Spring 2018 | We returned home the last week in March, and I was ready for anything. I was fierce, and I had a smile that would knock your socks off. Invincible, I say, invincible.

In between photographing weddings and doing editorial work, we created branding for clients. With Georgia’s ideal spring weather, clients highlighted whatever it was they had created with as many blooming flowers as possible. So, I was onsite at a new community, fresh from the hands of contractors and staged to the nine’s with modern furniture and an endless stream of potential buyers. Photographing a new development community brought with it, refreshments for the lookers. And yes, I grabbed a cookie and bit down. Honest to gosh, it was a soft cookie. A minute later, my tongue felt the sharp edges of a broken tooth. It wasn’t merely chipped, it was broken and most was gone. I would have dropped to my knees in tears had I not been carrying my camera strapped to my waist.

I had just gotten to the point in my life (almost 4 months after #findingmysmile) where I had a full set of teeth, and they were gorgeous! I could not stop smiling. And now, with a broken tooth, I could not open my mouth because I reversed back to what I was before Dr. Meza. As soon as I got home, I emailed Meza Dental Care and asked for help.

During my initial appointment in 2017 with Dr. Meza, his explanation of what his clinic included was a lifetime guarantee of his work. This was the test. On a call, he reminded me of that promise and immediately checked his schedule. I checked mine, found the most affordable time to fly, and booked the tickets. Since Len was still working full time, it became a mother/son trip with Ty making his first trip to Costa Rica. I would spend a week in the chair, and he would explore this amazing country. We stayed at the same Airbnb as before. It was within walking distance from a market, restaurants, and a Starbucks. Priorities.

Meza was the same as before. The same service. The same care. The same quality. Never a doubt of the treatment or the outcome; at the end of the week, my tooth was repaired, and I felt whole again. When I chose Meza Dental Care a product guarantee for life never entered my mind. I guess in my small mind, I thought my teeth would always be as perfect as the day I left the office in 2018. I forgot the fact that these choppers would be used multiple times, every day, every hour, every minute. And breaks would happen. I’m guessing Dr. Meza realized that, thus offering his patients a lifetime of smiles.

When choosing a doctor through medical tourism, read the fine print. Listen to the details that might not seem important at that moment, but years down the road - or three weeks as my case turned out to be - it might be important.

San Jose is a safe town, and had it been a must-go alone, I would have done it. And I did it all in a boot following my second Achilles surgery. It was a tough hobble, but Ty quickly realized the perks of traveling with an old lady in a boot. You board first. You get seated first. Doors open. Kinda cool.

Traveler’s Note: This was Meza Dental Care’s policy in 2018.