On the 8th May, I had the good fortune to find myself returning to Costa Rica!

I was planning to spend six days with two friends whom I had met on the previous trip there, Ana Abarca, a Costa Rica dentist and David Reuland.

The only sights more wonderful than the beautiful mountains around San Jose, were the smiling faces of those two when they greeted me at the airport...

We had much to catch up on as we traveled to David's home in Escazu. Ana, to whom I should now refer to as Dra. Abarca (a Costa Rica dentist) had a wonderful the surprise in store for me. She and David had taken on quite a task over the past months. They had built, equipped and opened a dental clinic in La Fortuna.

Ana had finished her studies at Ulacit University, obtaining a master's degree in Oral Surgery under the tutelage of well-known dental surgeon Dr. Jorge Cubero Malavassi. She has received the best training to be a Costa Rica dentist. They were quite excited for me to see the clinic in action.

I could not imagine the huge undertaking these two had tackled to set things up for her as a Costa Rica dentist. To oversee the building and planning for a medical treatment facility of any type involves an amazing amount of careful planning and organizing.

I had just finished taking part in building one operating room and I had a team of professional medical engineers and architects working with me. That job was extremely difficult.

Imagining these two people, who had no experience in this, doing this project on their own, left me with an extreme amount of respect for their courage and resourcefulness. Ana left for La Fortuna on Sunday.

The following day. I was having dinner with another good friend and founder of this website, Scott Oliver, on Monday evening, so my plans were to travel to Ana's clinic on Tuesday by bus... alone.

I speak almost no Spanish. Thank God the Ticos are such warm and helpful folks! The bus trip was quite an adventure, but perhaps that will be another article! La Fortuna sits at the base of Arenal Volcano. I was lucky to arrive there on a day when no clouds blocked the full view of the volcano.

Standing on the street of La Fortuna, I could not help but be impressed by the daunting, dark peak that presided over the town. Arenal is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It was believed to be just a mountain until 1968 when it erupted with quite a bang!

Many tourists are drawn to La Fortuna, not just to see an active volcano, but to visit the marvelous hot springs, enjoy Lake Arenal, and take part in horseback and canopy tours. I can speak personally about how wonderful the hot springs are. They alone are worth the trip!

The Ticos here in La Fortuna were equally as friendly and helpful as those I'd encountered in San Jose. Everyone was happy to help me find Ana's clinic. When I showed them her business card, they smiled and pointed down the street, just one block from the bus stop, to her sign perched high above the sidewalk.

There it was "The Perfect Smile" printed on a background as blue as the Costa Rican sky!

As I walked down the passageway to the clinic, I felt my excitement growing. I arrived at a professional, yet inviting waiting room. The receptionist informed me that Dra. Arbarca was with a patient and would finish around noon. She gave me the keys to Ana's apartment and I went there to freshen up and wait.

Ana arrived shortly after twelve and we went to a quaint little restaurant down the street to have lunch. Then came my tour of "The Perfect Smile." The sign on the outside of the office informed clients that English was spoken here. The many services offered were also listed, such as, resin fillings, whitening, root canal, crowns, cleanings, and some orthodontics just to name a few!

I walked into a most pleasing reception area. The walls were painted the same lovely azure as the street sign. Interesting and somewhat humorous prints with a dental theme adorned the walls. The room was spotlessly clean, yet warm and friendly.

When we entered the treatment room, I was amazed! The dental chair and accompanying equipment were brand new, high-tech type that any dentist in the USA would be proud to have. Ana showed me each piece of equipment and explained its use.

She explained, in detail, how her instruments were not only washed, but also soaked in a disinfectant, before being sterilized in a steam autoclave. Having 26 years experience in surgery, I know how important it is to prevent cross contamination and could not have been more satisfied at Ana's attention to detail regarding infection control and sterilization.

After each patient, the equipment in the room is wiped with germicide also, just as we do in our operating rooms in the USA. Ana went on to explain how she was training her receptionist to treat clients. "Always smile and be friendly. Offer to help and let them know that they come first!" Dra. Abarca is also very careful in scheduling patients, so that people are not kept waiting for long periods of time.

Then I got to watch Ana take care of a patient. This was a nine-year-old girl. She ran into the treatment room and gave Dra. Abarca a big hug and kiss. (I certainly never greeted my dentist like that when I was nine... and I practically had to be dragged into the dentist's chair!)

The rapport between these two was obvious. Ana chatted with the child and her mother explaining to both what she would be doing. (This was to be a resin filling.)

Mom went to the waiting room and the young lady hopped into the chair. A CD player with earphones was put in place so she could listen to music while Dra. Abarca worked.

At one point during the procedure Ana and the child sang together "la la la la la ... " to help the little girl keep her mouth open. This child never once appeared to be frightened or in pain. At the end of the treatment she and Ana shared "a perfect smile."

Dra. Abarca also takes emergency cases. She has rescued an American who not only lost his crown, but swallowed it This guy told her that she "saved his vacation." Ana treated another patient who had a serious infection after triple root canal that was done somewhere else.

She later rescued a client who had a severe, painful inflammation around a molar. This lady called her at 7:30 in the evening in extreme pain. Word is spreading rapidly about Ana's practice in La Fortuna among locals and tourists alike.

Everywhere that I went with Ana around La Fortuna, we made friends.

Ana is noticed immediately by her height (6ft 1") and striking good looks (former model). Then, when people talk to her, they are even more impressed by her warm, charming personality topped off with an impressive level of intelligence.

She handed out many business cards wherever we traveled and people were delighted to know of her services. So if you are a tourist visiting La Fortuna, or a local person, stop by "The Perfect Smile" and meet a very skilled, as well as lovely and charming dentist.

Or if you're in need of one of the best vacations you'll ever have as well as some excellent and very affordable dental work, give Dra. Abarca a call, and plan your trip.

You may just come away with "a perfect smile" of your own!

Betty Bensenhaver RN is from Virginia, USA has been in the nursing profession for 30 years and is fast becoming a regular visitor to Costa Rica.