Vial Clinic in Coronado

With health care costs in North America on the rise, ‘medical tourism’ has become a growing global trend.  Each year, more people seek alternatives to pricey medical and dental procedures, often connecting with qualified, bilingual medical professionals working abroad. At the top of the list of places to travel for medical treatments you will likely find Panama. This is due to the growing number of highly educated and bilingual medical professionals practicing here. Furthermore, the country uses the American dollar, and many of the doctors practicing in Panama have been trained in North America. Lastly, it is surely a contributing factor that most treatments are offered at a fraction of the price and without a waitlist.   The Pacific Coast of Panama is becoming home to a wide range of bilingual dental and medical specialists. As more medical professionals begin to open permanent practices in the area, Coronado emerges as a top destination for medical tourism.

Cosmetic Dentist, Dr. Aldring Atencio, is one medical specialist that comes highly recommended by the English speaking community living in the area. Prior to opening a dental and medical practice of his own, called Vial Clinic, Dr. Atencio worked as the lead dentist at the San Fernando Clinic in Coronado.

When Dr. Atencio opened Vial Clinic in the Bayside Center, in July of 2012, he had already helped many foreigners seeking dental care while vacationing in the area.  However, it was through starting his own practice that the dentist felt he could best serve the community, locals and expats alike.

We met with Dr. Atencio last month to learn more about the clinic.

Proficient in English, kind, and highly educated, it was easy for us to see why Dr. Atencio is well liked within the expat community. 

Despite a list of regular English speaking patients, Dr. Atencio expressed that it was important to him that his services be available to everyone.

With this desire, and a want to offer both odontology and general medicine, the determined dentist teamed up with 10 highly educated medical specialists to open Vial Clinic. 

In the Odontology department the clinic offers: Orthodontics, Oral Rehabilitation, Maxillofacial Surgery, Endodontics, Periodontics, Pediatric Dentistry as well as Dental implants and Aesthetics.   

On the medical side, Vial Clinic doctors specialize in General Medicine, Dermatology, Aesthetic Dermatology, Internal Medicine, and Nephrology.
With highly trained specialists in a variety of areas, Vial clinic offers full service health care at competitive prices locally. These prices are well below the North American rates.  

For example a full dental cleaning costs $30 at Vial clinic, and $20 for kids. This procedure would cost upwards of $150 in North America.

Dr. Atencio explained that while today many of his patients are foreigners visiting Panama for dental procedures while enjoying the sun, his local clientele is also growing.

As Dr. Atencio explained it “regular visits to the dentist are not part of the culture here in Panama.” Rather, more people visit the dentist when they suffer serve pain or discomfort.

While it may be a cultural norm to make regular dentist visits in the U.S or Canada, I explained that many North Americans also avoid these regular check-ups. The doctor smiled and explained the cleaning (every 4 – 6 months) is very important, as it often prevents large problems from occurring.  

With this advice, I flipped though my date book realizing I was due for a cleaning. I penciled in an appointment, and was well on my way to reaffirming my dental health. 

To schedule a cleaning or consultation with the one of the medical or dental specialists at Vial Clinic call: 345-4622 or 345-4623

For more information on dental procedures email the dentist directly at: aldring@gmail.com