in soccer and a center in basketball. However something else caught his attention.

There were times at his fathers dental practice he would spend time in the dental lab watching the technicians painstakingly craft dental molds. Mario was fascinated with the attention to detail required and began working alongside the lab technicians mixing and pouring the mortar for them. As time went on he discovered his niche with the highly detailed, synchronized work performed in the lab and began spending more time at his fathers practice.

His in-born dental DNA began to take hold.

After he finished college he went to the University of Costa Rica Dental School (where his father was the Dean) and hit his stride. Being gifted with natural dexterity with his hands he was literally born to be a dentist. It was at dental school he met fellow dental student Priscilla and they were married while finishing their degrees. Now he was at a crossroads. Should he continue on as a GP or specialize?

Later, after graduation as a Implant Specialist and Oral Surgeon, he went to Jackson-Memorial Hospital in Miami to do his residency. As it is a public hospital and working with only emergency cases ranging  from gun wounds to massive head trauma and everything in between,Dr. Mario’s gifts were tested in every way possible. After completing his residency he and his wife, Dra. Priscilla with their young baby girl, arrived back in Costa Rica as the first Certified Dental Implant Specialist in that country’s history.

His first office was located above the McDonalds restaurant across from Democracy Square in downtown San Jose. Since dental implants were a new procedure in Costa Rica Dr. Mario, literally, went door-to-door offering his services to dentists in Costa Rica. Little by little the practice grew and he added a son to the family.

Seeing the future of medical tourism Dr. Mario and Dra. Priscilla built the first medical tourism website in Costa Rica in the ’90’s and set the standard for other dentists to measure themselves against.The result,19 years later, is a thriving dental practice, located in a new, multi-million state-of-the-art facility with its own laboratory. Today, Dr. Mario is one of the preeminent dentists in Costa Rica his clientele including the outgoing president of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla.

As a testimony to their early prescience about medical tourism 60% of his clientele fly down from the US and Canada for any and all dental procedures ranging from veneers to permanent dentures. What they have found, as you will, is restored dental health,a perfect smile at a perfect price, performed by a compassionate and brilliant dentist.

Our immediate goal is to introduce you to world class dentistry at affordable prices and we will work with you personally, or your chosen travel agency, to facilitate any and every need you may have in making and fulfilling your travel itinerary.

If you will out the simple form below and contact Charlie regarding prices for the dental procedures you need, he WILL give you prices and consult you every step of the way so that you too can have the “perfect smile at a perfect price.”

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.