Meet Our Founders
Melissa De Ona
Melissa De Ona is a Costa Rican Hospitality Management and Digital Marketing Specialist. She is also the co-founder of Care Overseas, along with Erich Johanning.
For Melissa, the path to hospitality management and then to digital marketing was a natural one, since the country she lives in, and loves, is a hub for tourism. Following an internship with Disney World at two of their premier hotels, where Melissa learned to go above and beyond to create memorable experiences for her guests, she took a position with a tourism consulting firm.
It was there, that Melissa met Erich, and became aware of the extreme needs of people across the United States, Canada and the U.K. for affordable dental care. Together, the two determined to do everything they could to help bring quality healthcare to those that deserve it, but can’t access it due to cost or lack of insurance.
That is how Care Overseas was born.
Melissa now uses her background in hospitality and tourism, to generate long-standing relationships and connections in the industry, as well as her extensive personal experience with dental professionals across Costa Rica, to ensure seamless travel and high level dental care for all of the company’s clients.
Melissa has a MBA with a Specialization in Marketing from Latin University in Costa Rica.
Melissa lives in Costa Rica where she spends as much time as she can on its world-class beaches. She also enjoys swimming, running, biking and dancing Flamenco, and is currently training her dog, for Agility competitions.
Contact
If you want to contact Melissa De Ona send an email to [email protected]. Please note that she reads all emails but has limited time to answer – and she can’t give personal medical advice about dental procedures.
Melissa is on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Erich Johanning
Erich Johanning is a Costa Rican Data Specialist and Digital Marketer. He is also the co-founder of Care Overseas, along with Melissa de Ona.
For nine years, Erich worked tirelessly for a healthcare marketing company, researching and learning about the ups and downs of the healthcare industry in the United States.
It was there, exploring the possibility of expanding their marketing services in Costa Rica that he first realized that countries like the US, UK and Canada needed something that Costa Rica could offer – high quality healthcare at a far more affordable price.
Together with Melissa, he extensively researched patient needs as well as the healthcare providers and tourism firms who could help. With patience and care, Erich and Melissa built the basis on which Care Overseas is now founded and he gets to enjoy the fulfillment of helping patients get the dental care they need to feel their best.
Erich has a degree in Marketing Communications with an Specialization in Healthcare Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Duke University and a Specialization in Business Analytics from Wharton Business School.
He is currently living in Costa Rica with his wife and daughters. In his free time, he enjoys exercise to stay healthy and playing golf.
Contact
If you want to contact Erich Johanning send an email to [email protected]. Please note that he reads all emails but has limited time to answer – and he can’t give personal medical advice about dental procedures.
Erich is on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Care Overseas
At Care Overseas, we believe that you shouldn’t have to choose between living with your dental problems and mortgaging your future to get the help you need to smile again. Yet, each and every year, tens of thousands of Americans and Canadians are forced to do just that thanks to a lack of dental insurance combined with the exorbitant price of care in their home countries.
That’s why for decades, people just like you, who need dental care, whether for a medical condition or cosmetic procedure, have turned to Costa Rica to receive the professional help they need at a price they can afford.
This global thinking has removed the worry about living with dental problems, and taken the cost of care in your home country out of the equation, giving you access to top quality services for 40% to 75% less.
Our mission is to connect you with the most highly trained dental professionals in the country, help you plan your trip, and eliminate the hassle and concerns of researching and choosing a dentist you can trust. We focus on finding you the best dentist and ensure every detail of your trip is covered, end-to-end.
Our long-term purpose is empowering people everywhere to take control of their dental health and get the care they need, because everyone deserves to smile.
What We Provide
At Care Overseas, we aim to provide 100% unbiased recommendations to dental clinics in Costa Rica which can best serve you. Our promise to you is that we will never recommend clinics based on how much they pay us and we are not dentists ourselves, who only recommend their own services.
Instead, we are local experts who have taken the time to personally acquaint ourselves with specialists in the country, so that we can provide only the highest quality recommendations to healthcare professionals you can count on for the same premium level of care you would receive in your home country.
Additionally, to ensure a complete dental experience, we have partnered with the best tourism firm in Costa Rica. This takes away the overwhelm and makes planning your trip simple, with everything from your lodging to your transportation and activities handled smoothly.
Thanks to the relationships we have built with our partners, there are no extra or hidden fees associated with our service and they are always completely free to you.
Welcome to Care Overseas. It’s a new and better world of healthcare.
Quick Facts
Our Purpose: Empowering people everywhere to take control of their dental health and get the care they need, because everyone deserves to smile.
Our Mission: Connecting you with the most highly trained dental professionals in Costa Rica so that you can get the care you need without the hassle and concerns of researching and choosing a dentist you can trust.
Values: Transparency, reliability, service.
The most trusted dental tourism consultants in Costa Rica, providing end-to-end service including clinic recommendations and travel assistance.
Transparency and reliability: All of our content is reviewed by dental specialists to ensure accuracy and evidence- based guidance. Since we are not dentists ourselves, our clinic recommendations are based solely on their ability to provide the highest level of service to you, not profit from your procedure.
Founded by: Erich Johanning and Melissa De Ona.
Contact info: Call us toll-free at 1-866-778-2766, send an email to [email protected], or fill out our contact form.
Who we help: We help people who need dental care, yet may be struggling to afford the help they need in their own country due to lack of insurance or the exorbitant cost of care in many areas. We make it not only possible but easy and worry-free to find the right dentists for your needs in the world’s dental care haven of Costa Rica at a fraction of the cost for care in countries like Canada, the U.K., and the United States.
Cost: Our services are 100% free to you, with no hidden costs or fees.
A Broken Healthcare System
If you’re living in a country like the United States, Canada or the U.K, while you may have access to the dental care you need to keep not only your teeth and gums but also your entire body healthy in theory, the reality is often far different.
That’s because the cost of dental procedures has steadily risen despite the fact that few people have the insurance coverage or the savings to pay for them. This is a fact that leaves far too many people who are forced to live with their dental issues because of financial worries.
In fact, we founded Care Overseas after meeting a person from the United States who had put off dental work due to the lack of both funds and the dental insurance to pay for the procedure he needed and because of it was suffering from serious health problems.
Seeing the effects that the broken healthcare system had forced on his life made us realize what a serious issue this truly was and that thousands of others across these countries were living with the same problems.
Yet, when we looked at the dental care available in our own country of Costa Rica, we knew that it didn’t have to be that way…
That if a person, who had expensive dental problems was willing to travel to Costa Rica, and see the right dentist, they could receive the same high level service as in their own country, from a highly trained doctor, using the latest equipment for up to 75% less than the cost at home.
What’s Holding You Back?
Of course we also understood that for many people, finding the right dentist, plus the worries that can go hand-in-hand with international travel, could make the decision to choose Costa Rica for their dental care challenging.
After all, how are you supposed to find the right clinic, when you live thousands of miles away, don’t know the dentists involved or their track record, and might not even speak the language?
And then you have to consider planning your trip…
- Which are the best options for lodging or a hotel that is close to the clinic you choose?
- How will you handle transportation?
- Is there an interpreter to help you during your stay?
- Are there activities to choose from that can help you get the most out of your travel and make a vacation out of your trip?
Finding the answer to even one of the questions can feel stressful, but when put together can become overwhelming.
Solving the Problem
That’s why at Care Overseas we decided to become an answer to not just one, but all of those questions, so that people just like you could finally get the international dental care they need, without the worry and hassle of planning a trip alone.
We not only help you find the right dentist, but we’ve also partnered with the best tourism firm in Costa Rica to provide you with a complete dental trip experience. From lodging to transportation, tours and activities, we’ve got you covered.
Because we live in Costa Rica, we’re able to personally connect with dental specialists across the country, evaluate their clinics and the care they provide, and create relationships that ensure you get the best, highest quality care available.
Every dentist we recommend:
- Is located in the one of the safest, most modern towns in Costa Rica
- Uses only top quality, ADA approved instruments and materials
- Leverages the latest technologies, including digital x-rays, CAT scans, and 3-D imaging
- Complies with the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitization
- Employ only highly trained personnel who provide excellent service
- Offer a fully bilingual staff and is experienced in treating international patients
- Is a licensed specialist, trained in American universities or an active member of American dentistry boards
And thanks to the relationships we’ve built with our partners, there are no extra or hidden fees associated with our service. It’s always completely free to you and the prices our dental partners and tour operator offer you are no different than if you went directly to them yourself.
We provide a complete dental trip experience to make getting the care you need easy and worry-free.
Possibilities
So if you’re living with dental problems, and can’t afford the procedure to restore your health in your own country, there is help available.
Whether you need dental implants, full mouth restoration, or cosmetic dentistry such as veneers and crowns, Care Overseas is here to help you find the right certified clinic and highly-trained dental professional to help you regain your oral health, without breaking the bank.
When you work with us, you get a partner in your dental journey, one who knows the country inside and out, and can help you plan your trip to Costa Rica from end-to-end and find the right specialist to address your dental needs.
At Care Overseas, we’re here to help you get the dental care you need, without the worry and hassle.